Potter play is a sequel

LONDON: A new play will pick up the story of Harry Potter where the seventh and final volume of JK Rowling's saga left off, with a plot involving a grown-up Harry and his youngest son, Albus.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, based on a new story part-written by Rowling, opens at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End district on July 30, next year, said production publicists.

The story takes place 19 years after Harry’s final showdown with the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, described in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh book.

Now an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic with three school-age children, Harry “grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs”, a statement about the new play said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Albus, named after Harry’s old headmaster and mentor Albus Dumbledore, struggles with the weight of the family legacy.

“As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places,” the publicists said.

The play will be in two parts which are intended to be seen in order on the same day, or on two consecutive evenings. An initial 16 weeks of performances will go on sale in the first booking period, starting on Friday.

Publicists have been releasing a drip-drip of information over several months in what appears to be a strategy to tantalise fans, although commercial success for the venture looks extremely likely regardless of any marketing efforts.

So far everything connected to Harry Potter has turned to gold. Rowling’s books have sold over 450 million copies and been translated into 78 languages, while the eight-part film franchise based on the books grossed more than $7 billion worldwide.

The new story was a collaboration between Rowling, scriptwriter Jack Thorne and award-winning theatre director John Tiffany.“The story only exists because the right group of people came together with a brilliant idea about how to present Harry Potter on stage,” Rowling was quoted as saying.

Both parts of the play will be performed on the opening day. – Reuters