Monday September 8, 2008

The New York theater where Daniel Radcliffe is performing play Equus has been revamped to stop female fans mobbing him onstage.

Previews of the show — which sees the 19-year-old Harry Potter star strip completely nude — kicked off on Friday, September 5.

But, before the hunk took to the stage, bosses at Broadhurst Theater decided to raise seats by more than two meters, creating a barrier between the audience and the actor.

Theater designer John Napier explains, “If you put Harry Potter on the stage with people directly in front of him, you’re likely to get a lot of screaming young girls, particularly when he takes his kit off. It was a very sensible decision for us to raise the audience up. There’s more of a barrier.”

Radcliffe recently said that starring in Equus “has given me a little more confidence” – and his nude scene is no big deal.

“It’s only seven minutes at the end of the play,” Radcliffe told the audience at an Aug. 19 talk held by the New York Times.

Daniel received rave reviews in London when he starred in the play on the West End last year.