Equus

Synopsis

In a Hampshire stable, a youth blinds six horses with a metal spike. Convicted of this appalling crime, seventeen-year-old Alan Strang is sent to a secure psychiatric hospital. Martin Dysart, the child psychiatrist assigned to him, begins to probe Alan s past in an attempt to understand his motives. Initially the boy is silent and uncooperative, but as Dysart digs deeper, he begins to win Alan s trust and the truth gradually emerges. Finally, as Alan struggles to be free of his demons, he must relive the events of that terrible night. Inspired by a true story, Peter Shaffer's unique psychological thriller explores the complex relationships between worship, myth and sexuality. Equus contains strong language, adult themes and nudity. The play won both the Tony Award and New York Critics Circle Award for Best New Play in 1977.

Our Review:

27 April 2012

Having seen the 2007 West End revival of Equus, I had to broach London Classic Theatre’s new production with an open mind. Not taking anything away from the fantastic production values of the West End offering, but it could be said that the show was able to hide behind it’s stellar casting of Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths; whereas this current production is much more exposed.

Michael Cabot, the company’s Artistic Director, made a lot of interesting direction choices throughout the performance. The cast were preset onstage five minutes prior to curtain up and demonstrated what seemed like a pre-show warm up - I’m still working out the relevance of this! Furthermore, the entire acting company were present onstage throughout, which at times I felt drew focus over the action. Paul Green’s lighting was minimalist but often confused with regard to locality. Following Cabot’s decision to have the actors remain onstage, I would have ...

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