Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildMarquee
Based on a new story by J.K.Rowling, Jack Thorne, & John Tiffany
A new play by Jack Thorne
There is magic on stage at the Orpheum Theatre. The special effects are out of this world. It’s a treat for the whole family.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the new eighth story in the Harry Potter franchise. The story in the play takes place right after the ending in the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” book/the ending in the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” movie. The story begins 19 years after the events of the Battle for Hogwarts.The gang is at Kings Cross Station in London, watching the next generation hop on the Hogwarts Express for their first year at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione are sending their daughter Rose to school. Harry and Ginny are sending their youngest child Albus Severus Potter to Hogwarts. On the train Albus befriends Scorpious Malfoy, Draco Malfoy’s son.
The play has been around since June 2016. I can’t believe we are still keeping the secret of what happens
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| The stage, before the play begins |
in the story. I will also keep up the trend. In addition to the magic and special effects, it’s an excellent story that has lost of twist and turns. I do have the play script on a bookshelf at home right next to the rest of the Harry Potter series.
Here’s my history with the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. When tickets first went on sale for the London production in the summer 2015, they kept adding dates, so my friends and I ended up purchasing tickets for May 2017. We knew almost two years ahead of time that we were seeing the show. We had a fun week of sight seeing and West End productions on that trip. We got the see the original lead actors in the cast just before they departed the production later in the month. The original version of the play was in two parts and had a total run time of 5 hours. We did parts 1 and 2 the same day on a Saturday. After life starting getting back to normal after 2020, we went to see the new 3 hour version on Broadway spring of 2022. At the core it was the same play. It was nicely edited down. I went again in December 2025, because actor Tom Felton was making his Broadway debut and reprising the role of Draco Malfoy that he played in the film franchise. Last night I went to see the National Tour that is in town at the Orpheum Theatre through May 17th. For the previous times I have seen the play in London and on Broadway, I have had main floor seats. For the Broadway on Hennepin season, my season seat is in the balcony. This was the first time that I was seeing designs, pattern ands lettering on the stage floor. That was fun & new for me. On tour the show is like 98% the same as on Broadway. There’s just a some very minor tweaks for the National Tour, but the show is the same as what you see on Broadway.
As I have seen this play multiple times, I have had different opinions on it. At first I thought it was
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| Photo of National Tour by Evan Zimmerman |
Albus’s story. Then with my December 2025 showing on Broadway, I felt like it was more Scorpious’s story. After seeing it again, I feel like it’s equally Albus and Scorpious’s story. They are best friends. The kind of friendship that rivals the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione.
It was fun seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Orpheum Theatre last night. During intermission I heard several people asking “how did they do that?”. All of the magi on stage was spurring conversation amongst the patrons.
The scenery is designed by Christine Jones. The scenery flows effortlessly from Kings Cross Station, to various locations within Hogwarts and transforms into the Forbidden Forest. Costume Desinger Katrina Lindsay is part of the magic with the costumes. The rest of the magic is brought to us by Lighting Designer Neil Austin, Sound Designer Garett Fry, and Illusions & Magic design by Jamie Harrison. I would love some behinds the scenes information on the magic and special effects in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
There are some standouts in the cast for the National Tour. Nick Dillenburg is originally from the Twin Cities. There’s a nice two page interview with him in the program. He is cast as Harry Potter for the tour. David Fine is Scorpious Malfoy, Adam Grant Morrison is Albus Potter, Julie Nightingale as Delphi Diggory, Ryan Hallahan as Draco Malfoy, Abbi Hawk as Ginny Potter, Matt Harrington as Ron Weasley, Rachel Leslie as Hermione Grainger.
For a magical good time, grab your wands and take the Hogwarts Express to the Orpheum Theatre on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. The play runs through May 17, 2026. Check out www.hennepinarts.org for tickets. Don’t forget to check out the merchandise stand in the lobby of the Orpheum. If you are ever in New York City, also check out the Harry Potter Store, it’s located near Madison Square Park.
