Kicking a Dead Horse

I don't write about theater because I hardly ever go. I love theater but it is way too expensive. However, I went to see Sam Shepard's latest play Kicking a Dead Horse with Stephen Rea. I like Shepard's work very much but I went mainly because I am a big Rea fan.

The play is set in the west and plays a NYC art dealer looking for the authentic west. But does he find it? What do you think. The play does not have a real plot.
It is an 80 minute monologue and it tosses out many ideas. It is an exitential piece and reminiscent of Samuel Beckett. Some of the themes are the death of the west and the downfall of the US. It is also about death itself.

Rea is absolutely brilliant and this proves what a great actor he is (after all, he has made a few really bad films). And while I liked the play I don't think that it is for everyone. You really have to concentrate and what is being said. It is all about the words and how Rea presents them. In fact, I would like to read the play and see a DVD of it (if one is ever available) because I am sure that there are things I will discover the second time around. The play will only run through August 10th at the Public Theater in NYC. But never fear - Shepard is writing another play for Rea and a wonderful Irish actorn named Sean McGinley. It will debut at the Abbey Theater in Dublin next spring and Rea said that it will also play in NYC (I got to meet him after the show and he signed my Playbill). And that is very good news because I look forward to seeing this amazing actor live once again.