Photo by Jojit Lorenzo
EQUUS is a very intense, disturbing and a bit shocking straight play.
It is intense because of the involving drama between child psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart and the young man he is treating, Alan Strang, who blinded horses and has a sexual fascination with them. It is based on a true crime involving a 17-year-old who blinded six horses in a small town near London.
Photo by Raul Montesa
The writer, Peter Shaffer, wrote the play in 1973, producing a fictional but believable story on why the boy did the things he did. The entire story plays out like a detective investigation as the reasons for the boy’s actions unfold before your eyes.
Photo by Reuters
EQUUS was made popular when Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) starred in the play.
Photo by Jojit Lorenzo
It is a bit disturbing because of the several issues explored throughout the play, such as religious themes, parenting responsibilities, sexual exploration, and sexual fascination with the horses. There are times some of the issues presented are things we face in our day-to-day lives, making it relatable, as difficult as it is to admit.
Photo by Raul Montesa
There are no actual horses in the play. Some half-naked men with six-pack abs acted as the horses, utilizing steel horse frames and steel horseshoes. It was very professional and artistically done.
It is a bit shocking because of the actual frontal nudity included in the play (it was a portrayal of the lead roles of Alan Strang and his girlfriend having sex in the barn), which was actually an essential part of the show. It was my first time to see such stage bravery, and some commented that it resembled the nudity in M. Butterfly.
Photo by Jojit Lorenzo
Pheona Baranda plays the role of Jill Mason, Alan Strang’s girlfriend. Pheona’s performance was surprisingly good and she carried the role nicely.
I heard the Alan Strang role was offered to certain celebrities, but nobody wanted to do an ala Daniel Radcliffe except for the theater people.
There is an ongoing debate as to who is the best Alan Strang — Marco Mañalac or Red Concepcion? I watched Red Concepcion, and his performance was very believable and sufficient for the role. Red is more of the theater veteran, but Marco has the more commercial look.
You have to watch the show to be able to weigh in on the debate. 🙂 Don’t miss the chance to watch EQUUS!
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Disclosure: We got complimentary passes to watch EQUUS during opening night, courtesy of Repertory Philippines.
P.S. The play is strictly for adults only.
EQUUS playdates are July 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 8PM; and July 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 at 3:30PM. Venue is at Onstage, 2/F Greenbelt One, Paseo de Roxas cor. Legazpi St., Makati City. For ticket inquiries, call (632) 887-0710 or log on to http://repertory.ph.
Here are some production photos!
http://philippines.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Flash_EQUUS_In_Manila_First_Look_20000101
Hmm… i’m interested to watch it not for the full frontal but more to see the reactions of the Pinoys in the audience watching.
I hope we’re at the point where we learn to appreciate art for what it tries to convey rather than what we see with the naked eye.
Great Job!
-ToT-
just my own personnal opinion…….I DO NOT LIKE TO SEE ANY ‘FULL’ FRONTAL NUDITY pictures or any shows even for the sake of the arts if it is an oil painting a ‘covered’ below part must be either covered by body parts movements shapes or a piece of something like leaves piece of metal o di kaya cloth o another body a book any full frontal nakedness belongs to privacies of bedrooms {hospitals or private homes}any extremes will find a way to go further{darker sides}of societies that will lead to one ugly dangerous sides of being humans once humans explore everything it gets boring so it will find another kinds another ways of unwanted explorations just bcoz it was all explored ‘except’ the darkest ways which ANY decent HEALTHY comprehendable individuals will ‘not dare’ go no matter what temptations are offered WHICH JUST MAKES SENSE once you cross the darkest sides darkest part of being a decent civilized healthy good individuals THERE ARE NO RETURNES you will be in the dark no matter how you would want to erased to get over that darkest experiences bcoz once youve there you are there cannot change history once it is experienced coz it already happened to those who wants this frontal nudities to be a common branches of ‘art’ believing they are in control of future remarkable great destinies that theyre only for these ones but no more lol!let us wait a decade from now what goes beyond to those who’ll said FOR THESE ONLY BUT NO MORE lol
even in public moviemaking-cinemas to watch to be artistic naturalist doesnt mean show the public the actual natural love making without clothes or your frontal nudities & that do it all in public places with attitudes such as sooooo what lol! theyll say this is my own body my own life my own expenses so they automatically own the rights to be totally free to be wanton & disgraced themselves publicly then they see themselves in youtube in facebook in nakedness in actual wrondoings{wild loose cannons} that cannot be returned nor erased lol! decade later theyll apply as teachers or end up in those high paying dignified governess like jobs or as corporate-school management departments or a high end high tech reps doing superior public speaking globally as some may recognized them as those running loose wild wanton those disgraceful younger days will be rated-judge in reality as ‘not’ your commmon acceptable decent educated healthy RAW MODELS FOR ANY HIGH end high PAYING JOBS sometimes too late to realized what’s reality & what’s stupid careless behaviours there is reason why bathrooms are designed for taking a bath for naked people if not for the bathrooms shower rooms naked people will become NUDISTS beach goers anywhere lol!
