Joining Radcliffe in the production will be the Tony-winning star of The History Boys, Richard Griffiths, who also appeared with Radcliffe in one of the “Harry Potter” movies.
In the revival of Shaffer’s 1973 play, Radcliffe will play the disturbed adolescent Alan Strang, an English stable boy who has blinded six horses with a spike. Griffiths takes on the role of psychiatrist Martin Dysart, who attempts to discover the source of Strang’s psychosis. Shaffer based the play on a true story told to him by a friend.
Equus producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers gave Radcliffe his first role in the West End as the celebrity guest in The Play What I Wrote. Shaffer’s play will make new demands of the 17-year-old actor. As Strang, Radcliffe will perform a sexual act while riding naked on a horse.
Like Shaffer’s The Royal Hunt For the Sun, currently revived by the Royal National Theatre, Equus premiered at the National’s Old Vic venue before transferring to Broadway where the play won a 1975 Tony Award and ran for over 1,000 performances.