Young actor Daniel Radcliffe made his Broadway debut last night, in the revival of Peter Shaffer’s 1973 Tony Award-winning play “Equus,” before a very select crowd.

Daniel Radcliffe has already earned excellent reviews in the U.K., where “Equus” was a success at London’s Gielgud Theatre. The welcoming at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre was warm Thursday night, as the crowd included stars such as Kathleen Turner, Lili Taylor, Glenn Close, James Lipton, host of “Inside the Actor’s Studio” and Judith Light.

Radcliffe portrays disturbed teen Alan Strang, who comes from a repressed environment (parents portrayed by actors Carolyn McCormick and T. Ryder Smith). The English boy has blinded six horses and ends in the office of a psychiatrist, Dr. Martin Dysart, played by Tony and Olivier Award winner Richard Griffiths.

The new production comes to Broadway after a 30-year break. In the 1970s, Anthony Hopkins, Anthony Perkins and Richard Burton all gave life to Dysart, while Strang’s role was performed by Peter Firth.

This is Daniel Radcliffe’s debut in theater and it generated much media interest as the play calls for the young actor to spend some time in the nude during one of the key scenes.

Kathleen Turner was most supportive last night, telling the Associated Press that if the nudity is “necessary,” then it is “right.”

The production will play through Feb. 8, 2009.

Radcliffe’s previous experience in theater includes a cameo appearance in “The Play What I Wrote.” He is of course an international star due to his portrayal of bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter in the feature films.

A sixth film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is to be released in November.

“Equus” received the esteemed Tony Award for Best Play in 1975. The new production is directed by Thea Sharrock, with John Napier having designed the haunting horse costumes and Fin Walker having choreographed their movements on stage.

Peter Shaffer wrote his play based on a true story told to him by a friend.