Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (with spoilers)

[MrSleepyHead]

STAFF NOTE

With the play on stage and the book released there will be spoilers in this thread. So want to stay spoiler free? Visit the play, read the book or the wiki page


Hard to believe there's not a thread already devoted to the upcoming Harry Potter play! "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. The play premieres in London's West End at the Palace Theatre in the summer of 2016.

News of the play broke over a year ago, and during that time one thing we learned for sure is that it is NOT a prequel! Today we've learned quite a bit more, including a glimpse at the first official artwork and possible dates, prices, and the identity of the Cursed Child!

It looks like updates are coming primarily from Pottermore, JKR's Twitter, and the play's official website harrypottertheplay.com.

Spoilers below:
Artwork:

Spoiler: show

Daily Mail report of prices, dates, tagline, and Cursed Child identity:

Spoiler: show

The Harry Potter show, expected to be one of London’s biggest theatrical blockbusters, will have tickets for as little as £15 (and even a bargain £10 during previews). So people can see the two-part production for just £30.

Low-priced tickets will be sold by lottery for every performance.
The Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2, takes J.K. Rowling’s fantastical world of wizards and magic to the London stage and will follow on from where Rowling’s seventh and final Potter novel ended. Its storyline has been a closely held secret — until now.

‘It’s safe to say that The Cursed Child picks up from where The Deathly Hallows ended,’ revealed Sonia Friedman, who is producing the play with Colin Callender.

That book concluded with an epilogue where readers discovered that Harry wound up marrying Ginny Weasley, and they had three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus (known as Al), and Lily Luna.

That postscript was titled Nineteen Years Later, and it’s also the tagline for the drama created by Rowling and written by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany (who will also direct), which is being performed in two parts.

The poster, unveiled here for the first time reads: The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.

Ardent Potter fans will catch on because, in The Deathly Hallows, Rowling painted a scene of Harry and Ginny seeing their two lads off to Hogwarts from Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross station.

Particular attention was paid to Al, aged just 11, starting his first year at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and nervous about whether he’ll be put in Slytherin house.

But his father reassures him, telling him he’s named after two headmasters of Hogwarts — Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape — and one of them was a Slytherin.

A statement from the creative team noted that Al must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted and that ‘past and present fuse ominously’ when Harry and his younger son learn the uncomfortable truth that ‘sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places’.

Friedman and Callender were cautious when discussing The Cursed Child. ‘We don’t want to spoil it for the audiences,’ Callender said, reasonably.

And when I asked if there would be any flashbacks to Harry’s own parents, Friedman said, more bluntly: ‘It’s for theatregoers and fans, and we’re not going to say any more about the story.’

I wondered whether they would have to cast a green-eyed child to play Al, because Rowling describes him in The Deathly Hallows as having eyes the same colour as his paternal grandmother, Lily.

Friedman doubted audiences would be able to tell eye colour from the stalls, but said she would discuss it with the creative team.

And what about flying broomsticks?!

‘Because it’s a play, it’s worth stressing that at this stage of the process it’s not our intention to have a high-tech show, but to go back to basic story telling,’ Friedman said. She and Callender both termed it ‘raw theatre’.

However, they have hired special effects experts and an illusionist. ‘We very much hope to deliver magic — but in our unique way,’ Friedman added.
A cast of roughly 30 will begin rehearsing in February or March. Preliminary casting has begun but no actor has been picked yet.

The company will move into the Palace after Derren Brown and Eddie Izzard complete their separate, limited runs. At this point there isn’t a provision for family or group rates for tickets, but a batch of £10 seats during previews, rising to £15 once the show has opened, is going to prove immensely popular.
Previews begin on June 7 at the Palace Theatre, when tickets to see both parts will be priced £20, £50, and £80 to £100. (They can be watched on one day on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.)

From August 3, after The Cursed Child has opened, seats for the two shows will cost £30, £70, £100 or £130. Tickets to see just one part of the production can be bought at half the prices quoted.

Priority tickets for those who registered to see the June to September shows can be bought online from next Wednesday; others can buy seats two days later. The show officially opens on July 30.

For further ticketing information, including details about daily and weekly lotteries, look for a longer version of this story on MailOnline or visit harrypottertheplay.com

Thoughts?!

[Velva]

Thanks for starting this thread. I was very pleased to see that the cursed child was going to be Albus. He is the one character I am most interested in learning about. I am also glad that the play is coming out a year earlier than I would have expected. In real time nineteen years should have been in 2017. So that was a nice treat. I know there is no way I will be able to see the play, but I am looking forward to the bits and pieces I hope to hear about the story that will be told. Maybe someday there will be a movie. Or better yet in some kind of book form.

