nuvo.net / Horse as God

I believe that is the point. The Tony Award-winning play Equus, onstage at Theatre on the Square and directed by Tony McDonald, is a dark, deep work. McDonald"s vision of it expresses its creepy undercurrent: What happens when religion, sexuality and a person"s lust for life become twisted and deranged?

Malcolm Malik Fincher (horse) and Scott Mitchell (Alan) in Theatre on the Square"s production of "Equus"

The story is about 17-year-old Alan Strang (played by Scott Mitchell) who pokes the eyes out of six horses in the stable where he works. Alan is sent to a mental institution, where he"s treated by Martin Dysart (Ron Spencer). Dysart is a man headed toward the end of his years, and is looking back with distaste at his life. In treating Alan, who has combined his mother"s fervent Christianity with his adoration of horses to create his own god, Dysart questions his place in "curing" Alan, because he knows what it is to lead a passionless existence.

The script is heavy with questions about faith and life - one that would be best

appreciated with multiple viewings or a good read. Catching and retaining Dysart"s challenging lines is hard when the questions asked probe into places most people consider sacrosanct.

Spencer does a laudable job portraying Dysart as a tired, exasperated character, quite a change from his roles in The Bad Seed and Pageant. Spencer delves into Dysart"s world-weariness and plays him as a man who has seen too much and is sick of it all.

Mitchell"s Alan evokes a boy struggling to make sense out of his senseless world and lashing out in frustration. He"s raised by parents with harshly conflicting religious views, and in his attempt to connect the two, his reality becomes synonymous with mythology. Mitchell does well with the difficult role, conveying Alan"s disassociation from the world as well as his all-too-real teen angst.

The supporting characters serve their purposes, also, save Joanne Rose Kehoe as Alan"s mother, who seems to be simply reciting her lines. The chorus of horses, played by shirtless men in leather straps, creates an interesting visual, not only as animals, but as sex symbols - one of Alan"s odder proclivities.

The set, while utilitarian, adds little to the atmosphere, which is best created through the faint lighting. The cast remains seated on the sidelines when not part of the action, and aids in creating sound effects, one batch of which all but drowned out one of Dysart"s monologues. Alas, the simultaneous reaching for props also was distracting.

In all, though, a fascinating piece of work. Equus runs through Jan. 25; call 637-8085 for tickets.

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