Nine years after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter fans across the world were delighted when Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was announced. Here’s everything you need to know about it…
What is it?
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is an upcoming two-part stage play set 19 years after the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and has been touted as the series’ eighth official instalment. The play follows Harry, who is now an employe at the Ministry of Magic, and his youngest son, Albus Severus Potter. It’s assumed that Albus Severus Potter is the ‘cursed child’ the play’s title refers to.
Who’s written it?
The play was written by British playwright Jack Thorne and is based on a story developed by himself, J.K.Rowling (of course) and John Tiffany, a theatre director.
What characters are in it?
As well as Harry and Albus Severus, Ron and Hermione, of course, are going to feature in the play, along with their daughter Rose Granger-Weasley. Other main characters include Ginny Potter, Draco Malfoy and his son Scorpius Malfoy. The production’s cast features a total of 42 characters.
Have any cast members been announced?
Jamie Parker will be taking on the role of Harry, Paul Thornley the role of Ron and Noma Dumezwein the role of Hermione. Ginny will be played by Poppy Miller and Draco by Alex Price. As for the younger characters, Scorpius will be played by Anthony Boyle, Albus Severus by Sam Clemmett and Rose by Cherrelle Skeete.
How does it work being presented in two parts?
On Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays both parts will be shown – Part One as a matinee performance and Part Two as an evening performance. Your ticket will guarantee you a seat for both parts on the same day. On Thursdays there will be an evening performance of Part One then on Friday there will be an evening performance of Part Two. If you book a seat for Part One on a Thursday, you will automatically be booked to see Part Two on the following Friday evening. You can also book Part One on a Thursday evening and book Part Two on a later date if seeing the two parts on consecutive days doesn’t work for you.
When does it open and where is it?
The play is currently in technical rehearsals and its official grand opening is scheduled for 30 July. It’s going to be put on at London’s Palace Theatre, right in the heart of the West End.
What if I can’t get tickets?
Unsurprisingly, tickets have sold like hotcakes. When the tickets first went on sale, 175,000 were sold in eight hours. If you can’t get tickets, you can still find out what the story’s all about as the official script book of both parts of the play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts I & II, is being released on 31 July. Apparently the earliest you can get tickets for is April 2017…
Why a play and not an eighth novel?
J.K.Rowling has said that she thinks a play is the best medium for this particular story and she hopes that once people see it, they will understand it works much better as a play, as opposed to a novel.
Is there a synopsis?
The official synopsis is:
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
