A new review has appeared online from AintCool
"Anyway, whilst it has been noticed that he has improved as a performer as the films have gone on, there have still been severe doubts over his ability to sustain any type of career as a 'serious actor' once the franchise has run its course. If you have something to prove as an actor though, the London stage is the place to do it. Theres no fancy editing, no camera tricks and no voice effects to save you there. So did he stand up to the test?
"I'm amazed to say, yes. It was such an obvious ploy by Daniel Radcliffes management to try and get him taken seriously by putting him in a 'serious play' in a setting where 'serious actors' go to do their thing and show the world how 'serious' they are, that I would have loved to come away saying 'the boys crap and this just goes further to prove it'. The fact is though, he really is quite good in it.
"It's obvious that he doesn't have a well trained theatrical voice, it croaks sometimes when it should boom, but in terms of overall stage presence he really seemed to have it. One of the key traits of the character is a menacing, judgemental stare which Radcliffe captures perfectly. He really evokes a sense of turmoil and distress that the kid is experiencing over his feeling's for the horses and the sense that no one will understand his worship and the reasons for why he has performed such an act.
"The biggest compliment I can give is the he truly goes from being 'Harry Potter on stage' to being Alan Strang, a disturbed young man with issues regarding horses. The guy spends a significant amount of time in the second act as naked as the day he was born but by this point the entire supporting cast from all 4 Harry Potter films could come on and perform an elaborate burlesque routine and you wouldn't care because Daniel Radcliffe has taken it beyond this."
Review from Daily Mail
The bare facts are: Radcliffe's a revelation
"For Radcliffe, it was a big mental leap from portraying JK Rowling's boy wizard to taking on a character in the psychoreligious exploration of equine worship. Radcliffe could have stood on the stage and read the London telephone book and the play still would have sold out. That he took on such an intellectual theatrical challenge was brave - and he succeeded.
"However, Radcliffe was in full control of his acting abilities. He had been preparing for his debut for 14 months and was word perfect and knew every entrance and exit by heart. The audience had come from far and wide. Suzanne Fournier, 16, and her friend Bethany Williams, 15, travelled from New Brunswick, Canada, with Bethany's parents, just to see their young idol on the stage.
"Suzanne said: 'We came just to see the play and I loved it. I was quite surprised at how good Daniel was because I had been wondering if he could pull it off and he did. I must say he was very, very fit.'
"Roger Berlind, a veteran New York theatre producer, said that if the production with Radcliffe and his fellow leading man, Richard Griffiths, wanted to move to Broadway, he would help raise the finance to present it.
"He said that he thought Radcliffe was a 'natural stage performer'.
"Radcliffe's first entrance on stage startled some who hadn't studied the play. He bounded into view, clad only in jeans, to begin his sessions with the psychiatrist, played by Griffiths.
"The first words out of Radcliffe's mouth were in fact sung. His character Alan Strang sang several bars of the Milky Bar advertising ditty: "The Milky Bar kid is strong and tough..." and then launched into the song from the Martini commercial.
"Pugh commented: 'It's the first preview, we've got until the first night to continue working and we know what we have to do, but the boy's a revelation.'
"For once a producer wasn't uttering the usual West End producer hyperbole.
"Radcliffe can certainly act and it was clear from last night's audience reception that he won't always be remembered for playing a boy wizard. "
Another review from a blogger Mad About The Boy
"The production was so powerful that, even someone who is not a theatre lover and not a native English speaker and not able to fully understand all the dialogue, could be so moved.
"I was very impressed by Daniel's acting as he easily moved between the past and present showing the different moods and characters off perfectly. His characterisation was so effective that, although a great Harry Potter fan, it took no time at all to lose myself in the part he was playing and forget the wizard. I don’t deny “other reasons” for tempting me to book the most expensive tickets to see Daniel Radcliffe in the nude, but I was very impressed by his acting and the rapturous applause and standing ovation at the end of the evening was well deserved.
"Everyone will want to know about the scene where he takes his clothes off so here goes. It was certainly sexy, seeing a fit young man strip down, but within the context of the play, the titillation lasted about thirty seconds as you were drawn into the action. He was fully nude and fully exposed for at least ten minutes but it didn’t seem out of place at all in the context of the story and I didn’t hear any reactions from the audience. He is a gorgeous young man and I am sure this won't do his reputation nay harm at all.
"Thank you Richard, Daniel and all the rest of the cast and crew for a very entertaining evening. A job exceedingly well done.
"For me, Daniel Radcliffe has a promising future as an actor. Good luck to you."
More to come...
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