Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
What we do for love is the theme of this production. Out of a desire to keep their partner satisfied, some people will do anything. One might ask oneself, ‘Is it out of love, or due to not wanting to lose that individual? And what sacrifices are we ready to make?’
Calvin (Joey Stromberg), and his wife Bonnie (Jenny Soo) have a pretty perfect relationship. There is just one thing missing– fulfilling his fantasies. He has this thing for horses…
Inspired by Edward Albee’s play ‘The Goat’, in which a husband wants to include his lover, a goat, in his marriage, the writer Olivia Dufault wrote the play ‘For Want of a Horse.’ The Echo Theater Company at Atwater Village Theatre opened its doors to give a world premiere to this play, which has been directed by Echo associate artistic director Elana Luo. Thisunconventional tale of ‘love, shame, and the human need for connection,’ as the playwright calls it; has elements of humor, embarrassment, and amusement. This human-animal romantic relationship is somehow disturbed when wife Bonnie, who insists on watching, actually witnesses it happening…
The horse, Q-Tip, who can communicate only with theaudience, is beautifully portrayed by Griffin Kelly. Her majestic posture is precisely portrayed along with her galloping and her nickering, squealing and whinnying. Her body language, her neck and head movements, and her deep affection towards Calvin and the apples (she loves apples) is affectionately expressed. Beautiful job, indeed!
Calvin’s and Bonnie’s relationship is founded in trust, comfort and love, which is successfully portrayed. There is a fourth character in the play, Calvin’s friend PJ (Steven Culp), who happens to be very supportive, as he belongs to the zoophilia community. Interesting piece, greatly written and acted, with a wonderful, surprising ending.
The stage is designed like a horse stable, with one end as a bedroom and at times a park bench is stationed there. The scenic design is by Alex Mollo, costume design is by Leah Morrison, lighting design is by Matthew Richter, sound design is by Alysha Bermudez, the production stage manager is Bianca Rickheim, and Lucy Pollak takes care of publicity.
Produced by Marie Bland and Chris Fields, For What of a Horse opened on April 18, and has a six-week run, through May 25 at Echo Theater Company atAtwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., L.A. The show performances are at 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays; and on Sundays the show is at 4:00 pm.
The running time is 1 hour, 30 minutes with no intermission. You can purchase the tickets for $15-$42.75 at www.echotheatercompany.com