Equus Tickets

Incomparable show, Ethan Kai and Zubin Varia just stunning. Great theatre staff, loved the theatre. Best night out of my life.

The play itself is brilliant and this was an imaginative and dynamic production. The intimacy of the venue was extremely effective.

A phenomenal performance of a deeply moving play!

Absolutely stunning performance! Loved it!

A stimulating version. Staff at the theatre very helpful.

This was a superb, highly dramatic staging, with fantastic acting, especially the two leads.

A brilliant cast and a fascinating play that is well directed . Go !

Fantastic show. Exceeded my expectations

Equus is a fascinating play and Peter Shaffer's handling of the topic of mental health has stood the test of time. Indeed the play was ahead of its time when it was first staged at the National Theatre in the 1970s. Today we are much more aware of some, but not all, of the issues. The topic is not for the squeamish as it concerns the case of Alan Strang, aged 17, who has blinded with a spike six horses in the stable where he works. However, Equus is about relationships as much as mental health the relationship between Alan, the psychopathic teenager, and Dysart, his troubled psychiatrist; between Dysart and Hester Saloman, the magistrate who begs him to treat Alan; between Alan and his parents; between his atheist controlling father Frank and his religiously obsessive mother Dora; and between Alan and Jill, the stable girl who seeks to seduce him, which provokes his violent act. Questions about mental health also concern Dysart, who is openly at odds with his profession and protests when the well-meaning Hesther asks him to make Alan 'normal'? ‘What is normal?’ he keeps asking. Indeed he comes to admire Alan's spontaneity and passion (for horses) which are sadly lacking in his own life and marriage. The piece has an undertow of religion, family secrets, suppression, and sexuality – is Alan's equine passion a metaphor for same sex relationships? So many thought-provoking questions stay with you long after the performance. This is a bravura production involving all the players, notably Zubin Varla as the troubled Dysart and Ethan Kai as Alan. It also includes the horses represented by members of the cast, especially Ira Mandela Siobhan as Nugget, the physically powerful horse which Alan reimagines as Equus. The tension is sustained throughout without ever descending into melodrama. Everyone in the production team deserves credit, from the simple set and dramatic lighting, to choreography and sound/music direction. Most of all, the director Ned Bennett proves a formidable force to be reckoned with and a name to follow in the world of theatre. While it may be disappointing that this production has not appeared on a big stage, the intimate atmosphere of Trafalgar Studios is a clear benefit. These magnificent performances and this smart production are worthy of a wider audience. Shaffer’s play, at least, bears close study. Nick Keith

Profound, moving, surprising, intense, quality, informative

I missed the theatrical touches which the horses in the original production had with their raised hooves and metal work heads - at 8 ft or so they were impressive and convincing in a way the actors here, relying solely on imitation, could not approach. Nonetheless, the production was convincing and dramatic.

Incredible performance with some notable brilliance