Equus

One of the advantages of working in a theatre is that I get sent to preview shows. Last Thursday was spent up north in Newcastle, previewing the stage production Equus at Newcastle's Theatre Royal before the show comes to the local theatre where I work. This is the same production where Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who plays Harry Potter in the movies, appeared nude in when it was playing in the West End in London. I did not know much about this show before the preview, but have heard that it involves sex and horses. Now, that may sound perverse, but having seen the show, I must say that I found it to be an intelligent who-done-it (or in this case, why-did-he-do-it), as well as a dark exploration of a teenager’s psyche. The nudity and sexual aspects of the show were definately not what some have made it out to be. The theme of the show is quite dark though, and deals with serious issues such as religion, oppression of freedom, psychological abuse and teenage angst.