Theater Round-Up: Ticket News for ‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ and ‘Cursed Child’ and Lumos Lights Up Broadway With Gala and Ticket Dontations!

Sep 24, 2018

Posted by: Dawn Johnson

Actor Interviews, Art, BigNews, Broadway, Charity, Events, Fandom, Fans, Fun, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, HP Cast, Interviews, J.K. Rowling, News, Noma Dumezweni, Potter News, Radcliffe, Round-Up, Theater, Theater Round-Up, West End

This week’s theater news revolves around tickets. How else will theater-going fans be able to see long-running favorites, popular new hits or up-and-coming arrivals?

First up, Daniel Radcliffe’s The Lifespan of a Fact opened with preview performances and announced a rush ticket policy, which should be of interest to fans. Second, Rowling made an appearance at a Cursed Child performance as part of the annual gala on behalf of her charity, Lumos, and an incredible 1,500 tickets were donated as part of that event! Additionally, Cursed Child New York and Cursed Child London announced big ticket news, and Cursed Child Broadway’s Noma Dumezweni talked about bringing Hermione Granger to the stage.

Also check out Leaky’s recent coverage of the upcoming release of Imogen Heap’s soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child via Sony Music Masterworks on Nov. 2 here, and read on for more details on all the latest theater news!

The Lifespan of a Fact Debuts and Announces Rush Ticket Policy

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Daniel Radcliffe’s The Lifespan of a Fact began preview performances at Studio 54 on Broadway Thursday, Sept. 20. Theater-goers were asked to enter a “ramshackle Nevada home” along with the actor, who plays the indefatigable Jim Fingal, an enthusiastic young fact-checker assigned to review an essay written by John D’Agata, portrayed onstage by Bobby Cannavale.

The collaboration which developed between Fingal and D’Agata in the aftermath of that fateful introduction extended for seven years professionally, though the play based on the book based on the essay spans only 95 minutes and has been condensed to a period of days.

The New York Times met with D’Agata and Fingal, as well as Radcliffe, Cannavale and Cherry Jones (Emily, the editor) to discuss the production and the premise in general–how much creative license a writer is ethically allowed or, rather, “exploring the role of fact in art.”

It’s a timely subject, to be sure, and Radcliffe, the most well-known and most likely to appear on newsstands, considered his own experiences with the media and blurring of lines between fact and fiction:

He recalled “going from being a person that the papers don’t care about to being a person that the papers do care about” and realizing, “ ‘Oh, you do just make stuff up.’”

“You guys don’t. But there are papers in England …”

The tumultuous political climate aside, Cannavale was quick to defend the play, the book, the essay and the friendship behind it all. He ended the interview by saying:

“[D’Agata’s] a storyteller! And even the story of their relationship, it’s all story upon story upon story. And somewhere in there, it’s all true.”

The production officially opens Thursday, Oct. 18 for a limited 16-week run, which ends Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, and Broadway World explained the rush ticket policy in effect for the play, announcing:

“A limited number of seats are available for purchase in-person for $40 each at the Studio 54 box office beginning at 10am Monday through Saturday and 12pm on Sunday for that day’s performance(s) only. Maximum two tickets per person. Rush tickets are subject to availability and seat locations are determined at the discretion of the box office.”

That starts today, Potter fans, so if you’re interested in seeing Radcliffe back on Broadway, don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity!

Lumos Gala and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Yesterday was the annual gala for J.K. Rowling’s charity organization, Lumos, which works to end the institutionalization of children in orphanages around the world. As part of that event, Broadway World reported that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child donated 1,500 tickets to Parts One and Two of the play. And it seems Rowling herself was in attendance.

What a magical moment for those lucky enough to attend!


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“Lumos is a spell I created in Harry Potter that brings light to a desperately dark and frightening place. At @wearelumos this is just what we do: we reveal the hidden children locked away behind closed doors and forgotten by the world, so that everyone first of all understands the problem and then works together to fix it.” – J.K. Rowling ??? On Saturday, @brizzyvoices, @dayebraham_lincoln, and I attended a dinner gala for Lumos and it was not only so incredibly magical but also extremely eye opening for me. After the gala, I now better understand what the foundation stands for and the complex global issue that they are trying to solve. I am excited for what they have planned for the future and will continue to help raise awareness of how horrible institutionalization and the separation of families can be for children. But most of all, I left the gala last night feeling so moved and inspired to work with my fellow Ravenclaws @brizzyvoices and @dayebraham_lincoln to make #Luna4Lumos as successful as we can! In Luna’s name, I hope that one day we can live up to the selfless, caring, kind, and giving persona that Luna represents. ?? #wearelumos

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Ticket News

Cursed Child NYC announced that a new batch of tickets will be released Sept. 27 at 11 a.m. ET, which is huge news for American fans hoping to see the story of Harry, Hermione and Ron continue.

And for fans in London and abroad, there’s always the Friday Forty. But–it’s important to note that the rules are changing. Cursed Child Play London announced that there will still be 40 tickets for £40 available every performance, but fans can now enter the lottery any time from Monday at 12:01 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. every Friday.

Noma Dumezweni Talks Hermione and Harry Potter on Broadway

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Noma Dumezweni, currently playing the adult Hermione Granger in the New York production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, recently spoke to The Root about the role and her experience as part of the Broadway theater community. Asked to describe her initial relationship to Hermione and the Harry Potter series, Dumezweni was quick to admit she wasn’t part of the fandom as she’s come to know it. She explained:

“I read the books, yet would never call myself a ‘Potterhead’—I’m in awe of them! I loved the experience of being immersed in a world I could absolutely see and feel. Hermione is a human doing the best she can whilst enjoying the full capacity of her talents alongside people she likes. And I get to do that personally, in this play.”

She was also asked to describe how she developed her take on the character, whether she drew from the Hermione originated onscreen by Emma Watson or from Rowling’s book series alone–or both. Dumezweni commented:

“It can only come from the books—that’s the research needed to create the character, that and also [playwright] Jack Thorne’s writing. Emma brought herself to Hermione as a girl and young woman, I get to play the mother and working woman. The story allows me to bring it back to myself, my version, in a totally different form of storytelling. So, creating her is about feeling honest when playing her, and as a mother, I do.”

Read Dumezweni’s full interview with The Root here.





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