Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Fact File
How much do we know about the new Potter play, set 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts? Here’s a spoiler-free rundown...
The play started as a story by Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, and has been adapted for the stage by Thorne – familiar to SFX readers as the man behind the wonderful TV show The Fades. He also adapted vampire drama Let The Right One In for the stage, so his “cool” credentials are high.
The official synopsis reads: “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.”
The casting contained one surprise: black actress Noma Dumezweni as Hermione. Naturally, racists complained.
“With my experience of social media, I thought that idiots were going to idiot,” said Rowling of the whingers. “But what can you say? That’s the way the world is. Noma was chosen because she was the best actress for the job.”
Cursed Child is split into two parts, so audiences either have to watch them both on the same day or on two consecutive evenings. mind you, this is a moot point, as it’s sold out for the next year at least; it broke records by selling 175,000 tickets in 24 hours. thankfully, you can also buy the script, //strap// released on 31 July – the day after the Palace theatre previews end and the show officially begins.
Audiences have been asked to “#KeepTheSecrets” by /R/obwoldiny/g/, who calls anyone who spills spoilers “Wormtails” after the books’ double-crossing rat. We’ll respect her wishes, but will let slip that the play features impressive effects and the first part ends on a whopping cliffhanger... Read our review on p116.