"Equus" in Tyler- a review

This evening I experienced the amazing "Equus" by Peter Shaffer.  This classic play performed at Theatre20 @ Potter Place in Tyler, Texas, under the direction of Felicity Enas.  After all my years watching and performing in the theater, I had never seen the play nor even read the script.  I came to the black-box theatre with a clean slate.  Oh, of course I had my preconceived ideas based on the fame of the show, the big names who have performed in it over the years, and the "shocking" male nudity (although why male nudity is more shocking than female nudity I'm not quite sure).  The best of those ideas came to fruition, and the rest fell by the wayside like discarded blinders.

This production starred Chris Abraham as Dr. Martin Dysart and Matthew Butler as Alan Strang.  Their performances were powerful and touching.  Each in their own way depicted the inner pain and suffering that only the passionate can feel.  Passion from the character- passion from the actor.  Abraham, with at times unnerving calm, exposed Dysart's inner fears, anguish, and rage at what has become of the shards of his life.  His depth allows the psychiatrist to fall and rise and fall again as he attempts to understand his tormented patient.

That patient, embodied by Butler, draws us into his pain and delusion with what I'll call focused distraction.  Butler's intensity is ruptured by vulnerability and complexity.  His Alan Strang is as far from one-dimensional as the Grand Canyon and just as deep.  It became a joy to see, and yet hard to watch at times for fear of falling into the depths of that neurosis.  His powerful, unselfconscious performance was enlightening.

I would be remiss if I did not also celebrate the marvelous staging of director Felicity Enas.  Her use of space and shadow and simple set pieces keeps us focused on the performers and the story.  Just the right motion.  Just enough complexity.  Just the right simplicity.  The "horses" were amazingly easy to see as horses, not actors.  Their random motions as individuals, yet unified motion when united in the title entity was entrancing and effective theater.

The entire cast were a credit to the material.  Standouts to me were Robin Morris (Dora Strang, Alan's mother), Suzanne Alford (Hesther Saloman & a horse), and Mike Leatherwood in his role of Nugget, the prime equine character.  Mrs. Strang was an explosive mixture of guilt and religion and shame that seemed very honest.  That's the best word- honest.  Alford's playing of the magistrate, Saloman, worked very solidly to keep Dr. Dysart grounded in the reality of his role.  The horse, Nugget, was a physical performance of the highest standard.  All that said, there wasn't a weak link.  The truth of the play was not lost in egotistical performances, as can so easily happen.  The father, the employer, the lover- all felt real.

It is the reality... the honesty... of "Equus" that sets it apart in the ragtag world of theater.  It asks more questions than it answers, leaving us, the audience to search for those answers ourselves.  This is theater at its best.

There are three more performances of "Equus" October 19, 25, and 26 at 7:30 PM.
APEX Theatre20 @ Potter Place.  719 West Front Street (round back), Tyler, Texas
http://apextheatre20.com/tickets/#equus