this is like those common senses natural intelligent admirable remarks when people first fall in love the girl will say mom/dad he is the one the guy will say dad/mom she is the love of my life that one & only i was looking for decades then after 10 years he/she wanted divorce then re marry again hoping those new partners are the really the last ones then she/he went/work abroad he mets a new love coz he’s lonely she mets a new love believing he abandoned her then they both went home & realized those love in distances are not practical realities then friends introduces them to new friends then they find themselves telling their children only this man/woman can truly give them happiness but since there’s no divorce in the philippines they ended living as common law wives/husbands
until they complete their last remaining years as individuals needing someone to love or to love them until the sunset of their lives arrives whenever…….rare if it is ‘not’ originated from the beliefs that theyre one man/woman to care for her/him & theyre children to be people will always overpassed what’s needs to be bridges and theyll say I CAN’T HELP it NOT my fault or i am just human same with using arts as an EXCUSE to abused misused & kept going until societies are caught in a web of darkest adventures but cannot erased just regrets just like world war i….they all said it is painful hurtful tragic cruel unnecessary wasteful part of human history YET IT HAPPENED AGAIN with world war 11{2} if world war 1 is so painful cruel hurful unnecessary & tragic why humans allow thwm to happened again maybe bcoz the old ones slowly dissappeared and new ones replaced the new society that they vaguely remember past history excepts memories from books movies & so called myths but doesnt know for sure if they were true{ignorances}lol!
the only truly beautiful in frontal nudity is not knowing what’s going to happened next let the magical beauty of ‘imaginations’ give you the greatest joy of nudity romance sex o love makings do not ruin the beauty of it by allowing other pervertions make their own personnal realities your own realities do not let them steal o lose your own self imaginations have your own ORIGINALITY when it comes to your body when it comes to your judgements of what is them & what is you choose your own dignity your own self worth do not let them choose if for you be smart be cool be creative but truly your own lol
there are millions & millions of human beings around the world who have never experience love first love o even true love so why is sex theme with animals like horses be the priority to be seen in stages in theaters-plays like this one be ahead of help finding those who needed to be love some human partners thru stage plays messages than this kind OFF KIND of messages to the world yes it is ‘unusual’ to have sexual desires to horses or any animals for that matter so why this kind of obscene awareness is prioritized? help millions of men women who needs to love who are looking for love but cannot find them on their own by staging such needed social themes & ‘not’ some kind of perversions maybe
the beauty of one’s rare one of a kind ONE LIFE to live eh mukha yatang pa-baboy na bina-baboy na uli tulad ng nangyari sa pilipinas in the 80’s at 90’s na ginawang bugaw ang mga pilipinos para bugawin yung mga talents at beauties sa philippines ginigipit ang mga filipinos para ibenta sa prostitutions yung mga talents nila at kino control thru the used of mga marurumi at bawal na mga gamot milyung filipinos naging addict kasi walang pumigil basta magkapera lang sana naman huwag maulit mula kasi filipinos are way advancing societies na dapat huwag bumalik sa dusa o sa pagiging mababa o losers na tawag ika nga pagdating sa sariling katawan ay maging disente lang ‘dapat naman’ maging wise when it comes to pag iisipp dapat talaga lang para huwag uli mapariwara sa mga ‘exploiters’ of the human minds o human decencies huwag pa=baboy tulad ng mga pambubugaw sa mga talents nyo in the 80’s at 90’s dapat may bantay sa mga nambabastos sa mga pinay na talento at mga genius nyo dyan sa philippines huwag pa-isasa mga human exploiters na pervert dapat maging matatag lang ang mga filipinos wherever they are maging magalang mabango at mabuting tao sa deserving din na klase ng tao
grabe the story of equus. sumasakit ang ulo ko just thinking of the plot. i want to watch this rin pero because daniel radcliffe played allan stang, too. hehe
Had a bit of a headache scanning the preceding excessively long-winded comments. No offense meant, but whatever happened to your knowledge of the proper use of basic punctuation and sentence construction?
