Equus

Peter Shaffer's homo-erotic play about a young boy raised in a house filled with religious fundamentalism and working class anger who blinds 6 horses made it's debut on Broadway this past week.  Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Richard Griffiths (History Boys) headline.  Kate Mulgrew (Tea at Five, Our Leading Lady, Star Trek), CarolynMcCormik (Private Lives) and T.Ryder Smith (Dead Man's Cell Phone) are among the stand outs in the supporting cast.  

Martin Dysart (Griffiths), an aging psychiatrist attempts to get to the core issues behind why Alan Strang (Radcliffe) has blinded 6 horses in a stable in a small town.  At first blush, a horrific act, however the story unwinds itself to reveal a young man caught up in religion, loneliness, sexual attraction, and a very sad, yet plausible explanation to the tragedy.  

In the course of the story, we learn that the aging Dysart may indeed be battling his own version of these devils.  Are any of us exempt?  Are we all secretly jealous of those who take the reigns of life? Even if those reigns lead us down a path to hell?  Perhaps Marx had it right. Religion may just be the opiate of the people.

Griffiths and and Radcliffe are aided by remarkable sound, well designed and executed lighting and smoke on the stage - not to mention the very physically fit boys who play the horses.  The horse heads are a clever trick but it was the actors behind those heads executing the subtle horse movements brought their grandeur to life.

Well worth a full price ticket to see this show.  Run, don't walk.  

The History Boys

Here we go - once again - BEST PLAY is in the works for this one! The ensemble cast - all from the original run in London on the West End - is here on Broadway for another go at it. This one is a Don't Miss. The boys are adorable and likeable and believable - and to say that Richard Griffiths is theatrical perfection understating his performance. The one-woman stand out in the play was Francis De La Tour. Her sardonic wit about academia and men was biting and yet, we all know, true.

The play is about the games of academia as played by the adults and the games of youth as played by the boys and how those two games often intersect and produce the unique consequences we call "life". Two parallel storylines yet really one story. Alan Bennett (playwright) has a true gift for humor, wit, and irony. All around an intelligent, well acted, and well written peice.

It's a great evening of theater - you'll truly be entertained - by at least 2 or 3 members of the cast. I really can't pick a favorite I must say. If you're in academia - this one is for you. The message is clear - Pass it On. (you'll get it when you see it, don't worry).

The name may have been The History Boys, but let me tell you, they sure did well in Chemistry too !