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Equus

 
Paul T. Davies Review by Paul T. Davies 5 Published: 21 May 2026 Menier Chocolate Factory Show Dates: 8 May 2026-4 Jul 2026

The origins of Peter Shaffer’s 1973 classic came from an anecdote he was told about a young boy blinding six horses in a stable in Norfolk. Driven to explore why that would happen, Shaffer created a struggle between children’s psychiatrist Martin Dysart and the troubled teenager Alan Strang.

It’s like coming to the play anew, making fresh discoveries

Staged originally with metal horses’ heads and hooves, symbolically representing the ritualistic nature of worship (and presented like that in the 2007 Daniel Radcliffe version), this stunning revival of Equus at the Menier Chocolate Factory eschews those symbols. Instead, it builds on the physicality of the equine ensemble, the horses represented by strong, muscular performers, with movement director James Cousins foregrounding the erotic, masculine appeal of Alan’s worship. This is the perfect venue for such an intimate piece of theatre. We are the congregation in this church, witnessing one young man’s rituals and world and an older man’s questioning of everything he once found true.

The performances are excellent, headed by Toby Stephens and Noah Valentine. As Dysart, Stephens resists the urge many actors have to make him appear too buttoned up, too cool at the start of the play. His emotional distress is evident from the beginning, drawing a clearer line between his professional manner and his personal turmoil, making his final speech all the more devastating. As Alan, Valentine is wiry, crackling with energy and vulnerability, his defiance and obstinacy giving way to heartbreaking revelations. Amanda Abbington is a passionate Hester, and Colin Mace and Emma Cunniffe are powerfully convincing in their distress at their son’s actions and their desperation to explain why. But it’s the horses that hold your attention. They create the sea in the excellently staged beach scene, with Ed Mitchell a perfect Horseman/Nugget, the bodies ebbing and flowing, entwining and at times embracing Alan Strang.

Lindsay Posner’s direction keeps the pace right, the debates are passionate, and the play is allowed to breathe and let the impact settle in. The staging is gripping, and even if the outcome is inevitable, you find yourself yearning for a happier conclusion. It’s like coming to the play anew, making fresh discoveries as this classic is brought to sensuous life.

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The Blurb:

What prompts a 17-year-old boy to blind six horses? This is the challenge presented to psychiatrist Martin Dysart as he delves into the psyche of his young patient Alan Strang to search for the answers and at the same time questioning whether the cure is more dangerous than the crime.