AP reports that Dan Radcliffe, the young actor who plays Harry Potter, has signed to play the lead in a stage production of Equus. Richard Griffiths, who plays Uncle Vernon in the films will play opposite him.
This is not just any play, it's Equus, an incredibly sick piece of work. In it Radcliffe plays..., well, here's the Times account....
Read it here.The play delves into the psyche of a boy named Alan Strang who blinds six horses with a metal spike.
…
In one scene the actor playing Strang is required to simulate sexual ecstasy while riding a horse naked.
As I remember the film -- the Richard Burton, Peter Firth thingy (and I have tried to put it out of my mind) -- this is one really sick, twisted tale. It is one of the last gasps of Western culture's mid-twentieth century obsession with deviant psychology and its one real contribution was to recognize the impotence of science when confronted with human passion. As an indictment of scientistic hubris I applaud it, but as for the rest..., faugh!
Little Danny is growing up and really, really want to be taken seriously as an adult with all sorts of complexity. This is his vehicle. However, based on his work so far, I would have to say that he just doesn't have the chops for this role -- but then, neither did Firth and he grew into a reasonably competent actor.
"She Who Must Not Be Named" is a fan of the Potter series and is not amused. She wonders if Radcliffe will be finishing the series, and that thought fills her with vague disquiet.
No comments:
Post a Comment