What Jay Hardee’s performance as the disturbed teen Alan Strang may lack in authenticity, it makes up for in sheer gutsiness. Hardee is completely out there, whether he is writhing in agony or girlishly taunting his self-absorbed psychologist (Christopher Henley). It’s spectacle, for sure, but it’s riveting spectacle to watch.

The same can be said for most of Washington Shakespeare Company’s production of Equus, now being staged in Crystal City. Equus, to be frank, is a weird play, one that’s hard to wrap your mind around. A young, seemingly peace-loving boy blinds six horses in the dead of night, and his parents and shrink are left to figure out exactly what accounted for this burst of madness. The play uses nudity, raw subject matters and charged scenes to get its points across, though sometimes the points themselves aren’t immediately apparent.

As Hardee’s counterpart, Henley deserves to be commended by not taking any shortcuts to make his character sympathetic. He is an oily, narcissistic, intellectually arrogant man, and Henley’s voice drips with contempt with every line. Though for some reason, and this may either be script-driven or just a consequence of the contrast between innocent Strang and the caustic doctor, we never quite emotionally connect with the doctor’s travails, making the second act a bit strained until we hit the show’s jaw-dropping climax.

Washington Shakespeare Company really shows its mettle at this climax. During the disturbing scene, the stars, strong supporting performers, striking set and smart staging all come together to produce an appropriately chilling chorus, as we watch the tortured Hardee unravel completely. It’s theater that gets under your skin, and worth sitting through the play’s more plodding moments for such a payoff.

Equus runs through Nov. 26. Tickets are available online