‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’ Producers Think It’s ‘Extraordinary’ That Theatergoers Choose Not To Divulge Spoilers


Several weeks after the previews for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have started, producers appreciate how theatergoers continue to adhere to the #keepthesecret lapel badges that they were given upon going home. Author J.K. Rowling previously proclaimed that the plays must have “The Plot That Must Not Be Mentioned,” a reference to the books’ highly-feared character, Voldemort.

Producers Collin Callender and Sonia Friedman claim that the team behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child isn’t eliminating spoiler tweets. The only tweets that they have closed down are the “really ugly stuff about Noma being cast as Hermione.”

Some find it disdainful that the play opted to cast Noma Dumezweni. These people think that the casting decision ruined their idea of Hermione. Nonetheless, several Harry Potter stars have stepped in to defend Dumezweni including Emma Watson herself.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child revolves around Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who as adults, now have children of their own who likewise go to Hogwarts. Apart from Dumezweni, Jamie Parker and Paul Thornley are included in the play.

One of the things the audience can look forward to is Harry’s relationship with his children. The producers hinted to Guardian that being a father would be difficult for Harry at first because of his childhood.

“The first thing Jo [Rowling] said to us was ‘Harry the orphan’. The starting point was: how does a 40-year-old man, who’s also an orphan and a wizard and one of the world’s greatest heroes, how does he do the most basic thing of being a dad when he’s had no parenting experience and actually had quite a lot of abuse.”

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is believed to be one of the darkest Potter projects. Despite its lack of grandiose effects, the team is confident that the illusions can compete with the sophisticated computer-generated imagery (CGI) technology that are common in today’s films.

“The gasps are great to hear. But the magic and illusions are so simple – most of them could have been done in Victorian theater. Or in Trafalgar Square. We deliberately wanted no David Copperfield or Siegfried & Roy-type magic.”

A sign at the Palace Theater warns audience of “smoke, fog, and pyrotechnic special effects.”

The first few shows have gone fairly smoothly except an instance where one of the real owls flew away from the stage, and scared some of the balcony audience. The trainer reportedly went out during intermission to get the confused owl.

Those who cannot fly to London to watch the show can read the script once it comes out. The upcoming script is now Amazon’s most preordered book of 2016 in the US and UK. The book will come out on July 31, which is Rowling’s 51st birthday and Harry’s 36th birthday.

Several bookstores already have overwhelming numbers of reservations for the book. Barbara Turney, the manager of Barnes & Noble Lake Grove, believes the hysteria can be credited to the fact that the last book was released nine years ago.

“People have been waiting so long for something else to come out, and I think that’s what’s making everyone excited,” she said.

American Potterheads will also have a reason to rejoice if Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is indeed heading to Broadway. According to the New York Post, the producers are in negotiations. The play’s next season might hit Toronto first, although the team is allegedly not rushing because “the show is going to earn gobs of money wherever it goes.”

This is certainly a great year for Harry Potter fans as the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie is out on Nov. 18 and will delve into one of the renowned fictional textbooks used by Hogwarts students.

[Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images]

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