As I speculated last summer, Daniel Radcliffe is indeed coming back to Broadway in a revival of Martin McDonagh’s “The Cripple of Innismaan,” which tells the cruel tale of a young man who is improbably carted off to Hollywood from his remote and impoverished Irish village. The dark comedy, set in 1934, premiered at London’s National Theatre in 1996 and has had two 0ff-Broadway productions in New York: in 1998 at the Public Theater and another in 2008 at the Atlantic Theater.
This Broadway premiere, directed by Michael Grandage, is an import from London’s West End where it won rave reviews, especially for Radcliffe’s Cripple Billy, an outcast picked on by the villagers until he is spotted by an American director filming a documentary on a neighboring island. Ben Brantley of the New York Times wrote that Radcliffe “delivers his finest stage performance to date as a grotesque who fades into the crowd.” That last bit is actually a compliment given that the woebegone Billy is meant to do just that among the town gossips and teasers, although the star quality is apparent enough for an American director to take notice.
Radcliffe’s name should lead to healthy ticket sales for the limited engagement at the Cort Theatre from April 12 through July 20. The official opening date, April 20, comes in just under the qualifying wire for Tony nominations, for which Radcliffe will be a strong contender. He’s been overlooked twice: as the damaged young man in the 2008 revival of “Equus” and, three years later, as the all-singing, all-dancing, all-conniving hero of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” The snubs have bothered his producers far more than the star himself. A good sport, he has appeared as a presenter at the Tonys and run the red carpet with generosity and grace. Nonetheless, he faces tough competition to score a nomination for Leading Actor in Play. Vying for the five slots will be at least a dozen noteworthy performances, including those from such major stars as Daniel Craig (“Betrayal”), Bryan Cranston (“All the Way”), Denzel Washington (“A Raisin in the Sun”), James Franco (“Of Mice and Men”), Mark Rylance (“Twelfth Night” and “Richard III”), and Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan (“Waiting for Godot” and “No Man’s Land” in rep). Still, Radcliffe has a good shot. Cripple Billy may be a loser — even his adoptive spinster aunts can’t help listing his bleak prospects — but the role itself may put the actor in the winner’s circle at last.
