Daniel Radcliffe Takes His Final Bow

This year’s revival of Martin McDonagh’s Irish dark comedy The Cripple of Inishmaan played its final Broadway performance at the Cort Theatre on Sunday, July 20, 2014. The production was directed by Michael Grandage and starred Daniel Radcliffe, the British Harry Potter star who has recently performed on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Equus. The play’s American premiere was in 1998 at the Public Theater, and it also enjoyed a 2008 revival by the Atlantic Theater Company. Though this was the show’s first time on Broadway, it was considered a revival for purposes of Tony consideration. At the 2014 Tony ceremony, the production received six Tony Award nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Direction of a Play (Michael Grandage), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Sarah Greene), Best Sound Design of a Play (Alex Baranowski), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Paule Constable), and Best Scenic Design of a Play (Christopher Oram).

A Critical But Not Commercial Success

Beginning performances on April 12, 2014, The Cripple of Inishmaan officially opened on April 20, 2014. Over the course of its 114 performances, the show performed adequately but not excellently at the box office. In its final week of performances, the show saw an upsurge in ticket sales, concluding with a weekly gross of $740,711, which represented 76.35% of the show’s gross potential that week. Unfortunately, that was the highest weekly gross of any week throughout the show’s run. Though Radcliffe’s last two Broadway outings played to more fanfare and commercial success, this may prove that even such undeniable star power may not attract audiences to a little known Irish straight play with a puzzling title. It is to Radcliffe’s credit, however, that he seems to be selecting his roles not based on their spectacle or pizzazz but rather for his genuine interest in their artistic merit.

Daniel Radcliffe, The Gentleman

Though this production was a financial wash, it was a critical smash. Critics loved the revival, with Ben Brantley of The New York Times calling the production “splendid,” and the ensemble “first-class.” Though this production was not a commercial success, it did not slow down Radcliffe’s career for a second. On Monday, July 21, 2014, the night after closing The Cripple of Inishmaan, he flew to Toronto to premiere his new film at the Scotiabank Theatre, What If co-starring Zoe Kazan. Furthermore, the good-natured movie star took the time to take selfies with his fans outside stage door following the final performance, demonstrating his impressive ability to remain genuinely kind-hearted and appreciative of his devotees, despite his immense fame.