Stage Scene
'Equus' staged in close quarters

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Devon Leigh is Jill, Noah Johnson is Alan in "Equus," opening Wednesday at the Yellow Brick Studio in Kaka'ako. 'Equus' A drama by Peter Shaffer, produced by The Actors' Group Opens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; repeats at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 11 Yellow Brick Studio, 625 Keawe St. $10 591-7999 Note: For mature audiences

As director Brad Powell puts it: "When we were working on 'Gross Indecencies: The Trials of Oscar Wilde' (which was a critical and box-office hit), we wanted to do a play that would be similar in nature, as far as controversy and impact goes. Because of the performance of Noah Johnson in 'Gross Indecency,' we were searching for another show that would showcase his talent, so we wrote for the rights to 'Equus.'"

The OK came the rigid instructions: If you do it, the nude scene stays. Plain and simple.

"If I were going to be nude, I wanted to lose weight," said Johnson, 20, a freshman at Windward Community College, who has worked out at 24 Hour Fitness since August to shed 15 pounds. He's a buff 155 now. "I usually don't work out while doing shows, but I made some time. And I stopped the fast food, worked the weights, but I'm blessed with good metabolism." He's as prepared as he can be to tackle Alan Strang, the troubled youth.

"Equus" has been one of Johnson's must-do plays for years "and I didn't want to be 40 and regret not having done it." He's not bound for the stage as a career, but he knows a good role when he sees one.

"I really didn't have a problem with the nudity, either," said Devon Leigh, who plays Jill. She is a 19-year-old freshman theater major at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. "My philosophy is, if it's artistic, I'll do it," said Leigh. "But my boyfriend is not OK with it, and I can totally understand. He has been very understanding so far, and if he wants to, he can come and see the play, though he hasn't yet made his decision. Frankly, I don't think there's a lot of boyfriends like mine who would like their girlfriend to be seen naked every night in front of an audience."

And so close to the spectators, too. The Yellow Brick Studio theater seats 35, so the audience is a mere three feet away from the actors, said Powell. And that was a concern.

"I don't think the actors have a problem going nude; I'm concerned with the folks in the first row," said Powell. "We figured a way so that it's (the nudity) not so quite in their face; we've ordered scrim (a thin fabric veneer, slightly diminishing the view) so that the nudity is there, but hazy."

"Equus" is a 1975 theatrical classic, laden with laurels (the Tony, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, the New York Outer Critics Award), and occasionally controversial not only because of the nudity but because of what the boy does to the horses, stylized creatures played by actors.

It also offers a stunning showcase for the actor playing Martin Dysart, the psychiatrist. Eric Nemoto, 45, director of financial aid at Chaminade University, landed the role he finds "one of the most challenging I've ever done. The dialogue is immense, it's very interpretative, it's very difficult to master."

He sees Dysart "in the darkest throes of his middle-age crisis, and being middle age myself, I can identify, to a certain extent, why his life is so desolate, why he envies a boy (the Strang character) who is so screwed up ... because he's so screwed up himself."

Acting, Nemoto said, offers a change of pace. "I may be a glutton for punishment, but that's the challenge for any actor, to get into the character. I have a sympathetic wife and family, and unless it's too overwhelming, I wouldn't turn down an opportunity like this."

Johnson perceives Strang "as someone who created his own fantasy world, through what his mother told him, through stories of religion, through horses, but he took it to the next level, made it tangible. He created a world he would never grow out of. In a way, that's what attracted me to him and the play."

He likes the intelligent theatrical choices at TAG. "I came back; it's a good sign," Johnson said.

"I like Jill's general freedom," said Leigh. "She's very laid back, very understanding; a deep character."

And, said Johnson and Leigh, working out the brief nude interlude was easy because they've become good friends since appearing together earlier this year at Hawai'i Pacific University's "Dark of the Moon" production.

"It really doesn't matter if you have to take off your clothes, but it's so much easier and nicer when you already know each other," said Johnson.