Worshipping Equus

MANILA, Philippines - Worship is a recurring theme in Equus, a mind-boggling and award-winning play that Peter Shaffer wrote in 1973. The play posits on the compelling story of Dr. Martin Dysart, a child psychiatrist who attempts to treat Alan Strang, a 17-year-old man who blinded six horses in one night as a result of his pathological religious cum sexual fascination with horses.

Worship is also a recurring word in the minds of the many Filipino audience who have seen the play of late at On Stage in Greenbelt One in Makati City. It is easy to understand why some fanatical reverence of sorts is accorded the Philippine production of Equus. In no particular order: One, it is mounted by Repertory Philippines. Two, it is grippingly helmed by Audie Gemora whose directorial savvy on stage is akin to a skipper who impeccably navigates the ship to its desired destination. Three, it has powerful powerhouse cast. Four, it has a luminous staging, from the creative aspect to the technical details.

Gemora is successful in translating/reviving the painfully beautiful script of Shaffer into his own riveting obra. The truths the play presented are disturbing. And Gemora sticks to that detective-like tempo of the play. All throughout, there is that imaginary cadence that compels Gemora to unravel the truths that involve Dr. Martin Dysart’s understanding of the young man’s seemingly arbitrary actions — who, in his right mind, would gouge out the eyes of six horses using a hoof pick? Of course, the plot is thickened by the fact that the child psychiatrist himself, in the process of unearthing what troubles his patient-of-the-hour, also begins to entangle himself with his own sense of purpose, his reason for being.

It helps that Dr. Dysart is played by theater veteran Miguel Faustman while Alan Strang’s character is essayed by Marco Manalac. (I have yet to see Red Concepcion, a young stage dynamo, alternately plays the role of Alan Strang.)

As every theater aficionado knows, Faustman is a stage demon — he’s spellbinding. His portrayal of Dysart is polished and luminous. It is almost futile and pointless to praise his acting because that is expected of him to deliver a no-nonsense performance. After all, he is The Faustman. 

As for Manalac, some highbrow theater enthusiasts silently, albeit temporarily, cast their reservations to the thespian that resides in him. It is Manalac’s first taste of performing on stage and that is where the momentary stipulations of others regarding his ability to essay the role are streaming from. The role of Alan Strang, proven and tested by Daniel Radcliffe (star of the Harry Potter franchise) at Equus’ successful revival at the West End, almost demonically demands utmost sense and sensibility from the actor playing it. Manalac does not disappoint with his prowess in acting as he constructs his own stable of thespic wit and wisdom on stage while constructing his own personal theology that is horse-centered as represented by the supreme godhead “Equus.”

Yes, Manalac has an almost 15-minute genitalia exposure in the play but his fierce and fiery portrayal of Alan Strang more than clothed his being. You get blinded by his sensitivity to portray a disturbed character that you also become disturbed. Manalac has that capacity to telegraph to the audience his feelings that he leaves them riveting also to feel his pain. His lanky physique adds to the authenticity of his teenaged character. His characterization is soft and sincere to the core yet brutal and brittle on the side and surface. It is this attack to his role that makes Manalac’s performance leave a stab in the heart, inflicting pain that threatens to overstay.

Having said a mouthful of reverence for the thespian residing in Manalac, the worship should be given back to Gemora who successfully instituted in the young gentleman’s persona that he, too, despite his prior inexperience in the live acting performance, could be the next “big thing” on stage.   

Equus has a formidable support cast, too. Their names read like a sumptuous menu in the acting department; that for the initiated, it is a no-no not to taste anew the freshness and crispiness of their acting prowess. Again, in no particular order: Tami Monsod (as Dora, Alan Strang’s mother), Jaime del Mundo (as Frank, Alan Strang’s father), Roselyn Perez (as magistrate Hesther Salomon), Pheona Baranda (as Jill Mason, Alan Strang’s “love interest”), Dido dela Paz (as stable owner Harry Dalton) and James Stacey (as Nugget and the Young Horseman). Even the horses in Equus — they are actors who wear wide abstractions that resemble horses’ heads — are so compelling you will want to take them into your own stable!   

The simplicity of stage design complements the highly-textured psychological drama of the play. The music is unobtrusive, unnerving. The lights are so engaging, especially in the disrobing scene, that they take their own life on stage.

Gemora’s take on Equus is hypnotizing, as hypnotizing as the placebo pill Dysart gave to Alan Strang so the kid would tell the truth.

And the truth is, Equus is worth worshipping.

(Equus will play until today. Proceeds of the last performance tonight at 8 will go to the college education of some select students.)