Theater Round-Up: ‘Cursed Child’ Heads to New York Comic Con, Daniel Radcliffe Meets the Press for ‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ and More!
Sep 08, 2018
Actor Interviews, BigNews, Broadway, Davis, Events, Fan Events, Fandom, Fans, Gambon, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, HP Cast, Interviews, Leung, Movies, News, Potter News, Radcliffe, Round-Up, Theater, Theater Round-Up, West End
In case you missed it, the week’s biggest news in theater came out Thursday when producers Sonia Freidman and Colin Callender announced the upcoming release of an additional 100,000 tickets to the New York production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Leaky reported that the new batch of tickets will be available for purchase Thursday, Sept. 27 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Of course, though the announcement stopped our hearts for the briefest of moments, it didn’t stop the rest of the theater world from turning onward, and there’s much more news to share!
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been announced as a featured panel at New York Comic Con, Daniel Radcliffe attended a press junket to promote the upcoming opening of The Lifespan of a Fact, images of rehearsals for “Pinter at the Pinter” were released, including Michael Gambon hard at work prepping his voiceover, Katie Leung and Zoe Wanamaker attended the debut of The Humans in London and Warwick Davis continued to make the rounds promoting his musical Eugenius!
Read on for more details.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at New York Comic Con
New York Comic Con announced this week that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be one of the featured panels at the Javits Center event. The panel will take place on the first day of the convention, Thursday, Oct. 4, from 11:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. Original London cast members, now appearing on Broadway, are set to make an appearance, though the full slate of speakers is still to be determined.
The official description of the panel, including a plot synopsis of the play itself, reads as follows:
“Join the original cast members of this Tony Award-winning play as they discuss bringing the magic and iconic characters of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World to life on stage. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is an epic two-part event that tells the eighth story in the Harry Potter series. It was always difficult being Harry Potter, and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. Rolling Stone calls it ‘A thrilling triumph of epic proportions that will soon be the stuff of legend. It’s some kind of miracle.’ “
Read other details and check out the full selection of panels at the New York Comic Con cite here.
Daniel Radcliffe Meets the Press to Promote The Lifespan of a Fact
The stars of the upcoming play The Lifespan of a Fact met with the press on Sept. 6 to promote the production. This put Daniel Radcliffe, who portrays fact-checker Jim Fingal, Bobby Canavale, who plays writer John D’Agata, and Cherry Jones, who portrays Fingal’s boss, front and center.
Fingal (Radcliffe) is tasked with reviewing D’Agata’s work and, according to Broadway.com, “the lines of fact and fiction quickly blur.” The assignment kicks off a lengthy correspondence between the two as they work to bring D’Agata’s essay, “What Happens There,” to the public.
Radcliffe spoke to the Associated Press about his love for theater and how it keeps him honest as an actor:
Broadway World reported that The Lifespan of a Fact, directed by Leigh Silverman, begins preview performances on Thursday, Sept. 20 and officially opens Thursday, Oct. 18.
Michael Gambon Rehearses for Pinter One’s Mountain Language
This theater season the West End will feature “Pinter at the Pinter,” a restaging of short plays by Harold Pinter and The Harold Pinter Theatre. The season commemorates Pinter’s work 10 years after his passing, breaking the pieces into two collections.
Pinter One, which runs Sept. 6 through Oct. 20, has begun rehearsals and features One for the Road, The New World Order, Mountain Language, The Pres and the Officer and Ashes to Ashes. Michael Gambon, well known to Potter fans for taking up the mantle of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore after the death of Richard Harris, stars in Mountain Language as The Guard.
Pinter Two, which runs Sept. 13 through Oct. 20, presents The Lover and The Collection.
See more behind-the-scenes images of rehearsals at WhatsOnStage here.
Katie Leung and Zoe Wanamaker Attend The Humans Opening
The Humans opened in London’s West End on Sept. 6 after transferring from a successful New York run which garnered a Tony for Best New Play. Many well-known stars attended the debut, including Katie Leung, Harry Potter series’ Cho Chang, and Zoe Wanamaker, also a Potter alum, who is best known for portraying Madam Hooch.
In photos: Tony Revolori, Katie Leung, Zoe Wanamaker and more celebrate The Humans opening https://t.co/Pc7d5f8watpic.twitter.com/vIgwqIXGIP
— WhatsOnStage (@WhatsOnStage) September 7, 2018
WhatsOnStage reported that the play “tells of three generations of the same family who have come together in a Manhattan apartment for Thanksgiving.” Reed Birney, Jayne Houdyshell, Cassie Beck, Lauren Klein, Arian Moayed and Sarah Steele all reprise their roles for the new run.
Warwick Davis Promotes Eugenius! the Musical
Warwick Davis, known for playing Professor Flitwick and Griphook in the Harry Potter films, continues to promote the new run of his musical Eugenius!, which, as reported by Leaky, opened Sept. 1.
This week he joined Lorraine on ITV to discuss the production, as well as an appearance on Bear Grylls’ outdoor adventure show.
I’ll be joining the lovely @lorraine on @itv this morning for a chat about #EugeniusTheMusical, my mission with @BearGrylls and @SammyDDavis’ #PointOfLight Award from @10DowningStreet for her work with @LPUKOnline… Oh, and did I mention #EugeniusTheMusical?
— Warwick Davis (@WarwickADavis) September 7, 2018
He was also featured on “The Danny Baker Show” and “Robert Elms Show” on BBC Radio this morning.
Davis recently told WhatsOnStage:
“We’ve been busy tweaking, tickling, tightening and super-charging the show. So if you missed Eugenius! last time this is your chance to finally see what the buzz is all about. And if you were one of the wonderful, crazy fans who saw it many times, we look forward to welcoming you back again – especially as we have added a new song to the 80s-inspired soundtrack that had audiences on their feet at every performance punching the air and shouting in unison, ‘Go Eugenius!’.”
So don’t miss the second opportunity to catch the musical!
