Potter: So many puns, so little timeIt seems in recent days the Poorhouse has largely been a mess of immature and/or celebtrity-esque gossip rather than the intellectual and political tome that dear readers come to consult. To compensate for that, here's more of the same.

A certain young wizard known to millions throughout the world has decided to go for something of a temporary career change. Yes, cute baby teenager Harry Potter (aka Daniel Radcliffe to his non-magical friends) has decided to do a delightful play where, no doubt much to the delight of even his 14-year-old teen fans, he is going to strip completely and frolic in a none-too-innocent way with horses.

Sorry disbelivers, it's true. Equus is a play from the 1970s about a psychiatrist trying to sort out a young man who goes a bit weird and stabs the eyes out of a pile of horses who he thinks are watching him a bit too much. Not that he's averse to a bit of rather over-affectionate horse-gazing himself.

The play has been remade and has just opened in Gielgud Theatre, London, with Daniel starring alongside Joanna Christie as the demented horse fancier. Or, if you prefer the words of the admittedly always-over-the-top Daily Mail:

Sixty people from the audience will actually be seated on stage when the Harry Potter star, in his role as the troubled groomsman Alan Strang in Peter Shaffer's celebrated play Equus, simulates a sex act while naked and astride a horse.

It should perhaps be noted, whether it makes a difference or not, the horse is actually to be played by Will Kemp, a human ballet dancer

Hmmm. Of course it's created quite some controversy with some fearing for the mental well-being of kids seeing their favourite 13-year old (? just guessing) wizard turning into something rather different, and others seeing it as a natural attempt to break the mold he has now been stereotyped into. The Poorhouse was a little shocked to find that he in real life he's just 17 years old (is that allowed?!). His youth must annoy him slightly for other reasons too as apparently he has to wait til the age of 18 until he can access his £20,000,000+ fortune.

Fear not though innocents, despite his slightly suicidal wishes he will be starring in the future Harry Potter films...so a few months after you've been utterly disturbed by the Equus performance you can breathe a sigh of relief as he's back playing Quidditch and eating dodgy school dinners - apologies if it is evident the Poorhouse doesn't really know the Harry Potter plot but it must be something like that.

Warner Bros, creators of the film version of the Harry Potter books, are however apparently not the most pleased they've ever been at young Daniel taking this career leap in the middle of the Potter franchise, one source being reported as saying:

Warner Bros have been building up their publicity machine for Harry's first - chaste - screen kiss when the next Potter film comes out in the summer. Now our star is out there doing full-frontal sex. We've been blown completely out of the water by this.

As a little treat to warm you up to such a transition, here's a bit from "Extras" that could be taken as something of a mid-point of Radcliffe's career.