Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was applauded by a roll-call of London's glitterati when the curtain came down on the opening night of his first stage show, Equus. The 17-year-old performer, who disrobes in the sexually-charged drama, received a standing ovation from the audience when the show came to an end.
Daniel is aiming to leave his child star image behind by playing troubled stable hand Alan Strang in the psychological thriller. And with theatre critics climbing over each other to heap praise on the young thesp, he seems to have proved his mettle as a serious dramatic actor.
Many of the UK's most celebrated stars of stage and screen had gone along to the Gielgud Theatre for Wednesday night's performance. British favourites like Samantha Morton, Helena Bonham-Carter and Cilla Black were joined by Tinseltown heart-throb Christian Slater and chat show host Graham Norton for the hotly anticipated event.
And even though the media has been buzzing with talk of Daniel's nude scenes for the past few weeks, most of those who went along insisted it was his acting abilities that warranted most attention. "Of course some people are going to say 'There's Harry Potter, naked and smoking'," explained TV veteran Stephen Fry. "But let's not let that distract from an amazing performance, which is what he delivered - he was marvellous."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
