Equus Update:
Harry Potter did the full monty in the West End, and the critics liked what they saw. In other words, Daniel Radcliffe, best known for his film portrayals of the boy wizard Harry Potter, received enthusiastic reviews when he opened at the Gielgud Theater in London on Tuesday in a revival of the 1973 Peter Shaffer psychological thriller, “Equus,” in which he plays a tortured teenager, a role that requires him to appear in the nude, Reuters reported. Excitement surrounding the West End stage debut of Mr. Radcliffe, 17, helped sell $3.9 million worth of tickets before the opening and attracted a galaxy of stars to the first night, including Bob Geldof, Helena Bonham Carter and Christian Slater. The play’s co-star is Richard Griffiths (Harry’s nasty uncle in the films), as the psychiatrist who plumbs the teenager’s obsession with horses. “No flash in the magic pan,” was The Guardian’s assessment of Mr. Radcliffe’s performance. The Daily Telegraph said, “Brilliant Radcliffe throws off Harry Potter’s cloak.”