[snapes_witch]

Plays are often published, and this would be another money maker.

[twinsrule26]

I would have thought that the cursed child would have been Teddy Lupin but A.S.P fits in well too. I really wish and hope that this play goes on the road to N. America so that others can see it too.

Originally Posted by snapes_witch

Plays are often published, and this would be another money maker.

I like this idea

[Pearl_Took]

I am definitely interested

But I am also rather peeved that it's a two-parter.

Even with reduced prices, this seems to me like a blatant preying on fan enthusiasm. As it is, the idea ticks me off. (Theatre, like film, has to attract more people than the die-hard book fans!)

I was won over by the film-makers splitting DH into two because they (mostly) did a good job (with some dragging in the first half). But I can understand some fans being less than thrilled about it. Because a theatrical production cuts out a lot of people, whereas a globally released film (or book!!!!) ... doesn't.

I do like the artwork, and I like the sound of the story. I hope it's dark and dramatic, and I would welcome Harry being shown in a darker light, as well as his youngest son. It will have to be as dramatic as all get-out to attract people to two nights in the theatre! Sheesh!

I am sympathetic to the fans who are rather upset, and would have preferred an eighth book instead.

P.S. I will say this though: that's a very impressive creative team.

[sugniD]

Just ordered my tickets - nice little birthday treat for me and the wife!

[Phane00]

Finally! There truly needed to be a forum for this play. Thanks for starting this.

First of all... to Ms. Rowling, No! Leave Harry alone. His story, and his family's story was done after book 7. That does not mean that I wanted to leave the Magical World, just leave Harry out of any stories other than the occasional nod. Stick to bits like what she did at Pottermore during the World Cup with Ginny Weasley and Rita Skeeter.

That being said, since we are going back into Harry's story, or at least his son's story, it's time to speculate.

Albus Severus... poor kid, your life was cursed the moment your parents gave you that name. I do like using him as the point of view for the reader. He's the son of a famous Dark Wizard catcher, and son of a former professional Quidditch player. He's brother to James Sirius, who seems to have combined the worst traits of Ron and the twins into one person. He's starting school the same year as the daughter of his parents' best friends, and the son of his father's school rival. Plus, he has a cousin and Lupin's son there in Prefect roles (I think). That's quite a bit on his plate.

Predictions:
Parts 1 & 2 encompass the school year.

Al doesn't get into Gryffindor. Maybe he's Slytherin or Hufflepuff, but he's not a Gryffindor. More of a wish than a prediction, but it would give him a feeling of being cursed.

New big bad is someone from Dumbledore's Army. One of them has turned 19 years later. Like maybe Marietta, Lavender Brown, or Dennis Creevey. Someone with a grudge.

Somebody finds Voldemort's wand. The twin to Harry's wand. It was never found or destroyed in book 7, and in was on school grounds where Voldy claimed the Elder Wand. So, his true wand, must be on the grounds somewhere. It could be the big bad, or it could be Al if he's a Slytherin. Someone finds that wand.

Give it about a year, and the play will get published. I'm guessing 2017, 10 years after book 7 was released.

[MrSleepyHead]

Well, I went through the ticket ordering process only to drop my tickets at the last moment. I decided I didn't want to commit to tickets a continent and year away without having a clear return policy outlined. Probably not the smartest move, though, since I'll probably wish I had them next year! Perhaps I can still manage some of the pre-performance tickets, though I expect those will be sold more locally.

I'm a bit surprised at some of the frustration over the ticket process: it worked fine for me, multiple times, and plenty of seats were available before and after they expanded the date selection (even after waiting for several hours!). And even as I look just now, there are still tickets available as early as November 2016 and in abundance in May 2017! So I guess I have some time to decide. But the furor over the seats definitely reminded me of many Harry Potter events in the past!

Originally Posted by Phane00

First of all... to Ms. Rowling, No! Leave Harry alone. His story, and his family's story was done after book 7. That does not mean that I wanted to leave the Magical World, just leave Harry out of any stories other than the occasional nod. Stick to bits like what she did at Pottermore during the World Cup with Ginny Weasley and Rita Skeeter.

