Premise
The play's official synopsis was released by the publisher (Pottermore) on 23 October 2015:
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Plot
Part 1
Act I
Nineteen years after Voldemort's defeat, Harry Potter is the Head of Magical Law Enforcement and has three children with Ginny Weasley: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna. Hermione Granger, now Minister of Magic, has married Ron Weasley – who has inherited Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes – and has two children: Rose and Hugo, who go by the double-barrelled surname Granger-Weasley.
At King's Cross Station, Albus and Rose board the Hogwarts Express to start their first year at Hogwarts. To Rose's disapproval, and in a scene mirroring Harry's and Ron's first meeting on the train in the first book, Albus immediately befriends Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy, an old rival of their parents. Both boys are Sorted into Slytherin, Rose into Gryffindor. Over their first three years at school, Albus is an undistinguished and unpopular student and his relationship with his father becomes strained. Scorpius suffers from the death of his mother, Astoria, and is dogged by rumours that he is secretly Voldemort's son, fathered through the use of a Time-Turner, while his crush on Rose is unrequited. Both boys fail to make other friends.
The following summer, the Ministry of Magic confiscates an illegal and very powerful Time-Turner from Theodore Nott (a former Death Eater). Harry and Hermione discuss recent activity among Voldemort's former allies. Cedric Diggory's father, Amos, suspects the existence of the Time-Turner and demands that Harry attempt to use it to save Cedric, but Harry refuses due to the dangers of interfering with the past. Albus befriends Delphini Diggory, Amos's niece and caretaker, as they eavesdrop on the conversation. Harry later offers his old baby blanket to Albus as a gift, the only thing he had from his mother, Lily; Albus rejects the gift, leading to an argument in which love potion spilled on the blanket and they both express the wish that they were not related.
On the Hogwarts Express for their fourth year, Rose confirms to Albus the existence of the Time-Turner. Albus talks Scorpius into escaping the moving train, to obtain the Time-Turner, and save Cedric Diggory to remedy Harry's mistake in letting him die. They jump from the roof of the train and go to see Amos and Delphi, resolving to continue their plan. Meanwhile, Harry begins to experience nightmares and pain in his scar. He and Hermione hold a public meeting, but the community is not convinced there is a threat. Harry, Ginny, and Draco learn that Albus and Scorpius are missing; Ginny concludes Albus ran away after his argument with Harry, and Draco is upset that Scorpius has been pulled into their family issues. Delphi provides Polyjuice Potion; disguised as Harry (Scorpius), Ron (Albus), and Hermione (Delphi), they infiltrate the Ministry and successfully steal the Time-Turner from Hermione's office.
Act II
Albus decides that the best way to save Cedric is to stop him from winning the Triwizard Tournament, which was held during the events of the fourth book. As it seems there's no role for Delphi to play and the fact her age could potentially compromise the mission, she reluctantly agrees to remain in the present. Albus and Scorpius, disguised as Durmstrang students, travel back to the first task in the Tournament and Disarm Cedric, causing him to fail at the task of retrieving a golden egg from a dragon's hoard. The Time-Turner is subsequently revealed to enable them to spend only five minutes in the past; they are unable to control their return to the present and Albus is injured.
Harry's dream reveals Albus's location in the Forbidden Forest. As he searches, the centaur Bane warns that a "dark cloud" haunts Albus. He, Ron, and Ginny find the boys just after they return from the past. Albus is brought to the school's hospital wing, where Harry converses with a portrait of Albus Dumbledore; it advises him to see Albus as he is. Harry demands that Albus break off his association with Scorpius, going so far as to bully Headmistress Minerva McGonagall into using the Marauder's Map to keep them apart. Furthermore, Albus discovers that reality has changed: he is now a Gryffindor; Ron is married to Padma Patil and they have a son, Panju, while Rose does not exist; a less-kind Hermione is the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. It is revealed that Albus and Scorpius inadvertently made the younger Hermione suspicious of Durmstrang; she attended the Yule Ball as Ron's friend instead of as Viktor Krum's date, and Ron never experienced the jealousy that turned out to be foundational to their romance.
Albus avoids Scorpius, but Delphi appears at Hogwarts and persuades Scorpius to reconcile with Albus, which he successfully does by upbraiding him for being a poor friend. Albus also persuades Scorpius that they should make a second try at saving Cedric, which stems from Scorpius's unrequited love for Rose. They travel to the second task, where Cedric had to travel deep into the lake to rescue a hostage. Again working to make him fail, they use a charm to force Cedric to float up and out of the water, a total humiliation as they had discussed with Delphi.
