Review - Kicking a Dead Horse: Ramblin' Man
The title character - well, actually the title prop - of Sam Shepard's new entry, Kicking a Dead Horse, doesn't have to lift a hoof to make an impressive star entrance. Lying beneath a sheet that covers the entire curtain-less stage as the audience enters The Public's Martinson Hall, the slow deliberate removal of its covering at the play's commencement tantalizes viewers until we get what we came to see; a big dead piece of symbolism placed somewhat to the left of center stage. Also revealed at that moment are two large mounds of dirt suitable for tandem mountings of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days. The wide open spaces prairie scene, put together by designers Brien Vahey (set) and John Comiskey (lights) has a kind of respectful artificial beauty to it, similar to the environmental displays you might see at New York's American Museum of Natural History.
Kicking A Dead Horse Begins Previews At Public 6/25
The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Mara Manus) will begin previews for Sam Shepard's new play KICKING A DEAD HORSE on Wednesday, June 25. Directed by Shepard, KICKING A DEAD HORSE will run through Sunday, August 10 with an official press opening on Monday, July 14 at 7 PM.
