Equus

Repertory Philippines has successfully staged it's mid year offering on July 25, Peter Shaffer's EQUUS. I am glad my wife and I were able to catch the last show at onstage cinema in Greenbelt 1.

Yes, this is the controversial play starred by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) in 2007 at London's West End.  The reason it became talked about is because the main actor in the play is required by the script to go nude at some point and Radcliffe playing that kind of role is simply unimaginable for some people. Sure enough, that kind of buzz got us curious.

But before you start thinking porno, let me tell you that it's not all kinky as you might think....

Marco Manalac and red Conception as Alan Strang

Equus is a story of Psychiatrist Martin Dysart who meets his most challenging case in a young boy of seventeen , Alan Starng. Alan seems like an normal teenager born of a loving family. However, Alan's passion for horses has led him to behave in the most devastating way. Dysard must discover why this severely troubled teenager, has blinded the eyes of six horses with a hoof pick. Dysart slowly realizes that Alan has evolved his own bizarre religion where the horses are his gods. The therapy was long and stressful for the psychiatrist who in the process realizes many things about life, family, religion and -----himself.

 when we watched, it was Red Conception who played the main role...

Miguel Faustmann played the role of Dr. Dysart with Marco Mañalac as Alan Strang and Red Concepcion as alternate. Directed by Audie Gemora, the play was the first in the Philippines.

I found the narration on the first half of the show a bit boring. Of coarse, this is not Cats or Ms Saigon for me to have expected lavish costumes and all but the simplistic stage design and the fact that the 2 main actors were seen on the stage all throughout the play (and that means no changing of costume) dampened my excitement.Being a highly visual learner simply got me.

But the actors were very good. They even tricked me into thinking that the audio was recorded and that they were just lip syncing . It was almost the end of the show when I realized they were not . Thier delivery was simply flawless---complete with all the British accent. Red Concepcion and  Tami Monsod ( Dora Stang) , Roselyn Perez (Hester Solomon) and Pheona Baranda ( Jill Mason) all played their roles brilliantly.

For a person like me who is not articulate  in stage plays, Equus was surely a treat. I guess I am starting to like theater. I wonder what's next that Repertory Philippines will offer.

Equus was originally staged at the Royal National Theatre at the Old Vic in London in 1973. It was directed by John Dexter and starred Alec McCowen as psychiatrist Martin Dysart and Peter Firth as Alan Strang, the young patient. In 1976 it transferred to the Albery Theatre with Colin Blakely playing Dysart. It was also presented on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre with Anthony Hopkins and Peter Firth.

The play received A Tony Award  for Best Play in 1975.

photo credits:
http://www.repertory.ph/