In the present, Draco and Harry argue over their sons, resulting in a premature wizards' duel. Draco surprisingly finds common cause with Ginny as they explain to Harry how important his Hogwarts friendships were to his identity, going so far as to admitting he was not as happy with Crabbe and Goyle, and Harry realises he is dangerously isolating Albus. They return to Hogwarts, where Harry apologises to Professor McGonagall and they attempt to locate the boys, ultimately discovering that they are in possession of the Time-Turner.
When Scorpius returns to the present, Albus has disappeared. Lord Voldemort has gained power over the wizarding world, appointing Dolores Umbridge as Headmistress of Hogwarts, now a school of dark magic. Harry Potter is dead, defeated with his allies at the Battle of Hogwarts, thus explaining Albus's absence as he had never existed. Every sentence now ends with "For Voldemort and Valour" and the school is making preparations for the 'Blood Ball'.
Part 2
Act III
To his horror, Scorpius learns that humiliating Cedric Diggory turned him into a bitter and cruel young man who joined the Death Eaters and killed Neville Longbottom. As Neville had originally killed Nagini, whose death had made Voldemort mortal in the real timeline, Voldemort survived and triumphed at the Battle of Hogwarts. Voldemort now rules the wizarding world. Scorpius himself is a highly respected (and feared), popular student at Hogwarts who makes others do his bidding, while his father Draco is the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. While maintaining a façade "for Voldemort and Valour", he secretly resolves to set things right and restore the timeline to its proper form.
Scorpius converses with Professor Snape, who is still alive and teaching, albeit a clandestine member of Dumbledore's Army. After confirming some details about Snape's life that he would otherwise be unaware of, he is led to their secret headquarters where Ron and Hermione, who are both wanted fugitives, are living. At first treated with suspicion, Scorpius convinces the trio of his origins and what happened after he used the Time-Turner. They agree to help him, even if it means Snape would die again. Scorpius is advised that going back in time once more and blocking his other self's attempts to intervene with Cedric Diggory by using a Shield Charm would solve things. He does so, but not until after Snape, Ron, and Hermione are attacked by dementors which perform the Dementor's Kiss on them. Despite not being married in this alternate reality, Hermione and Ron declare their love for each other and reach out to hold hands as their souls are sucked out of them. Snape asks Scorpius to tell Albus that he is proud he is named after him, before having his soul sucked out by the dementors as well.
Back in the present, Scorpius suddenly disappears but Albus reappears. Negating their humiliation of Cedric in the second task seems to have set things right, although the boys appear to have lost the Time-Turner. They confess what they have done to Professor McGonagall, who reminds them that their world has been created and sustained by many people who lost their lives, including those beloved to them all; and that Albus's and Scorpius's noble intentions notwithstanding, the alternative world that they had just inadvertently created would be the last thing they want. Harry visits Albus in his dormitory, and while the former is briefly barely unable to contain his anger, the seeds for true reconciliation are sown.
Scorpius then secretly tells Albus that he lied to the adults about losing the Time-Turner, that he had had it all along, because he didn't trust the adults to not secretly keep it. The boys resolve to destroy it once and for all. They decide to do so in the Owlery so as not to be conspicuous; Albus has invited Delphi to join them due to his apparent affections for her, which only grew during his rift with Scorpius. Delphi agrees that their plan was futile, but inadvertently exposes her tattoo of an Augurey, a sinister creature that Scorpius heard was the symbol of a witch at the right hand of Voldemort in the second alternative reality. She reveals that she intends to proceed with saving her cousin and thus bringing back Voldemort, ushering in a new Dark Age. She takes the boys hostage by magically handcuffing them together, destroying their wands and killing a prefect who had been looking for them. Delphi then forces them to travel back in time to the third task in the Triwizard Tournament, which involved a maze of physical obstacles and dark creatures.
In the maze, Albus and Scorpius decide to stall Delphi, since they only have five minutes before the Time-Turner will whip them back to the present. Before their time in the past elapses, they inadvertently stumble upon Cedric Diggory himself, who believes the trio are another obstacle. He helps free Albus and Scorpius and momentarily disables Delphi, but she then regains control of the situation, destroys the Time-Turner, and abandons Albus and Scorpius in the past.
Act IV
Back in the present, Harry and his friends learn that Albus and Scorpius had been last seen with Delphi, and interrogate Amos Diggory about it, only to learn that he had been Confunded by Delphi into believing she was his niece and caretaker; neither he nor his wife had any siblings. Searching the room for clues, they stumble upon a prophecy that, if fulfilled, would enable the return of Voldemort, and realise Delphi's true identity as Voldemort's secret daughter. However, because they do not know where in time Delphi, Albus, and Scorpius are, they can only bide their time and wait.
