Motion pictures can do many things impossible to achieve on a live stage, but film has, at least, one major disadvantage that theater is mercifully exempt from: It is the most literal of dramatic mediums.
Take Peter Shaffer’s 1973 play “Equus,” which is currently being revived by the Washington Shakespeare Company, a psychological mystery concerning analyst Dr. Martin Dysart (Christopher Henley) and his attempts to fathom why troubled teenager Alan Strang (Jay Hardee) blinded six horses in a stable. The horses are portrayed by actors using a combination of masks, mime and choreography.
Sidney Lumet’s 1977 film version was doomed from the start because, due to the cinema’s demand for the appearance of reality, there was no question that real horses would be used, thereby robbing the script of much of its poetry.
To fully appreciate the beauty and power of “Equus,” you have to see the stage original, and it would be difficult to imagine a better rendition of Shaffer’s classic than WSC’s superlative production. Additionally, in a prime instance of necessity being the mother of invention, the company’s budget limitations required a slight change in casting that actually adds a whole new dimension to the story.
Not being able to afford half a dozen extra actors to play the horses, director Lee Mikeska Gardner opted to have the supporting cast double in those roles. As a result, in the play’s climax, when Alan re-creates his horrendous act, he is not only mutilating the horses, but also exacting violent retribution against all the authority figures (his parents, the stable owner, etc.) in his life, a touch with almost endless Freudian implications.
‘Equus’
Washington Shakespeare Company’s production of “Equus” runs through Dec. 3.
Venue: WSC’s Clark Street Playhouse, 601 South Clark Street, Arlington, Va.
Performances: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (and Nov. 26) and 2 p.m. Saturdays & Sunday
Tickets: $25 to $35
More info: 703-418-4808
