Ghosts

With the Dundee Rep/National Theatre of Scotland co-production of Peer Gynt revived for a Scottish tour after a run in London, and now Ghosts given a main-stage production at the Citz, it might seem like Ibsen fans are spoiled for choice.

But all is not quite as it seems, because in each case the play presented is a modern interpretation that takes plenty of liberties. While Amelia Bullmore maintains the period setting of Ghosts for this version, first performed in 2007, she strips it down to under two hours, leaving in the juicy bits (and being explicit about their precise nature) and speeding up the action.

It's hard to tell whether it is this cut-and-paste approach, or Jeremy Raison's direction, that has led to the bulk of the production feeling comic rather than tragic. As it nears its gruesome conclusion it becomes clear that there isn't going to be time to allow the play's final twist to be handled in anything other than a slightly farcical way.

That's not to say that Maureen Beattie and Steven Robertson fail to capture the complex relationship between Mrs Alving and her stricken son - their scenes together are easily the best in the production. However, any time there's a danger of anyone pausing for thought the action moves swiftly on, with Elspeth Brodie's strident maid Regine, Billy Mack's pathetic carpenter Engstrand or Kevin McMonagle's clownish pastor arriving as if from a different production.

The themes Ibsen so controversially tackled in Ghosts are still strikingly relevant today, but in this break-neck presentation they can hardly be said to be explored. And while this offering is easy to watch and makes a good starting point for discussion, those expecting a faithful production may feel short-changed.