J K Rowling has revealed that the forthcoming stage production of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, in which her internationally renowned boy wizard becomes the subject of an entirely new story, will be presented in two parts.
The show, arguably 2016’s most highly anticipated theatrical offering, will premiere at the Palace Theatre next summer.
The bestselling author announced the news to her fans on Twitter, saying:
Due to the epic nature of the story we’ve been working on, Harry Potter & the #CursedChild will be in two parts! @HPPlayLDN
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 24, 2015
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The new instalment of Harry’s wizarding adventures will see Rowling unite with Let The Right One In writer/director duo Jack Thorne and John Tiffany to bring the story of the world’s most popular young spell caster to the West End.
Writer Thorne also took to Twitter to comment on the story being divided into separate parts:
It occurred to us very early in the making of #CursedChild that we could tell the story in two parts. @HPPlayLDN https://t.co/Deg8TyKUhG
— Jack Thorne (@jackthorne) September 25, 2015
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In an interview with Daily Mail columnist Baz Bamigboye, the show’s producer Sonia Friedman said that the new sorcery-steeped tale was “too long to be told in a traditional length”.
Friedman reassured Potter enthusiasts eager to see the boy wizard on stage that, unlike the films Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2, which saw the book split into two parts that were released almost a year apart, the two theatrical halves will be available to see in quick succession: “It can be seen on consecutive days in the same week or in some instances on the same day,” she told Bamigboye.
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, which is not a prequel to her previous bestselling books but an entirely new magical journey, will feature movement direction by Steven Hoggett, designs by Christine Jones and sound design by Gareth Fry.
The show – or shows, as we now know – will premiere at the Palace Theatre next summer. In the meantime, the venue will continue to host hit musical The Commitments until 1 November and, following that, the return of Derren Brown, who’s back with a new show, Miracle.