When I first saw Peter Shaffer's Equus in the West End at the Albery Theatre in 1976 it felt a powerful and ground-breaking production. It’s shocking and graphic tale of a psychiatrist’s exorcism of Alan, a young seventeen old, whose violent act of blinding six horses he groomed provides a relevant examination of mental health issues and how society deals with them. Yet this revival feels rather dry and laboured at times by comparison with the original. 

Some of the scenes remain theatrical tour de forces as Martin explores the motivation and causes of his patient's actions. When we first meet Alan, he is with his favourite horse Nugget, played by Ira Mandela Siobhan who without the aid of costume brilliantly creates the animal on stage through movement, breathing and muscle flexing. It is extraordinary when we see Alan's first encounter with a horse on the beach or riding the horse on a midnight escapade how these transformations into the creatures are achieved. War Horse used puppetry and the original Equus wire framed heads but here it just magnificent performances.

The production is simply set by Georgia Lowe within a three-sided silk curtains arena that shimmer in the lights and bellow in the breeze. It leaves the lighting designed by Jessica Hung Han Yun to create the dramatic changing environment and the effect is wonderful with blue and red washes and flashes of projection. At other times the simplicity is taken too far, a Hoover denotes Alan's parents’ home, a trampoline his cell, and a row of lights the cinema screen; while these may be memories or flashbacks it leaves too much to the imagination. 

Ethan Kai is excellent as Alan, a young boy seemly on the edge of madness chanting advertisement theme tunes and gradually building trust or being tricked into sharing his secrets with Martin (a solid performance from Zubin Varia who remains on stage through most of the show). Natalie Radmall-Quirke provides good support as Hesther, the magistrate who refers Alan to Martin and Norah Lopez Holden as the young temptress, Jill, who tips Alan over the edge. His parents, Doreene Blackstock and Robert Finch explain the concern any parent would feel as people suggest they are to blame but there is a clear implication that religious fervour and strained martial relationships are a contributory factor.

This is a powerful play despite often being quite wordy, but the shocking revelations, dramatic interactions with the horses and revealing insight into the boy's thoughts through the scenes with his psychiatrist is engaging and thought provoking and remains a modern classic.

Nick Wayne

Four stars

Night of the Iguana - "puts high production values on to the stage"

Night of Iguana is billed as Tennessee Williams last great play and arrives in the West End with a great looking cast for a short season. Written in 1961 and produced as a film with Richard Burton as the lush defrocked Anglican priest at the centre of the story it is not as compelling or bristling with sexual tension as his best known plays, Cat on a hot tin roof (1955) and Streetcar named desire (1947) which also were made memorable by films starring Richard Burton and Marlon Brando respectively . This one too follows a similar theme of a drunken unpleasant male abusing the female characters in a hot steamy location. Its writing feels dated, and the revival can't be justified on the basis of a modern classic but does provide a challenging vehicle for the actors especially those largely film actors treading the West End boards for a rare outing.

Indeed Anna Gunn as Maxine, the recently widowed vivacious proprietor of a rundown Mexican bed and breakfast hotel perched on a cliff side above the sea rises to this challenge in a very fine performance as she conveys her rampant sexuality, loneliness and hard-nosed reality with convincing style. Less successful is Clive Owen as the Reverend T Lawrence Shannon who seeks refuge from a coach load of women he is guiding around Mexico and a young girl he has slept with. Despite his best efforts he failed to convince of either his simmering sexuality or being on the edge of a breakdown by his over the top physical performance. In sharp contrast was the quiet authority of the wonderful Lia Williams as the penniless artist Hannah escorting her 97 year "oldest practicing poet on earth”, her grandfather Nonno (Julian Glover) although they looked more like father and daughter. 

The supporting cast was led by Finty Williams as Judith , the aggressively protective passenger threatening Shannon over the statutory rape of young Charlotte, Emma Canning but also includes a bizarre four German visitors celebrating the bombing of London which seemed only to provide weak jokes and locate the play in 1940. Their stereotypical appearances added little except to prolong the show towards three hours.

The magnificent set design by Rae Smith was immensely detailed and set the location with the huge cliff face upstage, the dilapidated rooms and bar in which the action takes place and the steps down to the sea and parked coach. When the storm breaks and Neil Austin's lighting design creates the lightening across the cliff face and rain it provides a powerful conclusion to the first Act. However, at other times when the pace lags the set also provides a distraction as your eyes wonder to some detail carefully set on stage. 

 This is a show that puts high production values on to the stage, but the isolated lonely broken people gathered together in this setting are neither attractive or sympathetic and it is only Hannah and Noono who we care about. It is hard to find anything interesting or relevant in its story today and leaves you wondering why revive this dated piece at this time and longing for the stage presence of a Burton or Brando.

Nick Wayne

Three stars