An Afternoon of Equus

I am not exactly a fan of literature that involves a disturbed mind, because I myself get confused. For that, I know I have to watch A Beautiful Mind again to appreciate it because I once did in the movie house and I came out of it more bewildered. I didn’t know whether I was too tired when I watched or whether it was just really the movie. I am just the feel-good movie/book kind of person.

Ever since I started watching theatre, I was surprised that I can appreciate dark and deep story lines bit by bit. I love light genre because entertainment is a way of relaxation for me. But then, I started to appreciate unique and complicated plots. I watched Sweeney Todd the last time at On Stage and I liked it. Of course there was Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo who played Mrs. Lovett that gave out a really good performance. Often though, those that are being staged for plays really have unique plots to differentiate themselves from the rest.

Truth be told, I was really set to watch Equus only because of Daniel Radcliffe. No, I am not a fan of his, but the controversial role that came with a controversial buzz that I think favoured the play convinced me to watch. Besides, it was a plot that I haven’t seen before.

It was around two hours and fifteen minutes of cracking what was said to be the disturbed mind of an adolescent boy. Alan Strang (played by Marco Mañalac) the 17-year-old boy, blinded six horses in one night. The psychiatrist, Dr. Martin Dysart (played by Miguel Faustmann), attempted to figure out the reason behind this crime as he tried several means which what composed the entire play.

The play touched on the necessary factors that contribute to a child’s development— family values, family relationships, education, religion – all of which were considered by Dr. Martin Dysart to have contributed to such behaviour shown by Alan. Through this, Equus proved to be more than just a play with a nude scene.

What I liked about the play:

• Marco Mañalac’s portrayal of Alan Strang. I am just amazed at how much passion he showed through playing this role. The expression on his face and his timing was impeccable. He is said to be a newbie in the theatre, I’m no expert but judging by what I saw, he can go a long way in the theatre industry.
• Miguel  Faustmann’s portrayal of Dr. Martin Dysart. His brain is just a marvel. I can’t imagine how many lines he memorized for this entire play. He was able to deliver, word per word, and acted them out. Only if he weren’t suffering from cough which was evident because at times it would drown out the voice of whomever he was currently having a scene with. But then again, hats off to this guy.
• Praises should also go to Phoena Barranda for playing Jill Mason. She had believable accent. Her enunciation was very credible. Her acting was really good and the way she handled such a delicate scene was great.

There really wasn’t anything that I think the play could’ve done better. The play had a humble set, which I think is fitting for such a strong, unconventional plot. I don’t know how they did the horses’ parts in London but I found the execution okay. I actually think being one of the actors who played one of the horses was very tiring. The horses kept on “running” the entire duration. Hats off goes to those guys as well as to the rest of the actors of the play.

Although this play is said to garner many praises from the reviewers, I’m actually sad that during the time I watched it, the venue wasn’t full house. Probably more promotions could’ve improved attendance, but then maybe because I watched during a Saturday afternoon. I hope the producers were able to earn from this because more plays and musicals should be staged in the Philippines. Praises should also go to the director, Audie Gemora and Repertory Philippines for making Equus stage in Manila possible.