Daniel Ratcliffe shed his Harry Potter persona as well as his clothes in his stage debut in Equus and did a serviceable job, a British reviewer said.

The 17-year-old actor emoted pain and aggression in his role as Alan Strang, but lacked the sense of magic and wonder the part demands, said Times of London reviewer Benedict Nightingale Thursday.

The play, overall, received good marks from the Times theater critic, which singled out Ratcliffe's performance as missing something.

His interpretation of Alan as vulnerable, defensive and tough also needed to convey an exhilaration bordering on religious ecstasy in the company and, especially, the secret riding of horses, the review said. This, Radcliffe misses. Yet I can't wholly regret his failure, because it makes an enjoyable play just a bit less morally meretricious."

Radcliffe portrayed the wizard-in-training in four movies, beginning when he was 12 years old. The fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is scheduled for a summer release.

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