Just as Hamilton has been all-pervasive on Broadway since it opened there last summer, there's been little talk of anything but Harry Potter's official stage debut over here since the first announcement was made revealing that it was on its way over a year ago. (There was previously a small two-man fringe show called Potted Potter that raced through all the books to date in 70 minutes that transferred from the Trafalgar Studios small house to the Garrick where it was Olivier nominated... Read more
Performances of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child are set to recommence at the Palace Theatre from Jul. 21, 2021. For more information, read here.
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne. It is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage.
The critically acclaimed production is the most awarded new play in theatre history, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has won 24 major theatre awards in the UK and is the most awarded play in the history of the Olivier Awards, winning a record-breaking nine awards including Best New Play. The production has also won 25 major US awards with six Tony Awards including Best Play and is now running at the Palace Theatre in London's West End.
The production features a cast of over forty, and is one play presented in two Parts intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening), or on two consecutive evenings. It is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and is set "nineteen years later". The production is directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett. It features set designs by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, lighting by Neil Austin, music by Imogen Heap, sound by Gareth Fry and special effects by Jeremy Chernick.
The current main cast for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child features Jamie Ballard as Harry Potter, alongside Susie Trayling as his wife Ginny Potter and Dominic Short as their son Albus Potter. Thomas Aldridge will play Ron Weasley with Michelle Gayle as Hermione Granger and Rayxia Ojo as their daughter Rose Granger-Weasley with James Howard as Draco Malfoy and Jonathan Case as his son Scorpius Malfoy. They are joined by an ensemble cast of characters playing a variety of roles both old and new.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child received its world premiere at the Palace Theatre in London in July 2016, and went on to become to one of the most-coveted productions in West End history, winning a record nine Olivier Awards from a record-breaking 11 nominations. Award wins included best new play, best director for Tiffany, best actor, actress and actor in supporting roles, and set, costume, sound and lighting design. In conjunction with the play’s premiere, the script was published and sold over 2 million copies in the first two days of release in North America, and over 800,000 copies in its first week in the UK.
The play subsequently transferred to Broadway, where it won six Tony Awards including best play, and productions are now running in Melbourne and San Francisco, with Canadian and German productions set for 2020.
Why is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in two Parts?
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a fitting eighth story to the Harry Potter franchise, and thus is an epic story. In order to tell the story in full, it is told across two Parts, and audiences are meant to see the two Parts together. Audiences can either watch both Parts in one day – an afternoon performance of Part One and an evening performance of Part Two; or across consecutive evenings – Part One on a Thursday evening and Part Two on a Friday evening. When you book Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tickets with LondonTheatre.co.uk, you will be buying tickets to both Parts together, either for two performances in one day, or across two nights.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child review round-up
Reviews of the production were unanimously positive when the play first opened in the West End. Here is a selection of quotes from London theatre critics:
[It] is a work that will thrill new audiences as well as regular theatregoers alike -- some 50% of the audience is reported to be first-timers -- and could inspire and encourage a whole new generation to make theatre part of their lives.
Mark Shenton for LondonTheatre.co.uk (read the full review)
"It’s a spectacle for the theatre, one that is filled to the brim with fan service and magical imagery that will amaze. For any Potterhead who can get their hands on a ticket, it will no doubt be a fantastic experience..."
Jack Shepherd for the Independent
"This is a production that thrills at the aura of possibility lurking in the Victorian splendour of the theatre itself, a bygone age of smoke and mirrors."
Dominic Cavendish for The Telegraph
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child trailer
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Synopsis
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.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is one play presented in two Parts, which are intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening) or on two consecutive evenings.