I have seen many plays but never one as powerful, as thought provoking, or as visually interesting as Equus. Equus tackles
the question that most of us ask when we hear about a horrific crime or
event-“why?” In this drama, Martin Dysart, a child psychiatrist, searches for the source of the pain in a teenage boy, Alan Strang, that birthed
a horrific act of horse mutilation. As the puzzle unfolds, we discover that the act of worshiping a higher being
or thing can be a powerful catalyst for good or evil.
Reflection
The source of Alan's (Spencer T. Hamp) twisted infatuation with horses is unwound by his psychiatrist, Martin (Daniel
Krell) like a thriller. We lean into the story told through the superb acting
of PPT’s fantastic
cast. As the puzzle pieces of the boy’s
life with his atheist dad and religious mom are revealed, we start to discover part of the “why”.
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| Alan Strang (Spencer T Hamp) and Martain Dysart (Daniel Krell) |
The horses, which are major players in this thriller, are divulged early on in the play when the stable doors open in unison exhibiting the men who double as the six
horses. These actors amazingly capture the essence of the horses as they strut across the
stage. I was awestruck by the artistic visual.
Alan who works as a stable boy has an intense reverence for the horses especially Nugget(Ben Blazer). The child psychiatrist, Martin struggles with his
ability to extinguish the boy’s passion. Martin seems almost jealous of Alan's intensity for something as he reflects on his own placid existence. Contemplating his years of professional work he states that, “the worst thing you can do is
take away their (his) worship” and “...cut away the individual and sacrifice (him) to the normal”.
This Tony Award winning
play sure provokes layers of thought as
it explores the idea or act of worshiping something with your entire being.
(Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Equus runs from September 28 through
October 29,2017 at the O’Reilly Theater. PPT also host "Sips and Scrips" where you can get the script of various shows beforehand and take part in a pre-show reception and discussion. )
Other Sources
Pittsburgh Public Theater https://ppt.org
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