Review: Harry Potter Takes to the Stage
By Clare Sheehan
Monday 19th October 2009
Monday 19th October 2009
I admit, maybe shamefully, that my initial enthusiasm to see Peter Shaffer’s play Equus, was sparked mainly from my knowledge that Daniel Radcliffe (or as most of us know him, Harry Potter) was starring in it. As I looked around and saw the sea of eager pre-teen girls around me, I could tell that I was not the only one who was interested in seeing the valiant young wizard take command of the Broadway stage. However, as the lights dimmed and the plush red curtain began to rise, it became apparent that I was not about to partake in the story of another magical adventure at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The stage was dismal and sparse; so dark that it instantly projected a gloomy mood over the entire audience.
The play itself revolves around the quest of an erudite psychiatrist named Martin Dysart, played by Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon to all my fellow Harry Potter fanatics), to uncover the motives of a highly disturbed teenage boy named Alan Strang (Radcliffe), who has violently blinded six horses with a metal pick. The tense and often emotional relationship between the two characters is the primary focus of the show, as Dysart attempts to get through to his patient’s inner psyche and treat his troubled mind. To be honest, my opinion of Radcliffe’s performance is a bit mixed. Often I found his portrayal of Alan a bit forced, which made the character slightly unrealistic to the audience. At times I felt Radcliffe was trying too hard to prove to his fans that he could be as natural on the stage as he is behind the camera, instead of focusing solely on his character. Nonetheless, when he stripped down nude for the final cathartic, and rather erotic scene, the effect was without a doubt electrifying. In addition to the shock value of him bearing all to the audience, Radcliffe’s performance was both explosive and poignant. Even the rows of his adoring girlish fans were too riveted with the scene to blush over the superstar’s naked frame.
I would like to take the time, though, and highlight the superb performance of Richard Griffiths, who I believe never got enough credit in the show’s publicity. Griffith’s rendition of Dr. Martin Dysart is engaging and powerful, as he makes Dysart’s self discovery as heartbreaking and uneasy as Alan’s. Griffiths and Radcliffe, having worked together before, share an obvious connection and feed off each other’s energy on the stage, bringing new life to each of their performances. Stuck in a lifeless marriage and overall mundane existence, Dysart yearns for excitement and passion, which is what makes him interested in Alan’s case in the first place. As a result, Dysart begins to regard the boy’s violent obsession with jealously, wishing he had that amount of fervour in his own life. Here, Griffiths does a fantastic job of showing Dysart’s dilemma in balancing concern, detachment, and his own curiosity with Alan, in a way that makes him one of the most sympathetic characters in the entire show. It was apparent to me that although viewers may have come to Equus to see their favourite heroic wizard in the flesh, it is Mr. Griffith’s performance that they left the theatre remembering.
As a warning, do not see Equus as a means to prolong a cheerful evening. Equus is a morbid play with heavy subject matter that may not sit well with some viewers. That said, if you enjoy intense drama performed by a powerful cast, then I would say it is well worth your hard earned money. The gorgeous staging along with the hauntingly beautiful costumes of the horses (men on yard long stilts wearing skeletal like masks if you can imagine it) makes this show eerily spellbinding. Equus will leave you feeling completely moved yet utterly disturbed. Just please try not to giggle too much when Radcliffe drops his trousers!
The play itself revolves around the quest of an erudite psychiatrist named Martin Dysart, played by Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon to all my fellow Harry Potter fanatics), to uncover the motives of a highly disturbed teenage boy named Alan Strang (Radcliffe), who has violently blinded six horses with a metal pick. The tense and often emotional relationship between the two characters is the primary focus of the show, as Dysart attempts to get through to his patient’s inner psyche and treat his troubled mind. To be honest, my opinion of Radcliffe’s performance is a bit mixed. Often I found his portrayal of Alan a bit forced, which made the character slightly unrealistic to the audience. At times I felt Radcliffe was trying too hard to prove to his fans that he could be as natural on the stage as he is behind the camera, instead of focusing solely on his character. Nonetheless, when he stripped down nude for the final cathartic, and rather erotic scene, the effect was without a doubt electrifying. In addition to the shock value of him bearing all to the audience, Radcliffe’s performance was both explosive and poignant. Even the rows of his adoring girlish fans were too riveted with the scene to blush over the superstar’s naked frame.
I would like to take the time, though, and highlight the superb performance of Richard Griffiths, who I believe never got enough credit in the show’s publicity. Griffith’s rendition of Dr. Martin Dysart is engaging and powerful, as he makes Dysart’s self discovery as heartbreaking and uneasy as Alan’s. Griffiths and Radcliffe, having worked together before, share an obvious connection and feed off each other’s energy on the stage, bringing new life to each of their performances. Stuck in a lifeless marriage and overall mundane existence, Dysart yearns for excitement and passion, which is what makes him interested in Alan’s case in the first place. As a result, Dysart begins to regard the boy’s violent obsession with jealously, wishing he had that amount of fervour in his own life. Here, Griffiths does a fantastic job of showing Dysart’s dilemma in balancing concern, detachment, and his own curiosity with Alan, in a way that makes him one of the most sympathetic characters in the entire show. It was apparent to me that although viewers may have come to Equus to see their favourite heroic wizard in the flesh, it is Mr. Griffith’s performance that they left the theatre remembering.
As a warning, do not see Equus as a means to prolong a cheerful evening. Equus is a morbid play with heavy subject matter that may not sit well with some viewers. That said, if you enjoy intense drama performed by a powerful cast, then I would say it is well worth your hard earned money. The gorgeous staging along with the hauntingly beautiful costumes of the horses (men on yard long stilts wearing skeletal like masks if you can imagine it) makes this show eerily spellbinding. Equus will leave you feeling completely moved yet utterly disturbed. Just please try not to giggle too much when Radcliffe drops his trousers!