It seems that Broadway is just wild about Harry — again.
Daniel Radcliffe is heading back to the Great White Way with a revival of the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” following in the footsteps of his headline-generating run in “Equus.” Tony winner Rob Ashford, who is currently overseeing “Promises, Promises” on Broadway, is scheduled to direct and choreograph “How to Succeed.”
Radcliffe, who beat out hundreds at age 11 to land the coveted role of Harry Potter, has starred in six massively successful films as the boy wizard; the finale of the series, two movies based on J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” are scheduled to hit theaters later this year and then in 2011. In the non-”Potter” territory, however, only 2007’s “December Boys” managed to register a pulse at the box office, and Radcliffe has chosen to keep his most high-profile extracurricular activities limited to the stage.
Based on Sheperd Mead’s 1952 book, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” opened on Broadway in 1961 and a revival ran in 1995 starring Matthew Broderick and Megan Mullally. A 1967 film adaptation starred much of the original cast re-creating their roles. The play tells the tale of J. Pierrepont Finch, a young window washer who soars through the ranks at New York’s World Wide Wickets Company — until his own attempts at coming up with a “brilliant idea” threaten to topple his house of cards.
Although “Equus” certainly showed some unexpected sides of Radcliffe, “How to Succeed” has Finch singing and dancing throughout. The move shouldn’t come as a surprise for Radcliffe’s loyal fans, however, as he did a public reading of the play before the new year and told us recently that he’d welcome a return to Broadway. “How to Succeed” is scheduled to open in spring 2011.
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