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Until Saturday May 10, Theatre Royal Bath.

A play that leaves you speechless has to be a play worth seeing, and Peter Shaffer's Equus (the Latin word for horse) is one that will both haunt and shock you.

When disturbed teenager Alan Strang (Alfie Allen) blinds six horses in a despicable crime, psychiatrist Martin Dysart (Simon Callow) is set the mammoth task of trying to work out why.

Delving into the young man's psyche, Martin uncovers faith, rage, obsession and an all-consuming passion which revolve around Alan's fixation on Equus, a god in horse form.

A deeply religious mother and a deeply repressed father seem to add to Alan's distress, coupled with his own route to self-discovery, awakened by stable girl Jill (Laura O'Toole).

The case proves to be the most difficult of Martin's career, to the point where he begins to question the real meaning of his own life.

If you had any doubts about Alfie Allen's acting ability, the first few minutes of his performance would do enough to dispel them for good.

His portrayal of Alan is supremely confident and unnervingly convincing. Rather than disappear into Simon Callow's shadow, who has an amazing knack of making a script seem spontaneous, Allen commands a strong stage presence that belies his years.

Angry, passionate and at times downright scary, there is no emotion he can't nail in this multi-layered, highly demanding role. And never has the Milky Bar Kid jingle sounded so sinister.

His ability to deal with the famous nude scene with Laura O'Toole also deserves great respect - although on the whole I found her performance as Jill a bit wooden and nondescript.

Simon Callow is mesmerising as the psychiatrist struggling with his own repressed thoughts, envying Alan for the raw passion he himself has never experienced.

His only comfort is to confide in his friend, the no-nonsense magistrate Hesther Salamon, competently played by Linda Thorson.

The minimalist set adds to the disturbing nature of Equus, where actors wear gleaming horse masks that cast all-seeing eyes over Alan, and haunting music gives you goosebumps.

Unflinchingly intense, Equus is searingly powerful theatre. It's no wonder Allen looked exhausted at the end.

Linda Harris

3:41pm Wednesday 7th May 2008

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