J.K. Rowling Hopes To Send ‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’ On A Global Tour

Harry Potter fans may have once given up on being able to see live-action adaptations of the J.K. Rowling works centering around her most renowned characters, but that was before news of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play was released. The theatrical offering allows fans to see Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and many other fabled favorites on the stage for the first time this week, as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opens in London’s West End, but this may just be the beginning. Fans outside the U.K. may soon be offered the same opportunity, if Rowling gets her wish.

J.K. Rowling Wants To Send Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Out On A Worldwide Tour

Chicago Tribune reports that J.K. Rowling was on hand along with director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne when the two-part play’s opening night was met with a standing ovation. Applause threatened to bring the roof down at London’s Palace Theatre and, while the premiere night for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was a huge success, it was still only a first night of many for the play’s London run. The new Harry Potter will be entertaining U.K. audiences for quite some time with a planned final run as far off as December 2017.

Even that far off date may only be a guidepost, as Rowling herself revealed a desire to see the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child cast and crew heading off on a tour to bring the story to fans around the globe.

“I’d like as many Potter fans to see it as possible,” Rowling said, just prior to the play’s opening night run.

Even bringing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to Broadway in the U.S. is a lofty ambition, but Rowling says she’s hoping for an even grander tour. Ms. Rowling hopes Broadway will be just one of many stops.

This Will Be Harry Potter’s Last Hurrah, Says Rowling

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child comes five years after the last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, but the story itself takes place many years later, points out an article by Reuters. The Cursed Child tells the story of a 37-year-old Harry Potter, who is worn ragged by three children, when he’s not being overworked at the Ministry of Magic. Little else is known because theatergoers are asked to “#keepthesecrets” upon leaving the Palace Theatre, though spoilers can be found online for those resilient enough to look for them.

The big question has little to do with The Cursed Child‘s plot and more to do with Rowling’s plans for the future. There’s hope that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is just a first offering for a new Harry Potter franchise, possibly offered as a series of plays, but Ms. Rowling has put a quick stop to such rumors.

“He goes on a very big journey during these two plays and then, yeah, I think we’re done. This is the next generation, you know,” said Rowling. “So, I’m thrilled to see it realized so beautifully but, no, Harry is done now.”

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child lives up to the hype with its ambitious scope, especially for a stage play that is already sold out through May 2017. The Harry Potter stage play runs a total of five hours with the spectacle split into two parts. The play offers a mesmerizing presentation with stage effects and props that draw gasps from even the most seasoned theatergoers.

“It’s blown away every theatrical boundary I’ve ever known,” said Ashley Nottingham.

“It was magical. I sat on the edge of my seat the whole time,” said 32-year-old Kylie Cruikshamsks. “There was a lot to live up to and they did it.”

[Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images]