C.S. Lewis’ 1954 Narnia fantasy The Horse and His Boy could easily have been a study of the religious and psychosexual implications of a young man’s equine obsession. It wasn’t (of course, of course)—but, sooner or later, somebody had to saddle up and harness the issue, and, two decades later, the world was outraged when Peter Shaffer’s Equus galloped onto the stage.
Amidst all the uproar, it won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play. In recent years, Equus has enjoyed a revival: The sight of Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe’s exposed wand caused a stir in London a few years back, and now Westminster College brings that same magic to Salt Lake City, with Wyatt McNeil in the role of Alan Strang.
Still, the impact of the show lies not in the infamous nude scene (which this production does contain). It’s an intense psychological thriller—not so much a whodunit as a why’dhedoit. Theatergoers adventurous enough to hoof it down to the Westminster campus are in for a shock.
Equus @ Westminster College Jewitt Center, 1840 S. 1300 East, 801-832-2457, March 24-April 2, $10. WestminsterCollege.edu