Category Archives: News

The Script

Order your hardback copy of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child here.

Fans of Harry Potter will now be able to get their hands on the eighth instalement in the hugely popular series: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, an original new story by the play’s creators J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. Currently in previews at the Palace Theatre, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has garnered an incredible response from audiences, selling out within minutes. But for those who didn’t get tickets on time, the story will now be available to purchase from the end of July!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II will be presented as a script book, rather than the usual novels, and will be available in print and as an eBook. Released as a Special Rehearsal Edition of the London play, the latest Harry Potter instalment will tell the highly anticipated story in the form of a script, letting fans across the globe have the opportunity to experience the play first-hand, no matter how far away you may be from the West End!

What is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child about?

Specifics of the play have been kept under wraps, with J. K. Rowling’s #keepthesecrets ensuring that fans and press do not give away the plot. We have been told that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth part of the famous story, taking place nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts.

Harry Potter has become an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and a father, but still struggles to keep his dark past buried. Meanwhile, his youngest son Albus must bear the weight of a family legacy that he does not want as he enters his first year of Hogwarts. As the past catches up with the present, both father and soon must face the fact that sometimes, darkness comes from the most unexpected of places.

When does the script book go on sale?

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II go on sale at midnight on July 31st, coinciding with the play opening on the evening of July 30th and Harry Potter’s birthday on July 31st.

How can I get a copy?

You can get your hands on a copy of the script book by pre-ordering through Waterstones below:

The Making of Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour

WARNER BROS BANNER

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is currently not on general sale, but if you can’t wait for the next installment of Harry’s life why not go behind-the-scenes of the stories that started it all on the Warner Bros Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter.

With J.K. Rowling’s new play just around the corner, the Warner Bros Studio Tour lets you explore the cinematic magic behind the phenomenal Harry Potter film series.  Step through the Great Hall, take a seat on the Knight Bus, sip on a butterbeer and stroll through Diagon Alley as you trace the steps of the actors and creators of one of the most successful stories of all time.  Located in the studios where all 8 of the Harry Potter films were made, the tour showcases the brilliance that went into bringing the world of the Boy Who Lived to life on screen. With plenty of behind-the-scenes insights, incredible sets, costumes and technology, the studio tour is the perfect treat before going to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Dumbledore's Office

The tour begins with two short films that revisit the Harry Potter fever that has swept the world since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premiered in 2001.  Featuring narration by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, we get an never-before-seen look into life on set at the Warner Bros Studios and hear some exclusive anecdotes about their famous colleagues. After stepping into the Great Hall with one of the Warner Bros Studio Tour Guides, the rest of the studio is free for you to explore at your own pace.  Everything from life-sized set pieces, to minuscule models and intricate props, The Making of Harry Potter gives you an impression of the huge scope that it takes to create one of cinemas most successful franchises.

For tickets visit https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

Singing in the Rain Extends and a Famous Face Joins the Cast

The all-singing, all-dancing spectacular Singing in the Rain shows no sign of putting away its umbrellas any time soon, as it extends through Junet 2013. The production first premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2011 before transferring to the West End on 4 February 2012. It has proven to be a hit with audiences and critics alike, earning a slew of four- and five-star reviews.

Along with this announcement, Robert Powell has been named to join the cast of Singing in the Rain from 1 October. He is perhaps best known for his appearance as the title role in Franco Zeffirelli’s epic television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. He also played Mark Williams on the BBC series Holby City for six years and Richard Hannoy in the television adaptation of The 39 Steps. His many theatre credits include Travesties, Tovarich, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Double Double, A Question of Attribution, and Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell. In Singing in the Rain, he will play the role of RF Simpson, the Head of Monumental Pictures left scrambling to come up with a plan when his competitors invent talking pictures.

He joins original cast members Adam Cooper (Don Lockwood), Scarlett Strallen (Kathy Selden), Daniel Crossley (Cosmo Brown), and Katherine Kingsley (Lina Lamont). The production is directed by Jonathan Church, with choreography by Andrew Wright, designs by Simon Higlitt, and lighting by Tim Mitchell. Based on the classic MGM film, the musical features songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed and the book was adapted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green from their original screenplay. It is one of Chichester Festival Theatre’s most recent hits in the West End, with Sweeney Todd and South Downs/Browning Version recently making London appearances, and transfers of Kiss Me, Kate to the Old Vic and Goodnight Mister Tom to the Phoenix Theatre announced for this autumn.

Singing in the Rain Extends Booking through February 2013

After receiving a slate of four- and five-star reviews, the smash hit Singing in the Rain has extended its booking period through 23 February 2013.

This new production premiered at the Chichester Festival Theatre last year before opening in the West End at the Palace Theatre on 15 February. It follows silent screen stars as they try to cope with the advent of sound, and its famous title number uses and recycles more than 12,000 litres of water each performance.

Adam Cooper stars as Don Lockwood, with Scarlett Strallen as Kathy Seldon and Daniel Crossley as Cosmo. The supporting cast is led by Katherine Kingsely as Lina Lamont, with Michael Brandon as RF Simpson and Sandra Dickinson as Dora Bailey/Miss Dinsmore. The production is directed by Jonathan Church, with choreography by Andrew Wright. It had previously been scheduled to close on 29 September.

This extension coincides with the 60th anniversary of the famous film version starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor. The film regularly tops critics’ lists of the best movie musicals of all time.

Tickets for October 2012 through February 2013 will go on sale shortly.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert to Close

After a successful run of nearly three years at the Palace Theatre in London, the award-winning Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is set to close on New Year’s Eve. The fun-loving, crazy-costumed show opened in London on 23rd March 2009 to rave reviews and was nominated for the most prestigious theatre award – the Laurence Olivier Award for best New Musical in 2010, unfortunately losing to Spring Awakening. It was nominated for a further two Olivier Awards and won one for Best Costume Design. The show went on to win several other awards including the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Award for Best New Musical and the BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Oliver Thornton.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is based on the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and was first seen at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney in October 2006. It was highly successful and transferred to Melbourne in 2007, and a year later to New Zealand before returning to its original home. The success of the show sparked worldwide interested for Priscilla, enabling a West End production to open. The London production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert opened just three months after the show closed in Sydney, and met even greater success than its debut down under. The London show is co-produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and directed  by Simon Phillips. The original cast included Australian heart-throb Jason Donovan as Tick (Mitzi), Oliver Thornton as Adam (Felicia) and Tony Sheldon as Bernadette.

Fans of Priscilla will be delighted to know that it doesn’t all end with the West End closure of the hit musical.  The show is currently playing on Broadway and is produced by Grammy Award-winning actress and singer, Bette Midler, and a Brazilian production is set to open in Sao Paulo in 2012.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert closes at the Palace Theatre on 31st December 2011.