Spellbound preview audience urged to ‘Keep the Secrets’

Harry Potter: ‘Whooping and cheering’ for play

JK Rowling will be able to breathe a sigh of relief after the first preview of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child was met with “whooping and cheering”.

Although the show does not officially open at the Palace Theatre in London until July 30, fans have already had their first look at the latest instalment, which picks up 19 years after the last novel.

Rowling appeared in a short clip beforehand urging fans to keep plot details under wraps. Audience members were also issued with “Keep The Secrets” badges as a reminder.

But fans and journalists who saw the first instalment of the two-part play made it clear they were spellbound.

Clare Fitzsimons wrote in The Mirror: “Spells and hexes combined with laughs and drama mean Harry Potter And The Cursed Child will be every bit the hit everyone expects.

“Judging by the whooping and cheering, nobody was disappointed.”

Hannah Furness wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “The storyline, a hymn to friendship and teenage misfits, contains enough twists to please the most knowledgeable of fans, who remained resolutely tight-lipped about the plot as they spilled on to the pavement in raptures afterwards.

“Any fears that the world of Hogwarts on stage would struggle to compete with the multimillion-dollar special effects of film were quickly kicked into touch. Objects seemed to disappear before our eyes and characters appeared as if from nowhere.”

She continued: “Has Rowling done it again?

“The audience was in no doubt.”

Picture: PA. The play is being staged at London’s Palace Theatre.