The Many Adventures of a Thede

This past Sunday I finally made it to see Equus, a play currently running on Broadway about a teenage boy who is sent to a mental institution because of a very disturbing act of violence he committed. No, not a cheery subject, but it was beautifully acted and designed and very much worth the trip to the theatre. It's a little bit funny that I have seen most of the stars of this play in person before. I saw Richard Griffiths (of Harry Potter fame) in History Boys on Broadway a couple years ago. Kate Mulgrew (of Star Trek: Voyager) came to my college and spoke about her favorite actress, Kate Mulgrew. And another supporting actor, T. Ryder Smith, was in the play Lebensraum that I worked on two years ago (and which won a Drama Desk Award).

But I wasn't really there to see them. I was there to see Harry Potter himself, Dan Radcliffe. He was excellent. There was, of course, quite a bit of expectation on him as there is on any big "movie star" who tries to transition to the stage. Not all have been successful. Claire Danes got luke-warm reviews for her stint in Pygmalion. Julia Roberts got pretty much panned for her stage debut two years ago in Three Days of Rain. But Dan was a natural on stage. He's gotten great reviews both in London, where the play originated, and here on Broadway. I'm pretty sure he's very strategically planning to become the Harrison Ford of the Harry Potter franchise, not the Mark Hamill. What I mean by that is he's working hard to be able to leave Harry Potter behind when it's finished and transition into diverse roles that will continue to carry him as a super star. He's doing a great job so far.

After the show, I got to the stage door as quickly as I could to wait for an autograph. Dan came out very quickly after the show and graciously signed for as many people as he could, including me!



I was happy to find out that what I've heard about him is true. He was extremely nice to everyone, didn't act like he was bothered by having to stand outside signing until his hand cramped, and actually made friendly conversation with people in a way that seemed like he was totally unaware that he was famous or intimidating in any way. He even turned to one girl and said incredulously, "Have you been here before? I know I've seen you here!" He seemed very puzzled that anyone would wait for his autograph twice. The girl only giggled. Dan looked at her as if he wasn't sure why she couldn't give him a straight answer. All I can say is, his parents have done a good job.