Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opens on Broadway on April 22, 2018. But if you want tickets, you must register first (here’s why). Online registration opens this Sunday, Oct. 1.
One of the most enduring cultural phenomena of our time is the wizarding world conjured up by British author J.K. Rowling. From the best-selling novels to the blockbuster movies to the beloved theme park attraction, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and the delightful crew of quirky Quidditch-loving characters have captured our hearts, minds and pocketbooks.
As fine purveyors of the performing arts, we are happy to see the eighth installment of the Harry Potter series apparates not on the pages of a book but on the stages of London and New York (and, accio!, on stages all over the world like, say, here—keep the summoning spells happening, Potterfans.) In 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered on London’s West End, transporting audiences to Rowling’s magic world where Harry has a desk job, Hermione is Minister of Magic, Ron owns a shop on Diagon Alley and their children carry the legacy of the fateful turn of events that culminated in the Battle of Hogwarts. But the story isn’t about our favorite trio—not this time. This time, we’re taken on an adventure with Harry and Ginny’s second son, Albus Potter, and his best friend, Scorpius Malfoy. Yes: Malfoy.
What’s it going to be like seeing the Potters, Weasleys and company playing out this epic tale of Albus Severus Potter in real time? Well, if the nine 2017 Olivier Awards the show won after its London premier are any indication, we’re gonna go with bloody brilliant, mate. The Lyric Theater in New York, where the show opens this spring, invested in a complete remodeling to accommodate the specifics of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. If that’s not confidence in the return-on-investment, we don’t know what is.
Rowling conceived of the story with John Tiffany and Jack Thorne. Thorne wrote the manuscript, and when all was said and done, the tale—like the books—wove in and out of an epic battle of cause-and-effect so tremendous that the whole show is broken into two parts, à la The Deathly Hallows. Both parts run more than two hours with patrons buying consecutive shows, either seeing both parts on the same day or on two consecutive nights.
Without giving too much away, the story takes place 19 years after the final scene in The Deathly Hallows, with Harry and Ginny sending their son Albus Severus off to Hogwarts as a first year. Albus meets one Scorpius Malfoy, and they become buds after the surprise sorting of Albus into Slytherin. To boot, something funky is afoot as Harry’s lightning scar starts a-tingling again after almost 20 years of stillness since the Battle of Hogwarts. The events surrounding the untimely death of Cedric Diggory are involved, as is a Time Turner and the rather realistic, humdrum adult lives of Harry, Hermione and Ron. The father-son tension between Harry and Albus sparks Albus’s rash decision to send their lives into another (unknown at the time, of course) headlong plunge into the plans of He Who Must Not Be Named.
Here is an excerpt from an interview with Emma Watson as she described seeing the show and how she felt watching another actor portray Hermione as a full-grown adult:
Since we’re more likely to get tickets to Hamilton than the Cursed Child, we’re happy that the first installment of the Potter empire, The Sorcerer’s Stone, arrives in movie-with-live-music form this weekend at The Straz. The Florida Orchestra plays the score live as we watch the movie, which should be a most wonderful experience in honor of the Potter tales morphing from page to stage.
Predictably, The Sorcerer’s Stone shows are almost sold out, but if you want to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone during the Saturday matinee, there are a few seats available.
