Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Play is an Official Sequel
If you bet Harry Potter’s story was over after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, you’ve lost. Author J.K. Rowling has announced Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eight installment of the Potter family tale.
Pottermore revealed the official synopsis of the two-part play set to premiere at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End next year:
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.
You may recall the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows where we were first introduced to Harry and Ginny’s children. Many assumed this was all we’d ever see of them (though the previous version of Pottermore gave glimpses and some fans even started continuing the story on their own) but thankfully that’s not the case. Of course the wizarding world can’t stay happy and safe forever as it seems the Potter family may be in for some unfortunate events.
“The story only exists because the right group of people came together with a brilliant idea about how to present Harry Potter on stage,” said Rowling, who collaborated with writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany on the project, “I’m confident that when audiences see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child they will understand why we chose to tell this story in this way.”
Tiffany told Pottermore, “What we’re doing here is taking the biggest literary franchise the world has ever seen into theatre and it’s… Well, people are so stoked up about it. I’m conscious of bringing the fans what they love, doing this story justice and exploring the psychology of a grown up Harry Potter with the same epic sweep as the books and the films, but in a different way.”
Would you like to see it? An important note on tickets from Pottermore:
Tickets go on sale online only at 11am GMT on Wednesday 28 October, on a first come first served basis to all who have registered for priority booking, and at 11am GMT on Friday 30 October to the general public.
You can find out more about that on the play’s official website of course (other important questions are answered there as well) but something tells me if you’ve missed out this time, the play is sure to travel to other areas so more Harry Potter fans can enjoy it.
As for the premiere, no casting has been made (or at least announced) at this time but Pottermore says there will likely be at least 30 actors involved. Would Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who made the role famous on the big screen and has also spent time on stage, reprise his role? Not likely, as Rowling assured him a few years ago he’d never have to play Harry again. But as we’ve learned with the continuing tale of Potter, never say never…
I’m really wary about this. A book can be distributed to the entire world, but not everyone will be able to go to a play even if it travels around the world. I suppose they’ll eventually film it and release it on DVD, but still I’d rather have the written story first, then adapt it into a play.
Semi-related sidenote: Did you know wheelchair quidditch is a thing? Because I just found out it exists, and suddenly there’s a hole in my life that I never realized was there before: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f-5NRwKzD4
Yeah putting it out for home release would be great, I really hope they do.
Also, had never seen that wheelchair Quidditch so thanks!