Harry Potter To Bare All On Stage

[MrsSpringsteen]

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe will strip off for his London stage debut as a psychologically disturbed stable boy in "Equus".

The 17-year-old, currently making the fifth Harry Potter film, will star alongside Richard Griffiths, who plays his grumpy uncle in the wizard sagas.

Radcliffe will play Alan Strang, a stable boy who is interviewed by a psychiatrist after he blinds six horses with a metal spike. In Peter Shaffer's controversial play, the role requires the actor to ride naked on his horse.

"This is an extraordinary play and, yes, there is a scene of nudity in it, but that's not what the play is about," said Radcliffe's publicist Vanessa Davies.

"He finishes shooting 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' in October or November and rehearsals are starting in January," she added. The play is expected to open in March.

 

[starsgoblue]

Oh my....

 

[mabel]

Being a big theater nut, this has been all over the theatre chat sites this morning. Should be very intersting. I do hope they are good about posting the content of the show on ticketing sites and at the theatre, because I can only imagine the reactions parents will have if/when they bring their teeny-bopper kids to see the show.

Having seen Griffiths several times in The History Boys on Broadway, I'd LOVE to see him on stage again. I hope this eventually transfers from London if it ends up being a quality production.

 

[bsp77]

Just what I need to see, Harry's wand

 

[BonosBaby12]

Damn he's 17 already? As for his role it should be an interesting one. Definitely the most adult thing he has done so far.

 

[beau2ifulday]

I'm sure that the cinema will be packed with screaming fangirls every night.

It's a cool play, though. I'll be curious to hear if he's actually got any skill beyond waving a wand around (no pun intended) and muttering some wizardish words.

 

[Bonos_Lemon]

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I also read this in another article

"In one scene the actor playing Strang is required to simulate sexual ecstasy while riding a horse naked."

Is that in the movie? I've only seen the movie edited for TV so I don't think it was ever in that version

Oh Harry..

 

[BonosSaint]

One of my all time favorite plays!!!!! It's a tough role to live up to. If I were an actor, that is definitely one of the roles I'd want to play. Disturbing as all hell.

Equus was playing when I was in college in New York and New York was always great with its students. You'd get half off theatre tickets. So we bought special tickets to Equus, but when we showed up at the theatre, we were taken to a different door and led to a set of bleachers set up on stage.

We were the jury in a Broadway play--very close to all that nudity.

 

[Angela Harlem]

everything about this is wrong! wrong, wrong, wrong!
/prudishness

 

[BonosSaint]

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

So Johnny Depp is way too old to play that part? /age appropriate lust

Is it wrong to want to see Johnny naked on a horse? I think if he ever played that part the whole theater district would go up in flames from the sheer power of female hormones..

 

[Pearl]

I guess he chose this role to break out of the Harry Potter, child actor mold.
But I would say he's going quite far to break away from that.

 

[U2girl]

Mugglenet.com says theathers are doing a naked and non-naked version of this play.

Personally I think no matter what Daniel Radcliffe does in his roles, he is a way condemned to being known as "Harry Potter".

 

[Dismantled]

oh my eyes

 

[AtomicBono]

what? he's only a year younger than me

seriously though, the play sounds interesting. and bizarre.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

a couple of pics (not showing ALL of course)

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showb...ails/What+will+Hermione+say,+Harry/article.do

 

[U2Girl416]

dude I just looked a half-naked minor.

 

[Babydoll]

A pretty good-looking half naked minor at that.

 

[vaz02]

he's 17 , in Britain and europe he isnt counted as a minor

I personally think its a bit ..... camp really.

Naked stable boy ....

Whats the parents problem ? im quite sure their kids dont go round the house fully clothed all the time.

Daniel is looking quite trim bless him, you can tell he has been training hard with his ontourage of personal trainners and dietitians

 

[Liesje]

I think it's cool he's going for something like this. If he really wants to keep acting beyond Harry Potter, he's going to have to develop his own identity as an actor.

I read one comment on that site that struck me, that this is a difficult part, but a part intended for someone his age (maybe that's part of the difficulty?). If it embarrasses or scandalizes people, they can simply not go.

It bugs me that people are always thinking of stage acting as less credible and less valuable than big-budget films. Not true. Acting, like any form of art, should push the limits of what we think is scandalous, appropriate, or comfortable.

(I'm saying all this and I know nothing about this role or this particular play )

 

[vaz02]

IMO stage acting is much harder and more of a skill than big budget productions, its like a musician playing unplugged really.

Daniel is trying to get away from being typecast.

 

[AtomicBono]

a couple of pics (not showing ALL of course)

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showb...ails/What+will+Hermione+say,+Harry/article.do

very nice

i think this can only be a positive thing

 

[Liesje]

IMO stage acting is much harder and more of a skill than big budget productions, its like a musician playing unplugged really.

Daniel is trying to get away from being typecast.

Exactly.

I hope it works out for him. I always appreciate people who can do both. William/Billy Petersen of "CSI" is a good example. He left (temporarily) one of the most popular TV shows in the US to do a stage show in Rhode Island.

 

[U2democrat]

Most of the girls I live with are Harry Potter fanatics and they're going nuts over these photos.

 

[U2MaNaIcWeIdO]

I think he needs to get a tan....cause he about as pale as me

 

[JCOSTER]

too young I say....thats a mothers point of view.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

he's 17 , in Britain and europe he isnt counted as a minor

Yep, in Australia he's legal

Good on him for taking up the challenge

Oh yeah, nice pics!

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

I don't fancy Daniel Radcliffe, but I am a big Harry Potter fan, and I do have a Harry Potter poster on my wall with him on it, and I don't think I can ever look at it the same way again

Plus his body hair looks pasted on


And as if right on cue to go with this story, HBO re-aired the episode of Extras he was in. (His scenes from the episode are compiled in this YouTube clip, if you're curious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBN7fJwZ-iM )

He's definitely trying to break away from always being seen as "Harry Potter" by doing such 'risque' stuff. My brother totally predicted this. Years ago he was saying "When he gets older, he's going to do some kind of wild movie" ala MaCaulay Culkin in Party Monster.

 

[Laura M]

I thought I first heard about this months ago, can't remember now.

If the most interesting thing about this play is this it must not be up to much.