We've just had an excellent evening at Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre taking in this production of Equus. I was lucky enough to see the original back in the early 70s (yes, 'fraid I'm that old) and was at another one a few years later at the Redgrave. The original I found gut-wrenching, especially the performance of Alec McCowan as Martin Dysart (and, would you believe, Peter Firth played Alan Strang). The Redgrave production was a bit run-of-the-mill but this latest outing, while not quite up to the visceral original is still an excellent experience. The biggest difference is the character of Dysart. Zubin Varla's performance is well thought out, consistent and believable; however, it doesn't capture the sheer desperation that Alec McCowan portrayed when contrasting the bleakness of his domestic life with the ecstasy that Strang achieves. What I really enjoyed tonight, however, was the portrayal of the horses, all done through choreography without the need for the skeletal heads of the original - brilliant work.
Thoroughly disappointing was the reception afforded the showing by the population of Guildford. On a Friday night there were all of 12 - yes, just 12 - punters (including us) in the circle; and we could see plenty of red plush seats uncovered by Guildfordian bums in the stalls below us. What is it with Guildford and its theatre? This was a cracking performance of a thought provoking play. Why wasn't the place packed? Yes, I know I've grumbled like this before - and , no doubt I will do so again - but really, am I living is a sea of Philistines?
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