Delphi, Albus, and Scorpius are all revealed to have travelled back into 1981. Using a train station timetable, Albus and Scorpius learn that the date is 30 October 1981 - one day before All Hallows' Eve of 1981, the night that Voldemort killed Harry's parents. Realising that Delphi plans to kill Harry herself so as to prevent Voldemort's Killing Curse from rebounding on him as had happened, they travel to Godric's Hollow, where they spot baby Harry and his parents. Thinking of a way to communicate with the future, Albus recalls the blanket that his father had given him. When he flung it across the room during their argument, it broke a bottle of love potion and was partially burnt. Scorpius and Albus reason out that Tincture of Demiguise could be used to write on the blanket, which writing would appear in present time when it contacted the pearl dust in the love potion, as on the anniversary of their deaths Harry would surely be fondling the blanket as a reminder of his parents. They sneak into the house of Bathilda Bagshot, the author of A History of Magic, who does not believe in the importance of securing one's door, and manage to write a message on the blanket that shows in the present as a series of burns and holes. Harry and Ginny decipher the message giving the boys' location in space and time, and alert Ron and Hermione. Draco, who joins in, secretly reveals to them that his family has a Time-Turner that is more potent and valuable than the one seized by the Ministry, which was merely a prototype and thus not as desirable to a true Death Eater.
They travel back in time to join Albus and Scorpius. However, under Ginny's prodding they realise that Delphi chose this very moment, not to kill baby Harry, but rather to forestall Voldemort and prevent him from attacking the Potters in the first place. This would ensure Voldemort's reign would continue. Hiding inside a church near the Potter's cottage, they agree to Transfigure Harry, who since his scar began hurting understands Parseltongue again and as the only one who has been in Voldemort's mind is best able to play him, into Voldemort himself. Here, the reader learns that Delphi is Voldemort's daughter by Bellatrix Lestrange, born at Malfoy Manor in late 1997 or early 1998 while Voldemort sojourned there during the events of the seventh book, before the Battle of Hogwarts. She pleads with her "father" to recognise her, which Harry does before the Transfiguration spell comes undone. Delphi, seeing she has been set up, engages in a fierce duel with Harry, who is later joined by his friends and Albus. They manage to subdue her and she pleads that she only wants to know her father. A surprised Harry explains that this would not be possible; they cannot change the past.
Upon hearing the real Voldemort arrive to kill Harry's parents, Delphi tries calling out to him, but Hermione and Malfoy silence her and send her back to present day. Harry resolves to watch the scene of his parents' murder once more, with Albus by his side, to provide a sense of closure for them. After the murders have been committed by Voldemort, they return to the present. A devastated Hagrid arrives at the scene to bring baby Harry to the Dursleys, sparking the events of the first book.
Back at Hogwarts, Scorpius has plucked up the courage to ask Rose out on a date. While she turns him down, he is convinced that his initiative will lay the foundation for their friendship, which finally begins after an encounter in the hallways. Albus is asked by Harry to join him that afternoon for a hike up a steep hill. Harry reveals that he has brought Albus to Cedric Diggory's grave, which he regularly visits so he can apologise for his role in his death.
Background
In December 2013, it was revealed that a stage play based on Harry Potter had been in development for around a year, with the view to bringing it to the stage sometime in 2016. Created by J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter series spans seven novels, selling more than 450 million copies, and was turned into an eight-part film series, which grossed more than £4.4 billion around the world. In addition, theme park attractions such as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and studio tours of the sets used in the films have opened based around the series. At the time of the announcement, Rowling revealed that the play would "explore the previously untold story of Harry's early years as an orphan and outcast". The following May, Rowling began establishing the creative team for the project.
On 26 June 2015, the project was officially confirmed under the title of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and it was revealed it would receive its world premiere in mid-2016 at London's Palace Theatre. The announcement marked the eighteenth anniversary of the publication of the first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, published on 26 June 1997.
On announcing plans for the project, Rowling stated that the play would not be a prequel. In response to queries regarding the choice of a play rather than a new novel, Rowling has stated that she "is confident that when audiences see the play they will agree that it is the only proper medium for the story". Rowling has also assured audiences that the play will contain an entirely new story and will not be a rehashing of previously explored content. On 24 September 2015, Rowling announced that the play had been split into two parts. The parts are designed to be viewed on the same day or consecutively over two evenings.
On 23 October, it was confirmed the plays were set nineteen years after the conclusion of the final novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and would open at London's Palace Theatre in July 2016.[24] The plays principally follow Harry, now Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and his younger son Albus Severus Potter. As of 22 July, little more had been revealed about the plot even by those who had attended the previews since 7 June.
Production
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a two-part play, was written by British playwright Jack Thorne based on an original story by Thorne, John Tiffany and J.K. Rowling. Some Web sites were listing all three as authors of the script but by 26 July 2016, the official web site for the play and many others (including the BBC) were listing Thorne as the sole script writer.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is directed by John Tiffany with choreography by Steven Hoggett, set design by Christine Jones, costume design by Katrina Lindsay, lighting design by Neil Austin, music by Imogen Heap, and sound design by Gareth Fry. In addition, special effects were created by Jeremy Chernick, with illusions by Jamie Harrison, and musical supervision by Martin Lowe.
