Word: equus
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...great feat of Equus that, despite this horrifying premise, the play succeeds in forcing even the most confident judge of right and wrong, crime and punishment to hesitate on this last question. Written by playwright Peter Shaffer, Equus grabs hold of that mysterious pointer on the moral compass and sends it spinning out of control. In a welcome if somewhat disconcerting departure from the tidy morality tales so often dished out on stage, the production of Equus performed last weekend at the Loeb Ex baffled, bewildered, but ultimately satisfied by feeding that questioning voice within...
...Equus is the story of a boy, Alan Strang (Henry Clarke '00), and his psychiatrist, Dr. Martin Dysart (Ryan McCarthy '97). In delving into Alan's brutal crime, the good doctor attempts to uncover what could possibly have motivated such depravity. With a clever interweaving of flashbacks, testimony, and action sequences, Alan's past and psyche are gradually revealed...
...becomes almost understandable. At the risk of drowning in psychobabble, suffice it to say that a combination of unguided passion, spiritual and sexual repression and mental confusion arising from the tag-team influence of socialist-atheist Dad and Bible-thumping Mom lead Alan to worship the mystical horse-deity Equus (Latin for "horse"). It is the intersection of reality with Alan's fantasies that leads the emotionally undeveloped boy to commit such a ghastly deed. As the play progresses, however, it becomes less about Alan and more a commentary on the restrictive conventions of normality that "society" imposes. Dr. Dysart...
...really normal?" theme in Equus won't win any points for originality. But the fact that the question is even asked in the face of the initial revulsion towards the crime is a tribute to the well-written script. As if animal mutilation wasn't enough, the play insists on bringing in anti-religiousness, bestiality and profanity--as if to ensure that every member of the audience is offended at some point. Remarkably enough, these themes illuminate rather than distract from the core of the story...
Though boasting a cast of ten, Equus is really a two-man show. Fortunately, the two men were well-equipped to shoulder the burden. Clarke's Alan, in the tradition of Rain Man and Shine, made his tics and facial expressions consistent and believable without making a mockery of his mentally challenged character. As Dr. Dysart, McCarthy demonstrated an impressive command of a demanding script and shifted skillfully, if a bit belatedly, from two-dimensional straight man to anxious Everyman in the second...