EQUUS

EQUUS incorporates at least six major elements, intricately and elegantly intertwined.

• The basic plot driver: Why did the boy blind six horses?

• The philosophical, psychological question: The conflict between human need for extreme passion (even if pathological) and health (even if absent any passion).

• The substitution of horses for male-female (and male-male) eroticism.

• Sadomasochistic and other extreme expressions of religious passion.

• The theatricality of the stylistic staging with men in brown body suits, wearing beautifully constructed and strikingly lit wire horse heads, playing the horses.

• And also nudity. Complete male and female nudity that was extremely daring when the play was first staged. Less so now, but heightened by the fact that in this production the nude 17 year old boy is played by Harry Potter (aka Daniel Radcliff).

EQUUS was written by Peter Shaffer and has had many successful revivals after a very successful initial run. It opened for previews in NY on Sep 5th, and the official opening is Sep 25th.

As most everyone knows, Daniel Radcliff (aka Harry Potter) is playing Alan. He is a boy whose crime of blinding six horses is being investigated by Dysart, a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths, (aka Dursley in the Potter films, and also known for "The History Boys") who is fascinated by the pagan passion possessed by Alan.

EQUUS (Latin for horse) is a play that also deals in themes of equi-sexuality (man-horse love) and equi-religiousity (horse as god).

The part of Alan, in addition to being required to make credible his insanity and his passions, also requires extensive and complete nudity. Radcliffe is just about perfect in the role. It is sensational, on-the-money acting.

Richard Griffiths, as the psychiatrist, and Anna Camp as Jill, Alan's friend, are also excellent.

The challenge in producing or directing the play, in addition to realizing the part of Alan, is to understand Dysart, who is arguably an even more important character than Alan. The problem is that we understand that Dysart is torn between his job of returning Alan to normalcy, and his fear that he is thereby taking away Alan's most essential passions. But it is not clear that he ever comes to catharsis or satisfying resolution of his dilemma.

For me, the major structural problem in the play is that it never addresses the legal fate of Alan after Dysart's treatment of him has completed. What are the stakes? Does Alan escape jail and have a chance to live a normal life if he is cured? Or is he then sent to prison for his crime stripped (as Dysart would say) of his passions. What might become of Alan is critical to understanding how important Dysart’s treatment is, and what its goals might be. It would be quite different depending on whether, after successful treatment, Alan would still end up in jail, or committed to an insane asylum, or be free and able to live a normal life.

This is a classic play, and a fine production: well acted, well directed, and staged with great style. Questions about the interpretation of the performances and of the play itself are part of the power of EQUUS.



(Note about the theater: It is time for Broadway theaters in general, and the Majestic in particular, to give each seat more room (people must be bigger now than when the theater was built), and expand the capacity of the rest rooms (which failed to service everyone needing them during the intermission). The theater seats are nicely raked, and there is no trouble seeing over the people in front (except when they stand prematurely to applaud). There are two rows of seating behind and over the stage. The first of these rows seems like they have a fine view; I'm not so sure about the second row. When it is raining, the theater should be able to let the audience in early, rather than letting them gather outside and beyond the overhang getting wet in the rain until the normal time to open the theater.)

SHOWBIZ EXPO

Julia Amsterdam
Associate Director, TVI Actor's Studio, NY
at Showbiz Expo

I rather enjoyed Showbiz Expo (Sep 21).

It is most appropriate for young actors. It's a medium size show, not quite at critical mass for other demographics in showbiz, but, since the exhibition is free, most directors, producers and more-advanced actors are likely to find something, or someone, or some company in the exhibition space that will be useful.

Actors starting out will find it very valuable.

There is a networking party, and seminars as well (not free).

I heard part of one talk by Alan S. Nusbaum, Chairman of TVI Studios. It was a solid presentation for actors starting to market themselves as paid professionals. I also talked with several members of the TVI staff, and TVI seems like an excellent place to learn commercial acting skills -- the kind of acting skills you need to land paid jobs.

Coming: CLOSE TIES

CLOSE TIES

by Elizabeth Diggs

The Frye family gathers at their vacation home in the Berkshires, ruled for three generations by Josephine, their willful matriarch and center of the family. But what happens as the younger Fryes discover their center cannot hold? Close Ties celebrates the humor, the truth and the mystery of family.

Directed by Pamela Berlin.

Featuring: Jack Davidson, Julie Fitzpatrick, Fiona Gallagher,David Gelles Hurwitz, Polly Lee, Carole Monferdini, Judith Roberts, Tommy Schrider

at Ensemble Studio Theater
549 West 52 Street, NY NY
212 247-4982

(Pamela Berlin is the distinguished director of the 1987 production of Steel Magnolias. I've studied with her. I can enthusiastically recommend anything she will direct; for that matter, anything at EST is worth recommending also!)

