GNIT
***** (out of five)
Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre, 2 hours 30 minutes, one intermission, ends Oct. 4. Written by Will Eno. Directed by Tim Carroll.

Do we ever really know ourselves? Does the face in the mirror ask, “Who are you? Really …”

Peter Gnit, (pronounced Guh-nit, due to a typo that was never changed), is a lazy, procrastinating lad with dreams of adventure, escaping home, poverty and a dysfunctional relationship with his mother.

The world beckons and the intriguing, award-winning American playwright, Will Eno, takes us on Peter’s wild wondrous and often calamitous road trip of mishaps, windfalls, happenstance and loss. And what a rollicking ride.

For those who love wordplay, fantasy, the unexpected and unpredictable, director Tim Carroll and his six actors deliver. They give energy, believability, humour and superb acting chops to 36 different roles plus lightning flash changes of costume.

“Gnit” is based on the famed Henrik Ibsen play, “Per Gynt,” inspired by Norwegian folk tales and Ibsen’s own family. It was first published in Denmark in 1867.

Ibsen’s friendship with the equally famous Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg, produced Grieg’s “Peer Gynt,” 22 pieces of incidental music composed for Ibsen’s revised play, which opened in Oslo in 1876 to great acclaim.

As Ibsen upended conventional drama of the 19th century, so Eno in the 21st century takes surprising twists of the surreal and tough reality. In sharp turns of undefined time and space, the exotic and mundane, consciousness and the unconscious, the actors convince with hilarity and deadly seriousness.

Nehassaiu DeGannes, as Peter’s dying mother, exudes the sheer fatigue of her love yet a disappointed recognition of a son who will never deliver.

Qasim Khan is the irresponsible Peter in quest of a heroic self. His opportunism and self-absorption leave a trail of wounded behind him and prevent his lasting happiness.

Mike Nadajewski is brilliant as Town, a whirling dervish of movement and tongues as he voices the many recognizable dissenting and arguing opinions of every town council and citizen.

Patrick Galligan, ever an excellent character actor, remains totally convincing in the many roles demanded of him in this production.

Peter’s frequent escapades with women, played gamely by Gabriella Sundar Singh, result in abandonment, kidnapping, confrontation and an inability to commit.

Julia Course is superb in her roles as Solvay, the ever-loving woman left behind yet finding solace in one place. She also scores as a worldly fast-talking auctioneer and brings many laughs as a bored bartender who has heard it all before.

The costumes and set designed by Hanne Loosen are minimalist, imaginative and effective. Simple blocks of wood are moved around by the actors.

They become whatever is required: a bed, a bar, a chair, a dwelling. Rods suspended from the ceiling release whatever is required for a scene: flowers at a wedding, smoke, mist and amusingly at the mention of the desert: sand.

There is no need to know the original “Peer Gynt” to understand “Gnit.” It has a sense of wonder, of honesty, of heartbreak and humour at the same time.

The eternal search of “Why am I here?” is examined by Eno in a context of how we can discover ourselves in many people. We might ask if this is possible in a time of “selfies?”

Despite the absurdity of life and perhaps unreached dreams, our aspirations remain, and we can still find magic in the power of language and theatre.

Penny-Lynn Cookson is an arts and culture historian, writer and lecturer living in Niagara-on-the-Lake.