Asked on Saturday whether the stage production, and the publication of its script, which is being billed as the eighth in the Harry Potter series, heralds a new phase of stories, Rowling said: “No. No”. It’s already a hit.
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Although producers won’t release ticket sales figures, the two-part, five-hour show is largely sold out through December 2017; another 250,000 tickets will go on sale August 4.
Fans flocked to the theatre to catch a glimpse of the author. There is such a buzz: “passers-by stopping and staring … children with their capes and wands and wizard excitement”.
The Redington father-and-son team of Potter fans arrived early and planned to stay late. Booksellers expect a bonanza when the script is published Sunday.
JK Rowling has always left the door open about the future of the Harry Potter book series but it looks like she’s finally ready to close it.
Four floors were transformed into a Harry Potter haven, with interactive activities on each level and a 10ft winged nest welcoming fans at the entrance.
For a lot of fans, much of this won’t matter.
Leading up to the party, the bookstore showed Harry Potter movies throughout the day.
Set 19 years after the last venture into the wizarding world, most details of the plot are now under wraps – but that will soon change, with the book immediately topping bestseller lists around the world.
DEMAND for tickets to see the new Harry Potter stage play has reached such fever pitch that the haunted theatre is selling seats usually reserved for ghosts.
Rowling said it was not a hard decision to put her Potter creation onstage thanks to producer Sonia Friedman’s vision for the show. Rowling walked the red carpet with her co-writer, Jack Thorne, as well as producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender.
The play, a marathon affair running over five hours and split into two parts, is sold out through May 2017.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set 19 years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. His youngest son Albus never wanted to inherit his family’s legacy, as he and his dad are confronted with darkness from unexpected places.
Beyond that, few plot details have leaked during nearly two months of previews.
“I probably won’t get any sleep tonight because I will be reading it”. “The Cursed Child” is something that gives me a chance to revisit my childhood, a part of which is saved in its pages, perhaps like a horcrux?” he says.
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The book will go on sale at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow morning, July 31.
