“Wild Horses” by Allison Gregory is a one-woman show, in which the protagonist, who is nameless and now decades out of her teen years, still vividly remembers incidents when she was 13. She talks about her two best friends, Linney, who is clumsy and sweet, and the worldly Zabby, and how they would sneak out of the house, drive without licenses, and swipe booze. They have each other’s backs.
The play deals with the teens' discovery of the world's cruelty and unfairness. When the girl sets out to rescue abused horses, in order to get to the ranch, she will have to ride with Zabby's older brother. He agrees but demands to be alone with her. She discovers she enjoys the physical attention, just not with him—adding another dimension to her personal growth and turning sexual power dynamics upside down.
The show uses songs from the 1970s, and audiences will hear classics such as “Smoke on the Water,” and America’s “A Horse with No Name.”
A review says:
“'Wild Horses' is a visceral reminiscence. The . . . narrator . . . is a returner able to transport the audience back into her unorganized reaches of her past.”
“Wild Horses” runs from April 21 through May 9, 2021, at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell. Poster printing is often used to publicize events like this.