Theater Round-Up: Music of “Cursed Child” on vinyl and a new play for Daniel Radcliffe

Lots of Cursed Child-related news this week!

Cursed Child music coming out on vinyl in June

First, the Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, composed by Imogen Heap, will be released in vinyl album format on June 21.  You can pre-order it here.  It’s been available in CD and digital formats since November 2018, but vinyl still has a loyal following in the digital era.  Remember Professor McGonagall teaching the Gryffindors to dance before the Yule Ball?  She had Argus Filch playing albums on an old wind-up gramophone.  If you have one, here’s your chance to play some wizarding world music on it.  The album comes with a booklet containing production photos and commentary from the composer.  The music is presented in the form of four suites, presented in chronological order based on where they appear in the play.

Daniel Radcliffe to appear in two Beckett plays at the Old Vic

Daniel Radcliffe will be apparating back across the pond to act in a pair of Samuel Beckett plays at London’s Old Vic.  Radcliffe, along with fellow stage veteran Alan Cumming, will star in the rarely-staged Rough for Theatre II, and Endgame.  (No relation to The Avengers—this play is a follow-up to Waiting for Godot).  Previews will begin on January 27, 2020, with February 4 slated as opening night.

Incidentally, the Old Vic will also be showing a version of A Christmas Carol adapted by Jack Thorne this holiday season.  It opens on December 4, with previews starting November 23.

Cursed Child celebrates quite a year on Broadway

A new cast for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway took the stage on March 20, a month before the play celebrated its one-year anniversary at the Lyric Theatre on April 22.  The new cast includes James Snyder as Harry Potter, Jenny Jules as Hermione Granger, Diane Davis as Ginny Potter, Matt Mueller as Ron Weasley, Nadia Brown as Rose Granger-Weasley, Jonno Roberts as Draco Malfoy, Nicholas Podany as Albus Potter, and Bubba Weiler as Scorpius Malfoy.  Photos of the new cast in production are available here.  You can see more photos of the cast and crew marking the anniversary here.  That book cake with Hedwig on top is amazing.

Don’t forget that a record 250,000 tickets for the Broadway production, at $69 each, will be released on May 8. The Melbourne production of the play is also releasing 50,000 tickets on May 7!

New photos of Tom Burke in Rosmersholm

Henrik Ibsen’s Rosmersholm starring Strike Series lead Tom Burke had its first previews recently at the Duke of York’s Theatre. More photos from the production can be seen here.

Anthony Boyle attends Tolkien biopic premiere

Cursed Child alum Anthony Boyle attended the London premiere of the new Tolkien biopic, in which he plays Geoffrey Bache Smith.  The film, which will be released in the UK on May 3 and in the U.S. on May 10, has generated some controversy due to disapproval by the Tolkien family.  Boyle and some of his fellow cast members are interviewed here.

Tony Award Nominations for Cursed Child creative team

Tony nominations were announced this week and The Olivier Award winning play The Ferryman from Cursed Child producer Sonia Friedman has scored 9 nominations. Neil Austin Cursed Child Lighting designer received a nomination for his work on Ink, and the designers of the magnificent ape in King Kong on Broadway, whose book was written by Cursed Child playwright Jack Thorne, are to be honoured with a special Tony award for their contributions to theatre.

BREAKING: @TheTonyAwards have announced that the creature designers behind #KingKongBway will be honored with a SPECIAL TONY AWARD for their outstanding contributions to the theatre! ? pic.twitter.com/R4njWXkv6T

— King Kong Broadway (@KingKongBway) 30 April 2019