Radcliffe and Griffiths Confirmed for London Equus Revival

The casting of Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and The History Boys Tony Award-winner Richard Griffiths in an upcoming London revival of Equus--previously rumored by the New York Post's Michael Riedel--has been confirmed, according to a Reuters article.

Radcliffe's publicist Vanessa Davies stated that Radcliffe will begin rehearsals in January, after he finishes shooting Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (in which Griffiths will also appear, once again as Uncle Vernon).  "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 Davies; in Equus, Radcliffe's character appears naked on a horse.

Equus, which was written by Peter Shaffer, will open on the West End in March.  Radcliffe will play Alan Strang, an emotionally troubled boy who has been blinding horses.  Griffiths will play Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist who tries to help Alan.

Equus won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play.  Starring Peter Firth as Alan Strang and Anthony Hopkins as Martin Dysart, with Marian Seldes, Frances Sternhagen and others in the cast, it opened at the Plymouth Theatre on October 24th, 1974 and ran for 1,209 performances.  Firth and Richard Burton starred in the 1977 Sidney Lumet-directed film.

Radcliffe, who will be making his theatrical debut, has also appeared in "David Copperfield" and The Tailor of Panama; he will also be seen in the upcoming December Boys.

Griffiths, who won a Tony Award for his performance as Hector in The History Boys (and who will reprise the role in the upcoming film), has been seen in many films and plays on the West End.  Film credits include Withnail & I, King Ralph and Sleepy Hollow, while London theatre credits include The History Boys, The Merry Wives of Windsor and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Another Shaffer play--Amadeus--opens in London in September.  Tony Award-winner John Doyle will direct.