Mermaids’ production of Equus: ‘The weirdest play I have seen in a while’

Mermaids did not disappoint in bringing this play to life.

Peter Schaffer’s “Equus” is about man’s big philosophical questions. It manages to fit religion, sexuality, the purpose of life in one 2 hour performance.

It was the weirdest play I have seen in a while. Just as an example, while waiting for the play to start we were greeted by Jared Liemiller stroking lovingly Louis Catliff with Lo Fang’s haunting “You’re the One that I want” playing in the background.

Yet, bizarrely and inexplicably, the main character became relatable by the end of the play. So Mermaids’ representation of “Equus” managed in the ultimate dramatic aim: to make the audience empathise with someone who seems undecipherable.

Even with a boy who blinded six horses.

An interesting setup

The acting was complex as the play itself. Jared Liebmiller, as the angry and sexually confused 17 year old Alan Strang, was so blatantly good it’s hard to find points of criticism. It was a poignant and an incredibly energetic performance.

Besides, the fact that Jared and Cate Kelly (as Jill Mason), as unpaid volunteers, stripped themselves and performed shamelessly, attests the professionalism of the actors.

This was coupled with Gareth Owen as the psychiatrist, who with his silky calm voice and Scottish impersonation added humanity to the play. A final word of compliment goes to the actors impersonating horses, and the Danielle Donnally for the design of the horse heads.

The team’s artwork

As someone who rode horses for 5 years, I was not staring at actors anymore, but found myself picturing horses in a stable. There must have been something right in that performance.

The stage set-up was simple, the lighting and smoke created a eerie and bizarre setting at the right time. The use of sound was suggestive, and effective in sucking people in the play.

All in all, was it a perfect play? It had a couple of faults: accents which were not coordinated, a little embarrassment from Jared and Cate, and a horse mask which partially broke and clanked loudly.

But these are minor faults.

It was an impressive representation. It was a call to question what we know about religion, society, sexuality and ourselves.

Yet despite these complex themes, as the Director Alexander Gillespie puts it: “A show about two men who are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else”.