The Broadhurst box office, located at 235 East 44th Street, will officially open for business Aug. 4 at 10 AM ET. The limited engagement of Equus is scheduled to begin previews Sept. 5 prior to an official opening Sept. 25 and run through Feb. 8, 2009.
As previously reported, Radcliffe and Griffiths — who played to sold-out crowds in the London Equus revival — will reprise their work for Broadway audiences. Radcliffe will star as Alan Strang with Griffiths as Dr. Martin Dysart. Ever-busy stage and screen actress Kate Mulgrew will play Hesther Saloman, the role created on Broadway by veteran actress Marian Seldes in 1974. Additional casting will be announced shortly.
Thea Sharrock, who directed the London run, will direct on Broadway as well. The creative team also features set and costume designer John Napier, lighting designer David Hersey and sound designer Gregory Clarke.
"Harry Potter" star Radcliffe made his West End leading-role debut in Shaffer's 1973 drama at London's Gielgud Theatre on Feb. 27, 2007, following previews that began Feb. 16. Radcliffe drew positive reviews from the London critics and lots of attention from gossip columnists because of the much-written-about nude scene.
In Equus, press notes state, "psychiatrist Martin Dysart investigates the blinding of six horses, a savage act committed by an unassuming 17-year-old stable boy, Alan Strang, whose family life is rife with bigotry and religious fervor. As Dysart exposes the truths behind the boy's demons, he finds himself face-to-face with his own." Playwright Shaffer based the play on a true story told to him by a friend. Equus reunited Radcliffe and Griffiths, who appeared together in the "Harry Potter" movies. London Equus producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers gave Radcliffe his first role in the West End as a celebrity guest in The Play What I Wrote.
Equus bowed on Broadway in October 1974 at the Plymouth Theatre. The production — directed by John Dexter — won the 1975 Tony for Best Play and ran 1,209 performances. The upcoming production will mark the show's first Broadway revival. Playwright Shaffer is also the author of Amadeus, Lettice and Lovage, The Royal Hunt of the Sun and White Liars & Black Comedy.