I'm a bit mixed on this. For the most part, I'm skeptical because I feel JKR's had several years distanced from the world and her perspective on her characters has certainly changed since she wrote DH (though, to be fair, it surely had even between SS/PS and DH). As such, will we be getting the "true" continuation of Harry's story, or a revised perspective version? We won't be able to tell, as there's no "true" continuation, after all. But I do wonder whether this "eighth installment" will be in the same form as the stories and characters we all know so well and love, or will it feel different after the storyteller has had time to tweak her story? I feel like we're seeing a slightly different JKR on Twitter, for instance, and I wonder if this play - or any continuation of Harry's story, for that matter - will feel right.

As it is, I'm certainly excited for a continuation, but it's frustrating having to check that excitement and not knowing where to place it. At the moment, I can't say I'm thrilled that the continuation of Harry's story is via theatre. Too much of theatre is interpretation, and I do not necessarily want the next part of Harry's story pre-interpreted for me. I'm also wary since it is not JKR's exclusive work - unlike Fantastic Beasts, she is not even the sole playwright, so how much is JKR's work? And even if the script is exactly JKR's vision, the same problem occurs as with Fantastic Beasts - there are directors, costume designers, actors, etc. who all affect the story outside of how it's written, so how much can we consider 'canon'? At the end of the day, though, I expect my wonderings are all semantics: if this is what we get as an extension of Harry's story, we must choose whether we accept or reject it. I'm disposed to the former, so I guess that means I'll find a way to see the play!

But I also feel that the play is a poor medium with which to tell Harry's next chapter, even though JKR has said that it is the only way it could be done. It seems exclusive having a play at set times, place, and cost, so that Harry's next chapter only becomes Harry's next chapter for a (relative) few. Is it "fair" to the greater Potter fandom to limit this continuation? Will a traveling show or even a published script be adequate for all those who can't attend?

Originally Posted by Phane00

Somebody finds Voldemort's wand. The twin to Harry's wand. It was never found or destroyed in book 7, and in was on school grounds where Voldy claimed the Elder Wand. So, his true wand, must be on the grounds somewhere. It could be the big bad, or it could be Al if he's a Slytherin. Someone finds that wand.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is no "big bad." There must be a reason JKR chose theatre for the format of this story, and to me theatre is uniquely situated to present very internal problems and conflicts of personality and history. As such, I don't necessarily expect a clear story with a villain (especially not a washed-up Voldemort supporter) and thriller-type action, but rather one centered around dealing with everyday stress, expectations, and disappointment. Yes, I'm sure some larger conflict will take place, but I hope it's not something too contrived or seemingly overly coincidental (e.g., "All was well" 19 years later, but - NO! - the second Albus Severus touches ground at Hogwarts Voldemort is reborn from his toilet seat Horcrux ).

[Anhelda]

Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead

(e.g., "All was well" 19 years later, but - NO! - the second Albus Severus touches ground at Hogwarts Voldemort is reborn from his toilet seat Horcrux ).

Toilet seat Horcrux!!! I need to see that play!!!

[Phane00]

Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead

There must be a reason JKR chose theatre for the format of this story, and to me theatre is uniquely situated to present very internal problems and conflicts of personality and history.

Sadly, I think the reason she chose the theatre for this story, and the movies for Fantastic Beasts, is due to literary critics and HP fans. Think of her other book, Casual Vacancy. People flocked to it as if it was her next HP series, thus it was compared to the HP series. It didn't live up to the HP series, and both groups bashed her for it. Not saying that it was bad, but it was not as good as HP.

By choosing other media, she can tell the story, and blame any shortcomings on the new medium, or on the collaborators. Also, once the play and movies are out, she can later release proper writings of all of them, and fill in any gaps left out of either story. She is putting the books AFTER the movies and plays rather than before them. It reduces the numbers of nitpicking trolls... armed with toliet seat horcruxes.

[MerryLore]

I was initially very unhappy, because I live in the United States and I can't see the play live, but she's just given her reasoning of why Harry named his son Albus Severus, and it fits what I've thought all along, so currently I'm very happy.

Spoiler: show

love, and gratitude

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articl...on-snapes-name

I'm thrilled she's written the next generation, and am very jealous of the people who get to go see it. It would make a great story - James in Gryffindor, Al in Slytherin, his father's legacy, being Dumbledore's and Snape's namesakes, and hopefully even Professor Longbottom is teaching there, if not even Headmaster.

[OldMotherCrow]

Originally Posted by MerryLore

I was initially very unhappy, because I live in the United States and I can't see the play live, but she's just given her reasoning of why Harry named his son Albus Severus, and it fits what I've thought all along, so currently I'm very happy.

Spoiler: show

love, and gratitude

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articl...on-snapes-name

I'm thrilled she's written the next generation, and am very jealous of the people who get to go see it. It would make a great story - James in Gryffindor, Al in Slytherin, his father's legacy, being Dumbledore's and Snape's namesakes, and hopefully even Professor Longbottom is teaching there, if not even Headmaster.

