‘Equus’ Continues at The Public; Oakland Hotspot Peter’s Pub (Thurs., 10/19/17)

Who’s in charge? Doctor Dysart (Daniel Krell) has the upper hand but Alan (Spencer T. Hamp) has the horsepower. photo: Michael Henninger

1) British playwright Peter Shaffer is best known for Amadeus, but his most striking work is the 1973 play Equus, which has a strange backstory. Shaffer wrote Equus after hearing of a gruesome crime in which a young man blinded horses by driving spikes into their eyes. Trying to imagine what was behind such an act, Shaffer spun a fictional tale with eerie mythic overtones: A psychiatrist examining the criminal finds him to be a troubled teenager who worships horses (the boy’s horse-god is “Equus”) and is sexually attracted to them. It turns out he committed the crime when so-called normal life intruded, and the psychiatrist, himself a key character, comes to question his own views of normality. Equus was a sensation in London and won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play on Broadway. Yet it later faded from the radar when Shaffer, for  reasons that aren’t clear, withheld production rights until finally approving a 2007 revival with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe as the young man. The play is now back in circulation and Pittsburgh Public Theater opens its season with Equus. 7 p.m. Performances continue through Octoberber 28. O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Cultural District. (MV)

2) Peter’s Pub has been many Pitt students’ local for years thanks to a range of cocktails, drafts, and craft and import bottles. The food menu also keeps rising classes coming back for more. Every day boasts different food and drink specials, and the pub’s spacious interior means dancing. Country Night is every Wednesday. Check out the great specials: $6 fishbowls and $2 Coors Light bottles (10 p.m.-midnight) and $6 Bud Light pitchers (7 p.m.-close). If you want to add some protein to the picture, try the $5.95 sandwiches ( 5-10 p.m.). Bassburgh brings—what else?—the bass to the downstairs on Fridays, and DJ MSSV spins upstairs on Fridays and Saturdays. Meanwhile, DJ Drew Altman spins downstairs Saturdays. If dancing’s not your scene, Peter’s Pub is a chill place to enjoy lunch or dinner any day of the week. 116 Oakland Ave., Oakland. (RH, CM)

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