West End Equus With Griffiths and Radcliffe to Open in February

The much-anticipated London revival of Peter Shaffer’s Equus, which will feature Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and Tony Award winner Richard Griffiths in the central roles, will play London’s Gielgud Theater, February 16-June 9. The production, to be directed by Thea Sharrock, will open officially on February 27.

Equus tells the story of Alan Strang (Radcliffe), a deeply disturbed 17-year-old boy, and Martin Dysart (Griffiths), the psychiatrist who attempts to treat him. The play contains a lengthy nude scene during which Strang blinds six horses with a spike.

Griffiths won the Tony Award for his work in The History Boys, the film version of which will open in New York on November 21. He also played Uncle Vernon in three of the Harry Potter films opposite Radcliffe, who plays the title role in the movies. The 17-year-old actor’s only previous stage appearance was as a guest star in the London production of The Play What I Wrote.

The original Broadway production of Equus opened in 1974 and ran for 1,209 performances. Peter Firth and Anthony Hopkins created the roles of Strang and Dysart, respectively; Hopkins was succeeded in his role by such actors as Richard Burton, Alec McCowen, Anthony Perkins, and Leonard Nimoy. The 1977 film version of Equus, directed by Sidney Lumet, starred Burton and Firth.