You might not get to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child when the stage play actually begins previews at London’s Palace Theater one week from now. (Tickets began selling out seven months ago.) But! You can very well see what you’ll be missing, thanks to a new family cast photo that was released on J.K. Rowling’s very extensive fan site, Pottermore.
The Potter family will be played by Jamie Parker (Harry), Poppy Miller (Ginny), and Sam Clemmett (Albus Severus). Each of the actors has extensive experience on TV and film, and none of them have any previous ties to the Harry Potter series. That’s the perfect mix to garner both respect and skepticism from fans, which is exactly how every adaptation of Rowling’s work seems to be greeted.
As for the play itself: if you hadn’t heard, it is a two-part affair (written by Jack Thorne from a story by Rowling) that takes place 19 years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was, of course, the last (proper) book in the series. In that book’s epilogue it was revealed that Harry and Ginny Weasley had gotten married and had a son, named Albus after the famous headmaster. In the play, Harry works for the Ministry of Magic and Albus deals with the fact that he was born to Harry Potter, one of the most famous wizards of all-time, and how no child should have to live up to that kind of legacy. (There are two more children in the family, but they must not be cursed and so are not that important to the story.)
The play will be directed by John Tiffany, and will feature music from Imogen Heap. If you can’t see the the thing, and if, by some miracle, it’s not recorded and released as a highly produced film event, there’s always the book — both physical and e-versions — of the script, which will be available on July 31.
Have a look at the individual cast members below.
