What Is Next For The Harry Potter Star?

(BROADWAY MAGAZINE) Yesterday, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe said good-bye to Broadway. His run in Equus has been a success, and the professional stature of the Harry Potter star has only increased with his Broadway experience. While sushi-eating Jeremy Piven bowed out early, Radcliffe took a highly demanding role, and played extended runs on both sides of the Atlantic. It could well be that when Broadway pundits look back at this season, it will be remembered primarily for being the Broadway debut of Daniel Radcliffe…not because he is a film star, but rather because he is proving an actor who is both serious and dedicated to the stage.

His performance in Equus, a not-so-comfortable play, was exceptional. No doubt the role was demanding, and we can only hope that the Tony voters distinguish his achievement and reward his genuine commitment to live performance. Either way, the future is bright for Radcliffe, who could quite easily follow in the artistic footsteps of British actors like Olivier, Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, or more recently Ralph Fiennes and Kenneth Branagh in keeping feet truly in both film stardom and stage success.

As a friend put it, the young actor came to Broadway as Harry Potter the character and left as Daniel Radcliffe the actor. Keeping our commitment to irresponsible speculation, we now offer Mr. Daniel Radcliffe 10 possible stage roles to follow up on his Equus triumph. Photo of Daniel Radcliffe at Tony Di Napoli’s Wall Of Fame in New York City.

1. HENRY V, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Perhaps the best play ever written about the complexity of war and politics. Branagh knows the story well, and Radcliffe could handle Shakespeare’s poetry.
2. ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE. Joe Orton’s first play wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but could would certainly shock.
3. EPITAPH FOR GEORGE DILLON by John Osborne and Anthony Creighton. The show was just done in London in 2005-6, but is less well-known to Broadway audiences.
4. GHOSTS by Henrik Ibsen. In the right hands, Ibsen can transport and transform and audience. Don’t let the current Broadway edition of Hedda fool you, Ibsen still rocks!
5. THE RAINMAKER by N. Richard Nash. An old, but effective play that could prove timely in today’s political climate.
6. BABY WITH THE BATHWATER by Christopher Durang. So effective as a comedy that people forget how good a play it really is.
7. GREAT EXPECTATIONS: THE MUSICAL by Paul McCartney. Yes, we know this show hasn’t been written yet, but we can’t wait to see it. Radcliffe wants to do a musical, and McCartney is apparently a fan of Dickens.

Tags: Anthony Crighton, Baby With The Bathwater, Broadway, Charles Dickens, Christopher Durang, Daniel Radcliffe, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Epitaph for George Dillon, Equus, Ghosts, Great Expectations, Harry Potter, Henrik Ibsen, Henry V, Joe Orton, John Osborne, Paul McCartney, Richard Nash, The Rainmaker

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 6:53 am and is filed under Broadway Blog, Broadway Magazine, Broadway Magazine List. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.