The new cast has been announced for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the blockbuster two-part West End play that follows the adult tribulations of JK Rowling’s boy wizard.
Jamie Glover, who played the deputy headteacher Andrew Treneman in BBC series Waterloo Road, will take over from Jamie Parker as Harry Potter. Emma Lowndes (Margie Drewe in Downton Abbey) will play his wife, Ginny, and Theo Ancient will make his professional stage debut as their son, Albus.
The casting of Noma Dumezweni as Hermione in the play’s original lineup prompted widespread discussion, leading Rowling to tweet: “Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione.” No Offence star Rakie Ayola takes over the role while Helen Aluko plays her daughter Rose and Thomas Aldridge (currently appearing in Les Misérables in the West End) will star as Hermione’s husband, Ron Weasley. James Howard plays Draco Malfoy and Samuel Blenkin will make his stage debut as his son Scorpius.
The cast have already begun rehearsals and will start at the Palace theatre, London, on 24 May 2017. The show, which is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and opened in June 2016, is up for 11 Olivier awards next month, making it the most nominated new play in the awards’ history. It’s written by Jack Thorne and directed by John Tiffany, based on an original story by Thorne, Tiffany and Rowling. In a four-star review, Michael Billington called the show a “thrilling theatrical spectacle”.
Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions plan to open the play on Broadway in spring 2018. The West End show is currently booking to 29 April 2018.