My Equus Journey, Part 4
It seems this is going to about 6 parts. As per usual, ignore at will...
Those seats in the theater are snug. I mean really snug. People 100 years ago must have been minuscule. I am not a tiny girl, a nice, sturdy size 12ish. Ok, my jeans are a size 14. Happy now? But I am only 5’2” tall and I had just enough legroom.
Dysart now meets with Alan to discuss the first time he met Jill, the girl at the stables. Boy meets girl, girl gets boy job at stable, boy brushes horses for the first time. Let me just state for the record that the men who played the horses: Major League Guh! Alan gets all nasty about the doctor asking him questions.
We find out that Alan has been asking around the hospital about the doctor’s personal life and he taunts the doctor about not having kids, probably not having sex…Then Dysart starts talking with Hester (Kate Mulgrew) and whines about his wife.
Next up…the obligatory hypnosis session. This leads to the climatic scene of Act one. Yep, both figuratively and literally. The lovely pictures of Dan riding the man horse in the throes of ecstasy didn’t do this justice. I know that this was a very serious part of the play. This is when Alan shares his ultimate religious experience with horses. It was eerie. But, I can’t help that there was some fangirl snark in me that realized that I would never again be able to say one of my favorite phrases “Rode hard and put away wet” without thinking of this moment.
So, at intermission, the doc and Deb ask me if I would like to come to the evening performance. Oh, Hell Yes! Even if I had to stand in the back with an obstructed view. I was not going to pass up the opportunity!
Act Two begins…
Another Dysart monologue about the case. Don’t get me wrong, Richard has brilliant delivery and I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. But, well, er, he was not the reason I went to the play. And no, I didn’t go because Dan was naked. I would have gone to see Dan if he kept his clothes on, if he were in a different production (Spam A Lot was right next door for example, I think Jersey Boys might have been playing as well. Now that might have been really interesting!)
Anyhow, the nurse interrupts to say that Alan’s mother was there and that there had been a scene. Mrs. Strang slaps her son because he is giving her that blank stare. Oh and threw his tray of food at her. Once again, the stare is uber creepy.
Then, Dysart and Mrs. Strang have a little debriefing. She is distraught and clearly needs to vent. Mama argues the point that perhaps this isn’t the fault of her and her husband that her son blinds 6 horses. Perhaps it is just what Alan is. She does make reference to ‘The Devil’ and points out that the doctor has his words and she has hers. This is an interesting philosophical point of view and I have met a few truly evil people in my life that seems possessed to me. To each their own, right?
Dysart meets with Alan again and Alan insists that he lied during the hypnosis session. We then flash between therapy and a Dysart/Hester exchange regarding Alan’s mention of a drug that will instantly make someone tell the truth. Alan clearly wants to share his story, but needs the excuse of the drug to do it. Dysart decides to use a placebo. He and Hester also discuss his marriage, how he is infertile and how he is to blame as well as his wife for his marital woes. The best part of this exchange is when Dysart shares that his own mundane life is, in some ways, more insane than Alan’s worship of horses. At least the boy is doing something about his passion. Dysart’s comments were so well delivered and very funny! Many more laughs.
Next up…The Best Bits (sorry, I know. Take this seriously, woman! And I do. It is just that effing snarky fan girl in my head. The voices, the voices!)