Equus, with Radcliffe and Griffiths, Eyes Spring 2008 Broadway Transfer

The West End revival of Peter Shaffer's Equus is headed to Broadway. Thea Sharrock's production, which ends its London run on June 9, will be remounted in spring 2008 with stars Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter film fame and Richard Griffiths The History Boys intact.

Radcliffe, who has received international press for his stage debut which includes a nude scene, plays Alan Strange, a normal 17 year old with a passion for horses. After he blinds six horses one night with a hoof pick, he is woken each night by terrible nightmares and is placed under the psychiatric care of Martin Dysart Griffiths, who seems to be the only person able to grasp the answer to his psychological puzzle.

Equus opened on February 27, 2007 at London's Giulgud Theatre. In his Theatre.com Review, Matt Wolf applauded Radcliffe's stage debut, asking, "Can Daniel Radcliffe cut it on stage? Without a doubt, though the question posed by the first-ever West End revival of Equus is whether Peter Shaffer's once-defining play is worth cutting it to start with… That Radcliffe acquits himself well—he's as firm of voice as he is taut of physique, to get that particular issue out of the way—shows a commitment to the actual task of acting that represents its own kind of wizardry. This is one erstwhile child star clearly poised to make the leap to an adult career and, with luck, he'll next choose a vehicle that, to co-opt Shaffer's own language, truly does gallop."

The original Broadway production of Equus opened at the Plymouth Theatre on October 24, 1974. Staged by John Dexter, it starred Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Dysart opposite Peter Firth as Strang. It played for over 1200 performances and won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play. A film version starring Richard Burton premiered in 1977.

In addition to Radcliffe and Richards, the West End cast includes Jenny Agutter, Joanna Christie, Jonathan Cullen, Colin Haigh, Will Kemp, Karen Meagher and Gabrielle Reidy.