As a true Harry Potter fanatic, just about the most exciting piece of news I could receive other than an eighth Harry Potter book is the fact that J.K. Rowling herself, along with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, have written a play entitled "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" with the tagline: "The eighth story. Nineteen years later." After I picked up my jaw off the floor upon hearing this news, I dedicated myself to keeping up to date on the latest info regarding this new official J.K. Rowling content. From this Potter fan's spirited research, here is everything we know so far about this upcoming play.
The play opens in London in the Palace Theatre in July of this year. Here is a recent photo of the Palace Theatre, getting ready for the opening night of a lifetime and looking very Hogwarts-esque.
The Golden Trio will be played by Jamie Parker, Noma Dumezweni & Paul Thornley, pictured below, who are the only cast members whose characters have been revealed. So from left to right, here are our new Ron, Hermione, and Harry!
And here is a picture of the whole cast which causes me extreme excitement.
It makes me wonder who will play Ginny (my guess is the woman in the second row to the right of Ron) and which kids are Potters and which are Weasleys. There doesn't seem to be any flaming red hair in this adaptation just yet, so it's hard to distinguish between the two. And how many of these people are playing returning characters? Will Neville, Luna, Professor McGonagall, or any other favorites be part of this later story? It would make sense to me!
This play is to be done in two parts, which the Harry Potter fandom is all too familiar with, so we shouldn't mind them expanding the story and prolonging our anticipation. Here's the summary of the setting and plot of the play:
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.
So all this exclusive information leaves me with a lot of questions. According to canon, Harry becomes an auror, or wizard who fights off other dark wizards, so if he is being "overworked," does that mean there are a lot of dark wizards that need to be fended off? Is another war ensuing? The fact that Harry still "grapples with his past that refuses to stay where it belongs" is quite worrying too. Does this mean his traumatic past is still affecting his life nineteen years later? Has his scar started hurting again? I also just generally cannot wait to experience any and every scene involving Harry's kids at Hogwarts. Can they live up to his legacy? Are they as mischievous as he was or do they simply try to keep out of trouble despite their well-known name. The fact that "past and present fuse ominously" is also concerning and hints toward another wizarding war. But who against this time?
Rowling has made it clear that no details will be revealed so as not to give any spoilers before the big opening. If you aren't already jumping out of your skin with excitement, here is a behind-the-scenes video with J.K. Rowling and other writers, cast, and crew.
Just a few points in this video that fill me with gleeful anticipation:
- Children with wands!!!
- The Ron and Hermione actors hugging. UGH SO CUTE.
- Jamie Parker rehearsing in Harry's classic circular spectacles.
- Children with trunks; Hogwarts Express scene??
The one downside for us Americans as well as everyone else not able to travel to England this year is that the play is only being shown in London. But the good if not amazing news is that J.K. Rowling has confirmed that the script will eventually be sold in bookstores for everyone to enjoy! And who knows, maybe the play will tour the world someday or be recorded and become available online. All I know is that an extension of this treasured story that has touched so many lives is most definitely a dream come true for Potterheads everywhere.