Slight correction:

Spoiler: show

"forgiveness, and gratitude"

I am glad she has finally addressed that question. It is not what Harry said in the book, but okay, because I feel it needed a better explanation. Still feels odd because Harry only said in the book that he named his son after Snape because he felt Snape was probably the bravest man he ever knew, without any explanation about why he felt that way. There is still no explanation about why he felt that way, so this information is sort of an odd fit with book cannon without contradicting it, but at least it is a plausible explanation about Harry's feelings. I take it this is new information that is in the play?

Is it confirmed that Al is in Slytherin? I was hoping that Harry and Al's conversation in the book wasn't about Slythein vs Gryffindor, but about the power of choice. I would much rather Al were in Hufflepuff to symbolize his choice to be his own person, so that's disappointing.

[TreacleTartlet]

My curiosity got to me so I have booked my tickets. Now I'll just wait and see what I make of it.

[arithmancer]

Ooh, I am jealous!

Though I suspect eventually some way to see or read the play will arrive on my side of The Pond as well...

[Pearl_Took]

Fascinating. Hermione will be played by a black actress. (BME = Black and Minority Ethnic is the preferred term in the UK.) JKR approves, in a classy tweet!

http://www.hypable.com/harry-potter-...ors-announced/

[Sereena]

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

Fascinating. Hermione will be played by a black actress. (BME = Black and Minority Ethnic is the preferred term in the UK.) JKR approves, in a classy tweet!

http://www.hypable.com/harry-potter-...ors-announced/

Yup and the fandom exploded with racial hatred. Just check out some of the comments on the articles on Mugglenet--- or don't! It's a bit ironic that people are so, ahem, bigoted, considering the fact that the series's main message is tolerance and open mindedness. Makes you wonder why they even like Harry Potter in the first place.

[Yoana]

Originally Posted by Pearl_Took

Fascinating. Hermione will be played by a black actress. (BME = Black and Minority Ethnic is the preferred term in the UK.) JKR approves, in a classy tweet!

http://www.hypable.com/harry-potter-...ors-announced/

I love her even more for that tweet of support. It really doesn't matter what colour Hermione is because it's irrelevant to her character. And on stage, appearances don't really matter, it's all in the acting. AND even if someone is hung up on her being white, it's called suspension of disbelief for a reason. You believe the acting, not not the looks.

It's pretty telling though that people who didn't make a peep that movie Hermione had neither buck teeth, nor unruly hair, are now suddenly such purists.

[dobby_rocks]

Originally Posted by Sereena

Yup and the fandom exploded with racial hatred. Just check out some of the comments on the articles on Mugglenet--- or don't! It's a bit ironic that people are so, ahem, bigoted, considering the fact that the series's main message is tolerance and open mindedness. Makes you wonder why they even like Harry Potter in the first place.

I know right. The even sadder part is many of those who are all upset don't care when a clearly non-white character is made white for Tv or Film. One example Earthsea in the books the main character Ged is described as red-brown basically his appearance is Native American. His best friend was Black in the books. Yet both were made white in the TV-mini series.

Probably same people that were upset over Rue and Thresh being black in the movies. Despite in the books Rue is described as having dark brown skin. Now grant it having dark brown skin does not automatically equal Black/African. However the book was clear that they were not white and were a dark skinned people.

[Alastor]

Originally Posted by dobby_rocks

I know right. The even sadder part is many of those who are all upset don't care when a clearly non-white character is made white for Tv or Film. One example Earthsea in the books the main character Ged is described as red-brown basically his appearance is Native American. His best friend was Black in the books. Yet both were made white in the TV-mini series.

Probably same people that were upset over Rue and Thresh being black in the movies. Despite in the books Rue is described as having dark brown skin. Now grant it having dark brown skin does not automatically equal Black/African. However the book was clear that they were not white and were a dark skinned people.

I seem to remember that in the Earthsea trilogy the only white character was Tenar, whom Ged saved from Atuan in the distant Kargad lands, in book 2. And I also seem to remember that a few more of her people appeared in The other Wind.

[DigificWriter]

It had never occurred to me in reading the series that Hermione wasn't Caucasian, but aside from one instance where the word 'white' is used clearly to describe her looking scared, there really isn't anything that says that she isn't, which JKR herself rightfully pointed out.

This really is a whole lot of Much Ado about Nothing, but thankfully the 'uproar' has been outclassed by the supportiveness.