'Equus' - trotting through childhood and maturity

MANILA, Philippines - What does it say about my generation that Equus is more familiar to us as “the play Daniel Radcliffe starred in”? Veterans of theater may shake their heads in disgust, but at least his debut on West End attracted a newer crowd to the now-famous revival. People old and young (but not too young, since the play is for 18-and-above only) flocked to the theater; thus, “Harry Potter” introduced a woefully innocent fan base to a show that had nothing to do with charms or transfiguration, but perhaps a little to do with Care of Magical Creatures.

The “creatures” are horses; hence the title. And as everyone is constantly asking, yes, there is nakedness. That’s why there’s an age restriction.

Like many others, my natural curiosity led me to wonder what exactly this “nudity-and-pony show” was all about. For those who are equally ignorant, the play’s plot about a 17-year-old’s sexual attraction to horses is only one aspect of a very intricately woven story. If anything, its basic premise centers more on the crime of this boy, who has just blinded six horses.

Enter psychiatrist Martin Dysart (Miguel Faustmann), who makes it his goal to find out why and how it happened. Unexpectedly, Equus unfolds as a part-detective story, part-psychoanalysis of the psychiatric hospital’s new patient, Alan Strang (Red Concepcion). The two have several sessions together, each one leading to more revelations and frustrations than the last.

Intertwined in the tale are Alan’s parents Frank (Jaime Del Mundo) and Dora (Tami Monsod), his fellow employee Jill Mason (Pheona Baranda), stable owner Harry Dalton (Dido La Paz), and Martin’s confidante, a court magistrate named Hesther Salomon (Roselyn Perez).

Director Audie Gemora brings the classic 1973 Peter Shaffer play to life with most of its original elements intact. The two complementary colors adorning the stage are brown (suggesting wood, a running reminder of the stables) and white (for Martin’s bare office).

This minimalist feature is carried on throughout the entire production. Interestingly enough, it relies mostly on shapes as indications of place: the square of the stage-on-a-stage, rectangles for horses’ pens, and circular spotlights to highlight single characters. Martin Dysart receives most of them as he serves as the central narrator, and the beginning is already indicative that, yes, this drama will be very monologue-heavy.

The shapes are hardly noticeable as the play is largely dialogue-dependent. Lucky for the audience, Faustmann’s voice is captivating enough and easy to listen to. He proves that he would make a good narrator for audiobooks, though the character of Martin often goes off-tangent with his topics. Admittedly, it sometimes gets difficult to keep up with his breathless spiels. As if to notify the audience when a discussion is particularly important, Dysart smoothly lights a cigarette. The smoke, along with Faustmann, is entrancing in its lack of shape. Fortunately, lack of shape does not equate to a lack of substance; Dysart’s personality is anything but.

Alan Strang is the unpredictable foil to Dysart’s rationality. One haunted stare pulls the psychiatrist in completely, and the criminal himself is initially rebellious and resistant to any of Dysart’s attempts. Red Concepcion channels his Toby role in Sweeney Todd rather than his equally successful portrayal of Mark in Altar Boyz into this haunting portrayal of an initially well-rounded boy gone rogue.

The young actor’s dedication to Broadway is obvious based on his list of credits compiled over the years, and with Equus, he proves that he can handle serious roles just as well as he does comedic ones. His Alan is certainly as youthful and mysterious as the characters insist he is, and one cannot help but pity him as his story slowly begins to unravel. The first act builds his relationship with Dysart with extreme care.

“Careful” is the perfect word to describe the production in its entirety. What may drive the impatient ones away and perhaps attract those who consider themselves scholarly is the lengthy transition of discussions from one theme to the next.

Once again I feel the need to dispel the notion that nudity plays a big role in the play — it is absolutely necessary, yes, for a significant (and unforgettable) scene. But the horses are also only one more instrument that relates childhood — as well as the question of religion, whether it may be viewed as a vice — to becoming an adult, to leaving one’s childhood behind. Everything comes full circle, continuing the shapes motif. Innumerable references to The Iliad, which English majors will appreciate, are used in the same manner.

The first act pits atheism against religion in the characters of Alan’s mother and father, respectively. Monsod and Del Mundo complement each other nicely as worried parents and are subtle in their confrontations. It isn’t their fault that, like most of the other characters, they stride in and out after saying their piece.

This may be what is problematic about an exposition-laden play: characterization of the minor characters is often sidelined in favor of the main ones truly being fleshed out. And yet, by the time the first act is over, Dysart’s growth as a person is complete, especially his doubts concerning an unseen wife. His personality alters unexpectedly come the second act in order for him to relate to Alan, whose own character growth is the only one that is gradual.

The second act initially seems unnecessary as it is a retread of the same themes. What saves it, aside from the fleshing out of Baranda’s bubbly and free-wheeling Jill in relation to Alan, is the conclusion that brings the entire play together. A lot of questions are left unanswered and many kinks remain un-straightened, but Alan Strang’s case is undoubtedly resolved by the end of it all.

Equus is the sort of play that is difficult to get into, but the experience of watching it is certainly rewarding. Despite being purportedly ancient (set in what seems to be the early ’20s), the fact that the play is still able to engage the viewer is a testament to its timelessness. The debates it puts forth are still very much discussed today. It espouses philosophies that every one of us has considered at one time or another. Everything makes sense in a roundabout way, and one cannot help but feel thankful that this play, out of many others, was the one that Repertory Philippines brought back to life has.

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‘Equus’ runs on weekends (at 8 p.m.) until July 25 at Onstage in Greenbelt 1, with 3:30 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and matinees only on Sundays. For tickets, you may contact TicketWorld at 891-9999.