Previews at the West End Palace Theatre, London began on 7 June 2016, with the official opening night for both parts on 30 July, and originally booking until 18 September 2016. Tickets went on sale to pre-registered priority bookers on 28 October 2015, with a public sale scheduled to commence on 30 October. In just under 8 hours of priority booking 175,000 tickets were sold for the world premiere production, with the play's booking period extended to January 2017. On commencement of the public sale booking was extended until 30 April 2017, with a further extension issued the same day to 27 May 2017. At opening tickets were priced from £30 up to £130 for a ticket for both parts, although ticket resale agencies were selling seats for up to £3,000. Ticket resale has been banned by the producers, with tickets no longer valid if sold on. In mid-July 2016, the theatre began holding a ticket lottery at 1pm each Friday, releasing 40 for sale on their website for 'some of the best seats' in the theatre for the lowest price, advertised at $20 per part. For example, the "Friday Forty" tickets sold on 29 July 2016 were for performances on 3, 5, 6 and 7 August.
The plays are recommended for ages 12 and up. On 20 December 2015, initial casting was announced with Jamie Parker playing Harry Potter, Noma Dumezweni playing Hermione Granger and Paul Thornley playing Ron Weasley. The casting of the dark-skinned Noma Dumezweni as Hermione sparked fervent discussion, to which Rowling responded that Hermione's skin was never specified as white. Further notable casting includes Poppy Miller as Ginny Potter and Sam Clemmett as Albus Severus Potter. The production features an overall cast of 42.
The New York Post reported on 22 July 2016 that Broadway insiders say that negotiations are underway for the plays to appear at New York's Shubert Theatre, possibly in 2017, perhaps with a run in Toronto first.
Original cast and principal roles
Jamie Parker as Harry Potter
Paul Thornley as Ron Weasley
Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger
Poppy Miller as Ginny Potter
Alex Price as Draco Malfoy
Sam Clemmett as Albus Severus Potter
Anthony Boyle as Scorpius Malfoy
Cherrelle Skeete as Rose Granger-Weasley and Young Hermione
Jeremy Ang Jones as Craig Bowker Jr
Annabel Baldwin as Moaning Myrtle and Lily Potter Sr
Paul Bentall as Uncle Vernon, Severus Snape, and Lord Voldemort
Claudia Grant as Polly Chapman
Chris Jarman as Hagrid and the Sorting Hat
James Le Lacheur as Yann Fredericks
Helena Lymbery as Aunt Petunia, Madam Hooch, and Dolores Umbridge
Barry McCarthy as Amos Diggory and Albus Dumbledore
Sandy McDade as Trolley Witch and Professor McGonagall
Adam McNamara as Stationmaster
Tom Milligan as Cedric Diggory, James Sirius Potter, and James Potter Sr
Jack North as Dudley Dursley, Karl Jenkins, and Viktor Krum
Nuno Silva as Bane
Esther Smith as Delphi Diggory
Rudi Goodman, Alfred Jones, Bili Keogh, Ewan Rutherford, Nathaniel Smith, and Dylan Standen as Young Harry Potter
Zoe Brough, Cristina Fray, and Christiana Hutchings as Lily Luna Potter
Script publication
Both parts of the stage play's script have been released in print and digital formats as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II.
The first edition, entitled "Special Rehearsal Edition", corresponded to the script used in the preview shows and was scheduled to be published on 31 July 2016, the date of Harry's birthday in the series and Rowling's birthday, as well. Since revisions to the script continued after the book was printed, an edited version will be released in 2017 as the "Definitive Collector's Edition". According to CNN, this was the most preordered book of 2016.
Critical reception
Initial reviews of the original production were highly positive; for instance, the BBC's article was entitled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child gets five star reviews. Publications awarding five star ratings included The Independent, The Evening Standard, The Stage and WhatsOnStage.com. The Telegraph also gave five, although "there are some quibbles," while The Guardian's Michael Billington (with guidance from his grandson) awarded four stars.
Anthony Boyle's performance as Scorpius Malfoy garnered particular acclaim. WhatsOnStage wrote that "Boyle gives a career-making performance," while the Wall Street Journal described him as "the break-out performance."Variety's critic, Matt Trueman, agreed, writing, "it's Boyle who really stands out" and both Trueman and Henry Hitchings, in the Evening Standard, noted that his performance was sure to be a fan favourite.
According to the product descriptions of a number of booksellers, the book of the script has been nominated for the Holden-Crowther Book Award 2016.
Sales
In US and Canada, the book sold over 2 million copies in its first two days of release.
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