By: Winnie Mac
This section we will discuss about the production history and critical history of the play Equus.Genre: Drama/Theatre
Equus (Play)
Equus is a dramatic play written by Peter Shaffer premiered in 1973. Shaffer is an English playwright and screenwriter from Liverpool, England. He has won numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed.Set in England, the play tells a story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a seventeen-year-old boy who has blinded six horses with a metal hoof in a stable.
Shaffer's play was inspired by the unknown case of a seventeen-year-old boy who lived in a small town near Suffolk, England. The boy was known for blinding six horses. Not much information was gathered, but it certainly did plant a seed in to Shaffer's head and inspired him to create the play Equus. The play was performed between 1973 and 1975, and later on a Broadway production was produced which ran for approximately 1,200 performances. However, this was not the only remake of the original play. There has been many recent remakes of Equus which starred the famous British actor, Daniel Radcliffe (known for playing the role Harry Potter), who played the lead role, Alan, and Richard Griffiths who plays Dysart.
Characters
Martin Dysart: A psychiatrist.Alan Strang: Seventeen-year-old boy who is being treated at the hospital.
Frank Strang: Alan Strang's father.
Dora Strang: Alan Strang's mother.
Hesther Salomon: A magistrate (judge).
Jill Mason: Worker at the stable and Alan's acquaintance.
Harry Dalton: A stable owner.
A Young Horseman: Mysterious man who Alan remembers.
A Nurse: Martin Dysart's assistance.
History
- Equus premiered in 1973 at the Royal National Theatre in Lambeth, London, UK.
- The play starred the follow actors/actress: Colin Blakely, Eileen Atkins, Jenny Agutter, Joan Plowright, Peter Firth, and Richard Burton, directed by Sidney Lumet.
- The play had swept both audience and critics, securing Shaffer's career.
- Equus also had its American premiere at New York’s Plymouth Theatre on October 24, 1974.
- The play was later on adapted into a film in 1977.
- Equus was presented in Baltimore, in 1979 by the Lovegrove Alley Theatre.
- Remade in February 2007 by producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers
- Starring Richard Griffiths and Daniel Radcliffe in the leading roles.
- Illustrated edition of the play text was produced by the Old Stile Press, with images developed by British artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins in 2009
Awards and Nominations
In 1975, Equus (play) received:- Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Foreign Play
- New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
- Tony Award for Best Play
- Drama Desk Awards Best Leading actor in a play: Daniel Radcliffe
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play - David Hersey
- Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play - Gregory Clarke
- Golden Globes - Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama - Richard Burton
- Golden Globes - Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture - Peter Firth
- BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress - Jenny Agutter
- BAFTA Award for Best Film Music - Richard Rodney Bennett
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor - Peter Firth
- Academy Awards - Best Actor - Richard Burton
- Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actor - Peter Firth
- Academy Awards - Best Adapted Screenplay - Peter Shaffer
- UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Winnie
**Please post your thoughts and facts that you have gathered in this section guys!
"The story is fascinating. Daniel's acting is powerful and captivating next to Richard's. The set, sound, and light design are exquisite. The visual effects and the sound create the perfect drama next to the complex simplicity of the set."
ReplyDelete-Ariel, New York City
"The performances of each and every one of the actors were extraordinary, especially those of the horses, and of course, Alan Strang (Daniel Radcliffe). The overriding mood of the play, though spooky, was studded with humor, and the effect at the end was stunning. This play, though very good, is also very complicated and mature. A GREAT performance."
-C, New York, NY
"This is one of the greatest works of drama (and psychology) i think ever written."
ReplyDelete-Stephanie rated 5/5
"I don't care if it took Harry Potter to disrobe for people to finally see this masterwork. This is without a doubt my favorite play from one of my favorite playwrights. Like most great works, it conflates several dichotomies without leaning too heavily on any of them."
-Ryan Chapman rated 5/5
"I would give Equus three and a half stars but Goodreads isn't into that. Its better than three stars though. Something in the end seems lacking, but I think its just the fact that reading it is unsatisfactory. A play exists as a play simply because it can't exist in any other form. If reading it was okay, then it would be a weird sort of prose. Reading Equus was not okay. Therefore it is a play. And you should look out for seeing it one day as it will probably trump the text version."
-Baiocco rated 4/5
First, Equus is a critique of Christianity. Director Terry Converse says, “Christianity is to blame for what happened to Alan. That’s a harsh message.”
ReplyDeleteIn Act 1, the audience learns that Alan comes from an overprotective home where his Christian mother and atheist father disagree about how to
raise Alan. The mother wants to teach him the depths of Religion, where the father wants Alan to have a normal life. At the end of Act 1, that is where the climax of sexuality and religion begins. Alan manifests in Equus. He thinks he is a god that rules Alan. On page 74, Alan calls out as both a lover and god where he says,“Feel me on you! On you!…I want to be in you!…Equus, I love you!…One person! One person! One person! One person!” (Page 74). Critics say that Shaffer can tackle the themes of passion and normalcy in Act II. Act II is the deconstruction of Alan’s worship. Shaffer want the audience to think if Dysart should "cure" Alan to return him to normal, because if they cure him it would strip Alan off his passion for Equus. Shaffer linked the themes worship, passion, and normalcy in Equus in order to make the audience understand the foundations of society.
Thanks for your contribution Svetlana!
ReplyDeleteLook up the name Alec McCowen the next time you get a chance. He died this year, in february. He was one of the great British actors of the second half of the 21st century. He also originated the role of Dysart. Please fuccing read your $#ii+ before you post it because I need real information at all times and simply having the name equusdaily doesn't fuccing count for anything.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to discover your post as it will become on top in my collection of favorite blogs to visit.
ReplyDeleteWall Lights
Original prod in London at National Theatre was not directed by Lumet and the cast you have listed is incorrect.
ReplyDeleteOriginal prod in London at National Theatre was not directed by Lumet and the cast you have listed is incorrect.
ReplyDelete