‘whatever happened to your knowledge of the proper use of basic punctuations and sentence construction’ lol! i left them to those english speaking born americans british australians etc. etc. etc. etc. who are incarcerated but highly educated who are in jails but highly professionals to those serving time but speak-writes english grammars ‘IN PERFECTIONS’ to do the job for me to service ‘unsatisfied perfectionist’ like you to satisfy your kind lol! to make them feel better let them know there are places & good used for them in the society though criminals though hustlers though maybe swindlers but has perfect english grammars should know there are ‘ted followers-admirers’ like you who can filled their emptyness those lack of proper use of grammars & punctuations that there are ‘ted viewer’ missing them somehow i hope their perfect grammars& punctuations here can satisfy you everytime you need it no offense just humuring what you missed lol! lol
@ grandma: Whatever, ole girl! Just go easy on the geriatric antidepressants. Otherwise, threads like this end up littered with all your nonsensical blabbering. Again no offense – merely humoring what we the sane majority couldn’t care less to miss.
lol! ‘ted name viewer’ your suggestive provocative comment open up your true personality{out of the line aggressiveness & maybe illegal drug involvement}the theme the topic in this article calls for ‘ what do you thinbk attention’ and people will give that attentions including opinions on moralities that maybe attached to past REALITIES now as to why YOU FELT THREATENED by a grandma’s comments ‘ only you ‘ can answer that quietly lol! ‘ be true to yourself ‘ read your own comment the only statement that is not so true here is your own statement saying you alone are the MAJORITY every statement i made was past histories{it did happened} & some present day to day lives & still happening even to our awesome planet viewers even to today’s united states senate o u.s. congess all courts etc. lol! if you find day to day ordinary lives{realities}needed some suggestive illegal drug use intakes then you are living in a FANTASY {non realistic world}out of this world ‘perfections’ lifestyles & ideas or just plain vulnerable{social} & selfish or narcisist ‘always’ remember drug use are for those who cannot handle their lives & ‘realities’ good luck to you lol!
our awesome planet has more than 5,000,00 viewers going up & down anytime hailed by many as one of the best there is blog corner it’s gutsy straight forward realities is the first kind in the philippines & outside i say that bcoz filipinos in the past decades are known ‘mahina’ in saying how they really think ‘ feel ‘ kaya naging 3rd world country ang pilipinas kasi ‘duwagin’ daw sa mga gawa at diwa kasi pera pera at utang ng loob ang kinakatakutan kaya mababaw ang kultura pilipino noon nakaraan walang galang ang mga dayuhan at kapwa filipino sa kanila noong araw at tinatapak tapakan at ginagamit lang sila tapos laborers ang pinabagayan sa kanila noon habang ang mga dayuhan ay amo o boss nila kaya ang ratio ng wealthy is so malaki ang agwat sa commoners na filipino noong araw yun di na tulad ngayun ‘sana naman’at si viewer ted ganyan din ang pananaw nya but i understand profits agaisnt qualities watch this show but keep your own filipinos originality and try other educational cultural subjects not schocking commercializationisms salamat po lol!
I have for so long constrained myself to comment on this troll who goes by the name of Granma / haay / gmmahoney but a stupid, ignorant attack on arts and theatre in the Philippines is something I cannot take on a publicly known site such as OAP. FYI Equus is a 37-year-old Tony award-winning masterpiece. Take your garbage elsewhere, puh-leeez! You are off-topic, has no respect, ignorant (woman, you obviously grew up in the wrong side of town, had no exposure/training/knowledge in arts), therefore I shouldn’t make patol but I feel sorry for the next unsuspecting visitor of this blog who would this that there’s a Filipino who thinks like this, it’s not really helping! i need not expound that nudity can mean many things to the artist, be it freedom, selfless offering of self to country (original UP oblation was buck naked, innocence, needs, amongst hundreds of other interpretation to the thinking individual.
ps. nobody is threatened by your crazy nonsense, and since there’s more than 2 who can’t care less about your garbage then we are the majority . i know you’re respond to this with another crazy-ass comment but i tell you, nobody cares!
‘anyone who dares describe that scene as lascivious in any way is a moron.’
— LEA SALONGA, on equus’ nude scene. taken from gibbscadiz.blogspot.com
“It questions our humanity. Therefore we – through theatre – are made to reflect.”
– Dr. Anton Juan Jr, retired UP theatre professor and currently teaching in Notre Dame University
ted and bellicious, dont waste your time on replying to grandma comments; I think she just cut and paste random words that doesnt really connect to the topic.. in short non sense. she made those super long replies and comments in other OAP posts as well and we just got tired of reading and commenting to it.. its useless 🙂 peace!
Hello Anton. I watched this intense play last night. Here is my personal review: http://3xhcch.multiply.com/journal/item/466
Very nice review Fred! I always love reading your review because they are very detailed and I appreciate that you link them in this post 🙂
Thanks! I do hope more people appreciate this kind of play specially here in Manila 🙂
Anton
I watched Equus with Marco and with Red. They both did well. I made two reviews on my blog. http://www.theaterrific.blogspot.com