Theatre 'Barrier' Built To Protect Naked Daniel Radcliffe From Broadway Fans 9/6/08

The Broadway theatre hosting Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe's play Equus has been revamped to stop female fans of the young Brit from mobbing him onstage.

Radcliffe strips completely nude in Equus, and theatre bosses feared he would be distracted by, and at risk from, fans in stage-level seats.

So Broadhurst Theater designer John Napier has raised those seats by more than two metres, creating a barrier between the audience and Radcliffe.

Napier explains, "If you put Harry Potter on the stage with people directly in front of him, you're likely to get a lot of screaming young girls, particularly when he takes his kit off. It was a very sensible decision for us to raise the audience up. There's more of a barrier."

Equus officially opens at the Broadhurst on 25 September (08). Previews began on Friday (05Sep08).

Radcliffe received rave reviews in London when he starred in the play on the West End last year (07).