Globe columnist Peter Grant meets an Everyman ‘re-imaginer’ bringing his unique take on Peer Gynt to the stage.

Robert Farhquar is time travelling and clearly enthusiastic about his latest project – a re-imagining of the literature classic Peer Gynt called The Big I Am.

Robert, who directed the Globe five-star rated Lonesome West at the Royal Court has taken on an even bigger job for The Big I Am.

It’s not the easiest play to stage. In fact, the novel has been described as being ‘cinematic’ so that’s a big job, too, for the Everyman’s associate director Nick Bagnall.

But the award-winning Everyman do everything their own way.

Robert’s sparkling psychedelic re-imagining of Peer Gynt is the last in the Company’s 2018 season. The multi-tasking actors have been working very hard on their current cycle of diverse shows.

Each play has been given the Everyman stamp from Paint Your Wagon to A Clockwork Orange and Othello.

Now it’s Peer Gynt and audiences are in for a huge surprise with this ‘Farquhar take’ on the Ibsen classic.

"I wrote it for the Everyman and with the 14 strong Everyman Company in mind. I have re-located it time and place-wise. It is set in the second half of the twentieth century," he says.

"In this production Peer is born during the May Blitz so he is baby-boomer.

"There’s a bit of a John Lennon streak in him. He has a huge imagination,"

Robert says he has always loved the Everyman way since he saw John, Paul, George Ringo and Bert by Willy Russell in the London production.

"As for Peer Gynt I’ve always loved it – it’s been niggling away at me to do it. I know it’s a difficult play but it has always fascinated me.

"There are three actors playing Peer Gynt and there’s music from our composer James Fortune.’’

And expect the unexpected – there’s one song made famous by 60 star Helen Shapiro included while the action moves from Liverpool to Las Vegas and Dubai.

"I wanted to bring out the humour and human heart break, anarchy and rebellion and make it very accessible.

"The wedding scene is typical of such Northern England events .’’

Robert laughs when he talks about Ibsen’s creation The Trolls.

Here they are played by an East End flavoured gangster type notably in the Ray Winstone mode.

He has trimmed the play and it has a different ending from the play which was originally written in verse.

Robert hopes to tell the tale within two and a half hours.

Away from Hope Street Robert’s next projects include a folk horror piece and a musical take on A Rakes Progress.

So Robert will be busy in his South Liverpool home – he has lived in Liverpool for 27 years - during the summer re-imagining all over again.

For now, he is hoping to bring Peer Gynt - the eternal egotist to the stage with an in-the-round fab flourish.

The Big I Am at The Everyman Theatre on until July 14.

For tickets call the box office on 0151 709 4776.