Previews: September 17 - 21 Wed - Sat & Mon, 7 pm > Sat & Sun, 2 pm
Opening Night: September 22, 7 pm
Performances: September 22 - October 12 Wed - Sat & Mon, 7 pm > Sat & Sun, 2 pm

Tickets: $30 Previews: $20 Students & Seniors: $15
Tickets at Ovationtix.com or by calling 212.352.3101

Sets: Michael Schweikardt
Costumes: Suzanne Chesney
Lights: Chris Dallos
Sound: David Lawson
Casting: Janet Foster, C.S.A.
Production Stage Manager: Mary Leach
Assistant Stage Manager: Christine Fisichella
Producer: James Carter
Associate Producer: Annie Trizna
Press Representative: David Gersten & Associates

Coming: KINDNESS

KINDNESS

A new play written and directed by
Obie Award winner ADAM RAPP(Red Light Winter, Essential Self-Defense)

An ailing mother (ANNETTE O'TOOLE, "Smallville") and her teenaged son (CHRISTOPHER DENHAM, Red Light Winter) flee Illinois and a crumbling marriage for the relative calm and safety of a midtown Manhattan hotel. Mom holds tickets to a popular musical about love among bohemians. Her son isn't interested, so Mom takes the kindly cabdriver instead, while the boy entertains a visitor from down the hall, an enigmatic, potentially dangerous young woman. Kindness is a play about the possibility for sympathy in a harsh world and the meaning of mercy in the face of devastating circumstances.

Also starring Ray Antony Thomas and Katherine Waterston.

SEPTEMBER 25 THRU NOVEMBER 2 ONLY!
Perfs. Tues-Fri at 7:30, Sat at 2:00 & 7:30, Sun at 2:00 & 7:00

* Purchase online at www.TicketCentral.com
* Call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily).
* Visit the TICKET CENTRAL box office window at 416 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues (Noon-8pm daily).


Playwrights Horizons Peter Jay Sharp Theater
416 WEST 42ND STREET (BETWEEN 9th & 10th AVENUES)

Coming: LOVE AND WAR

Phil's Literary Works

presents a staged reading of a new play

LOVE AND WAR - A POLITICAL LOVE STORY
or what happens when enemies fall in love?

Written and directed by Phillip W. Weiss

A bitter Israeli soldier ... a beautiful Palestinian woman ... war ... passion ... romance

2 performances only!
Sunday, September 14th at 4:30 P.M.
Wednesday, September 17th at 7:30 P.M.

The Roy Arias Theater Center Off-Off Broadway Playhouse
300 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor, NYC
(212) 957-8358

Admission: $15.00 (payable by cash, check or money order)

pwnycny@aol.com

Warning: this play contains language and content not suitable for minors.Ticket purchases are non-refundable.

Coming: A NUMBER

The Clockwork Theatre Presents

A NUMBER

Written by CARYL CHURCHILL
Directed by BEVERLY BRUMM
Featuring:SEAN MARRINAN* & JAY ROHLOFF
September 6 - September 26, 2008
THE BECKETT THEATRE @ THEATRE ROW

410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and Dyer Avenues

"Like all Churchill's best plays, A Number deals with both the essentials and the extremities of human experience... The questions this brilliant, harrowing play asks are almost unanswerable, which is why they must be asked." - The Sunday Times

Caryl Churchill's play, A Number, centers around Salter, a father who is suddenly faced with the startling results of his decision to clone a child thirty years earlier. It is unexpectedly revealed that this experiment resulted in "a number" of sons, three of whom now confront him with the consequences of his actions. With unexpected turns, stunning developments and a dramatic examination of the issues of nature vs. nurture, A Number is both an emotionally compelling and intellectually provocative drama.

The production features scenic design by Larry Laslo, lighting design by Ben Tevelow, and costume design by Jocelyn Melechinsky. Sound by Jason Sebastian, Casting by Todd Thaler. Stephanie Cali is the Production Stage Manager.

Designer Larry Laslo was named as a Design Icon by The World Market Center Las Vegas in honor of his highly regarded interior design work. Laslo has become famous for his "liveable contemporary" style, which he's used in many commercial design projects, such as the Takashimaya flagship store and Bergdorf Goodman, both in New York.

A NUMBER plays the following regular schedule through Friday, September 26th:
Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8 pm;
Sundays at 2 pm .
Call Ticket Central at (212) 279- 4200.
www.ticketcentral.com.
Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Theatre Row Box Office, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.