Harry Potter's Radcliffe & Griffiths to Star in West End Equus Revival

Daniel Radcliffe, the 17-year-old actor best known for playing the title role in the Harry Potter film series, is set to star opposite Richard Griffiths in a revival of Peter Shaffer's 1973 play Equus. The production, directed by Thea Sharrock, is due to arrive at a West End theatre in March 2007, a production spokesperson told Theatre.com.

Radcliffe, who is currently filming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the fifth Harry Potter film, will play Alan Strang, a troubled stable boy that blinds his horses. Griffiths will take on the role of Dr. Martin Dysart, the psychiatrist who treats him. As Dysart exposes the truths behind the boy's demons, he finds himself face to face with his own.

Griffiths is also a Harry Potter vet. He plays Harry's uncle Vernon Dursley in the films. The acclaimed actor is currently playing Hector in the Broadway run of Alan Bennett's The History Boys, for which he recently won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

This new production of Equus is being produced by David Pugh, who had a long-running West End and Broadway hit with Art. The original production of Equus was staged by John Dexter at the National Theatre then based at the Old Vic, with Peter Firth as Alan Strang and Alec McCowen as Dr. Dysart. It subsequently transferred to Broadway with Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Dysart opposite Firth. It played for over 1200 performances and won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play.