To everyone who watched Daniel Radcliffe in last night's Broadway debut of Peter Shaffer’s "Equus," the 19-year-old "Harry Potter" star presented himself as a brave and talented young actor, overcoming his anxiety before the show.

"It was funny because tonight I didn't expect to be nervous because we've done all the previews, we've had all the critics here," Radcliffe was quoted by the Associated Press as saying after Thursday's performance. "I thought, `Oh, we'll do it tonight, it won't be so bad.' But I was terrified before we went out. I was like, `Omigod, this is it.'"

Radclifee, who practically grew up in the public eye as the heroic boy wizard of the "Harry Potter" series, made his justly celebrated stage debut last season in London's West End and now on Broadway alongside Richard Griffiths, his co-star from "Harry Potter."

Speaking of his collaboration with Griffiths, Radcliffe said, "Being able to work with Richard is extraordinary. He's on of the nicest, most funny, intelligent people you'll ever meet."

Returning the kind words, Griffiths said the experience was "really comfortable" because the two trust each other, "And especially when we're on our own, as it were. It's just very nice," he added.

Despite his limited experience in live theater, Radcliffe managed once again to draw a lot of praise for his extraordinary presence, generosity, and power. His brilliant performance might have had something to do with the fact that he was nervous.
"The jitters should be there 'til the last night of performing — because the jitters are what get you on stage," he said. "It's the nerves that make it exciting and vital and make every show different."

Just like his London performance, Radcliffe's portrayal of Alan Strang, a disturbed stable boy who gets sent to a psychiatric ward after blinding six horses, was equally intense on Broadway. Griffiths is convincing as a weary psychiatrist who's emotionally closed down confronting Strang. Both men are changed by the experience, not altogether credibly.

The play wasn’t deprived by the scene in which Radcliffe appears nude, something that caused considerable buzz when the film star headlined the London production of the play last year.

Premiered at the National Theater in London in 1973 and transferred to Broadway the following year for a celebrated three-year run, "Equus" has always been less notable as a psychological investigation than as a vehicle for two mesmerizing lead performances backed by striking stagecraft. Taking her cue from John Dexter's stark original staging and retaining the crucial collaboration of that production's designer, John Napier, director Thea Sharrock correctly understands the play's chief asset is its blazing theatricality.