Review: Trigger warning? For Want of a Horse gives new meaning to the term animal lover
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“For Want of a Horse,” a play by Olivia Dufault receiving its world premiere in an Echo Theater Company production at Atwater Village Theatre, wants to have a rational conversation about a taboo topic that can provoke instant outrage.The subject is zoophilia, not to be confused with bestiality, though for many of us it will be a distinction without much of a difference.Calvin (Joey Stromberg), a good-looking, mild-mannered married accountant, has harbored a secret for much of his life.
He has a thing for horses.His erotic interest began at an early age, and all his efforts to lead a normal life have left him depressed and contemplating suicide.His wife, Bonnie (Jenny Soo), is a permissive kindergarten teacher who’s having difficulty restraining a girl in her class who has discovered the joys of masturbation.
Worried about her husband, she discovers through his browsing history that he’s once again visiting strange animal sites.She suggests he keep a horse, explaining that she doesn’t want to end up a widow or divorcée.Calvin is taken aback by her generosity but has come to recognize that his preference is more than a kink.
It’s part of his identity — and maybe the only part that makes his life seem worth living.A horse named Q-Tip (Griffin Kelly) enters the couple’s lives.
A stable is secured, and the mare, who senses that something strange is going on, is indulged with apples and caresses.Kelly, a statuesque presence in a dress, harness and boots, brings the horse to life with wild, unpredictable movements.The sheer size of the animal poses a threat to humans.
One kick, as Q-Tip herself explains in one of her thought-bubble monologues, is capable of penetrating a steel wall.But controlling an animal’s food supply is an effective way of winning over its trust.Calvin has found support in the online zoophilia community.
PJ (Steven Culp), a man whose current ...