Daniel Radcliffe back on Broadway, sad over Harry Potter finale

[HMG Celebrity News] – With Harry Potter about to bid farewell in the finale of ‘Deathly Hallows,” that’s out in July, Daniel Radcliffe is already carving out the next phase of his meteoric career – He’s in final rehearsals for a Broadway musical.

Now 21, Daniel is set to star in a revival of the classic ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,’ which debuted on Broadway 28 years before he was born. The show opens on March 27, but Daniel is rather distracted;

“I just moved into the world of Xbox Live,” he tells USA Today. “And I’ve discovered everyone’s a lot better than me. I spent half-an-hour designing a boxer and got knocked out twice in the first round.”

This is Dan’s second outing on Broadway – in 2008 he starred in ‘Equus’ and won rave reviews. This time he plays ‘J. Pierrepont Finch,’ a window cleaner who climbs the corporate ladder without any effort. Or qualifications.

Thanks to his folks Dan has a strong grounding in music, but the dancing’s a problem;

“My parents were big musical fans. Lots of Sondheim, and South Pacific and Guys and Dolls,” he recalls. “But the prospect of dancing scared me. A lot…Because I have absolutely no aptitude for it.”

But audiences at the show’s sell-out previews disagree. Loudly.

“Everyone’s going nuts for the show,” says Broadway critic, Robert Diamond. “When he comes out for his curtain call, it’s one of the most boisterous standing ovations on Broadway.”

Dan will be part of the show until early next year, but saying farewell to Harry came pretty hard;

“It was very sad on the final day of filming,” he says. “But I think we can look back at the last 10 years with pride.”

His next film is a whole different concept – He wrapped filming ‘The Woman in Black,’ in December and it’s a world away from wizards and spells;

“I play a young lawyer who’s asked to sort out the documents of a recently deceased woman,” Radcliffe says “It’s truly chilling, but it’s not just a horror movie; it’s a film about grief; Every character’s been touched by death, but it should be beautiful as well as terrifying.”

So what about life away from the lights? He has a girlfriend but won’t talk about her, and while he’s on Broadway he lives in New York’s West Village and loves it;

“I love it, because it’s possible to be anonymous,” we’re told. “I’m 5-foot-5, and I’ll wear a big parka and put the hood up nobody gives me a second glance.”

He also dabbles in poetry and is mulling the idea of writing a screenplay, but acting is still his main focus – if he can escape the shadow of Harry;

“As long as directors don’t see me as just Harry Potter, I’ll be okay,” he admits. “People have shown a lot of faith in me. They’re letting me prove that I’m serious about this.”

‘Deathly Hallows’ opens on July 15, but if you live in New York it sounds like a good show. A lot of you are big ‘Potter’ fans, so let’s hear your take on this story…