What the production lacked in innovative production, it made up for with an excellent cast who created a tight, familiar unit of strong individuals. The quality of this production always depends on the casting of Alan Strang and Dr. Martin Dysart; these performances of these two actors could positively or negatively override all the other aspects of any production of Equus. Luckily for RedTwist, the two men fronting this production exceeded expectation in every direction.
Andrew Jessop’s portrayal of Alan Strang lacked nothing. His small, tightly-wound physical stature and expressive eyes that somehow mirrored the stare of the horses created a physically perfect slate for his performance. He was reminiscent of my mind’s picture of a school shooter, which is an appropriate contemporary association to how this timeless role should be performed. His delicately expressive face, chilling performance, and unwavering consistency led to a performance that was much more colorful and articulate than the highly-publicized portrayal given by Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway last year.
Equally strong was Brian Parry’s portrayal of the psychologist Dr. Martin Dysart. His role serves as the grounding force of play because his sessions with Strang pull out the narrative’s story and his monologues slide into those of a narrator. His most defining strength was his strong, gruff, elastic voice that danced over dialogue with dimension and grace. This voice was one made for bedtime stories, Falstaff monologues, Grishams on tape, and serious commercials. Dr. Dysart is the backbone of this play, and Brian Parry provided a strong spine.
Also giving a stand-out performance was Jan Ellen Graves as Hester, the judge who sends Allan to Dr. Dysart for diagnosis. With her smiling but serious eyes, she lived up to the doctor’s line, “you’re really quite splendid.” She was quiet, consistent, charming and crafted a character one could envision as a magistrate or in other arenas of her life.
As Allan’s parents, Debra Rodkin and Laurens Wilson provided some poignant moments. Rodkin especially presented a contemporary and natural interpretation, and managed to deliver lengthy monologues with the clean, conversational tones. Wilson was not quite on par with the talents of the rest of the cast, especially during some monologues that required some inflation.
In the role of Jill, Holly Bittinger was adequate. She shined in terms of likeability, charm, and having a lovely speaking. Bittinger would have made a great guest star on Friends or Seinfeld, but I don’t agree with the choice to cast her as an aggressive older girl; whether it was the choices of the director or the choices of the actress, she seemed mismatched against Jessop.
In the last three minor roles, the actors shown during their spotlighted moments. Scott Butler played both Nugget (the horse) and the horse rider who first introduced Allan to horses as a child. In both roles, his physicality was fluid, languid, and controlled; he exercised the same skill in the delivery of his lines and carved out clever characters through subtle inflections and perfectly-timed delivery. As Harry Dalton, the owner of the mutilated horses, John Rusing presented a cohesive, distinctive, and engaging performance. Meredith Hogeland performed the role of the Nurse, and her presence/costume felt like a reminder of the setting when the set remained stagnant.
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