Exclusive ‘Cursed Child’ Broadway Premiere Interviews with J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, Jessica Williams & More!

Apr 23, 2018

Posted by: Emma Pocock

Actor Interviews, Broadway, Fan Sites, Fantastic Beasts Movie, Fogler, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Interviews, J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, JKR Interviews, John Tiffany, Leaky, Miller, News, Pottermore, Theater, TLC Interviews

It’s breaking records, it’s inspiring masses of global Harry Potter fans to flock to major theaters, and now Cursed Child has officially opened on Broadway! Leaky was lucky enough to attend the red carpet premiere of the official opening of the show in New York yesterday, where we met with J.K. Rowling, the creative team behind the show (Sonia Friedman, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne), and even Fantastic Beasts newcomer Jessica Williams.

We met with fans lucky enough to be in the group of 100 wristband holders given access to view the red carpet premiere. Groups came from far and wide to see the play and see the VIP guests arrive – we even spoke to a few Friday Forty winners!

With that, we took our places, and were ready to go!

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Needless to say, the arrival of J.K. Rowling herself and the creative team behind Cursed Child (producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany) sparked huge excitement:

We had the opportunity to meet J.K. Rowling on the red carpet, and she spoke about her anticipation of fan reactions:

Speaking on her hopes for Broadway audience reactions, Jo commented on the emotional nature of the play – it’s certainly a nostalgic experience for Potter fans:

“I hope, and pray, that the New York audiences feel what the London audiences have felt when watching the play. It really is about feeling, I think. You know, as much as you engage people’s minds, this is supposed to be a real emotional experience, I hope they feel the same way. I believe they will!”

She also spoke about the home of the Broadway production, The Lyric Theatre, and how it differs from London’s Palace Theatre:

“The Lyric and the Palace have been really different projects for us, because we’ve renovated this theatre, effectively. I think it’s stunning, but then I would think it’s stunning, wouldn’t I! So I hope everyone else loves it as much as I do.”

Pottermore asked how she was feeling, to which Jo shared her nerves:

“I take nothing for granted, you never know what’s going to happen next, but I really feel like, “You did the best job you could, on the theatre, on the play”, so when you say that you can’t say much else – it’s just over to everyone else!”

Cursed Child‘s official opening on Broadway is bringing a brand new audience, and Jo shared the surreal and exciting nature of this new opportunity for the production to be seen by overseas fans, a sentiment shared by lead actor Jamie Parker!

Fantastic Beasts stars Dan Fogler and Ezra Miller were also roaming the red carpet, but unfortunately had to be rushed off into the theatre before we could chat to them – they were having so much fun taking photos with fans:

Colin Callender (co-producer) spoke to Pottermore about renovating The Lyric Theatre:

We also got the chance to see the show’s OTHER co-producer Sonia Friedman, who just made the TIME 100 list!

See the footage below, and listen to an in-depth interview with the producer and more here.

You can also hear Whoopi Goldberg talking about wearing Gryffindor robes, like a true fan!

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Photo credit: Just Jared

Broadway’s James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin, Hamilton) also attended, and shared his love of the series:

Harry Potter‘s Emma Thompson was even in attendance!

Director John Tiffany bounded up to our spot on the red carpet, and spoke about his favorite character (he can’t choose between Albus and Scorpius, so he answered “Scorbus!!!” with a hearty laugh!). Leaky asked what bit of magic had enchanted him most about the Potterverse:

“The pensieve probably makes me cry the most! Just the idea of Snape’s tear in the pensieve, when we discover all of that in The Deathly Hallows, that’s probably the most moved I’ve been by any of the magic.”

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See him speak more about getting emotional with J.K. Rowling and redesigning The Lyric Theatre below:

Playwright Jack Thorne spoke to us about the legacy of Harry Potter, and how amazing it feels to be a part of such a wide-reaching series:

“I love these books, I think they are the greatest works of fiction. The idea that I got to discuss certain key things with the creator of these books, and to really examine these books with her has been the greatest experience of my life, and will probably always be the greatest experience of my literary life! I’ve got a son, so not the greatest, but you know what I mean – the sheer opportunity was just overwhelming!” 

See footage of interviews with the duo below (but **BEWARE OF CURSED CHILD SPOILERS** #KeepTheSecrets):

Since the premiere, we’ve received exciting information about Jessica Williams’s character in Fantastic Beasts, which fans have been theorising about since her role in the series was confirmed. We now know (thanks to tweets by J.K. Rowling) that she’ll be portraying Professor Eulalie (Lally) Hicks, of American wizarding school, Ilvermorny!

At the red carpet of Cursed Child, Williams spoke about being a Potter fan, and revealed that her Ilvermorny house is Thunderbird, and said she only spent a few days on the Crimes of Grindelwald set:

The cast of the show also seemed to enjoy their evening – and did a great job!

Another exciting guest related to the Harry Potter series was Darren Criss, who portrayed Harry Potter himself in Starkid’s A Very Potter Musical/Sequel/Senior Year – wonder what he thought of a mainstream Harry Potter production coming to Broadway!

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Photo credit: Just Jared

After our red carpet experience, it was time for audiences to get ready for the first official performance of the show on Broadway. We hope you enjoyed the play, if you saw Cursed Child yesterday! Dan Fogler certainly did:

Take a look at  a whole host of critic reviews here! Let us know your thoughts below, and read more about Cursed Child’s first opening at the Lyric for preview performances (including photos of the newly renovated Lyric Theatre) here.





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