‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ Takes Over Times Square To Share Updated Look!

Sep 06, 2019

Posted by: Emma Pocock

Broadway, Exclusives, Fan Events, Fandom, Fans, GrandPre, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, J.K. Rowling, News, Pottermore, Sonia Friedman, Theater

Earlier today, we reported on the changes in signage on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child theatres, before J.K. Rowling returned to Twitter to tweet an ominous phrase, along with an image of the Dark Mark, as it is seen in the play. We were told something would be happening at the Broadway production of Cursed Child, and of course headed to the show to report!

First up, we saw elements of the Harry Potter film-esque redesign within the theatres. New buttons were being handed out with the tagline ‘Sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places’.

At the end of the show, Umbridge came out on stage to tell the audience that

‘For one night only, all of Times Square will know the power of Lord Voldemort’

And we were advised to take our ‘dirty muggle devices’ to film the occasion.

 

Sarah Jessica-Parker then came out on stage, waved a wand, and a huge screen in Times Square showed the rebrand after a countdown:

We were lucky enough to interview some of the cast members of the Broadway production, and first up was Nadia Brown, who plays Rose Granger-Weasley in the current run on Broadway. She chatted to us about a pair of Potter-esque glasses she had as a child, as well as a few of her Potter favourites:

We also managed to chat to the lovely Nicholas Podany (Albus Severus Potter), who we’d previously spoken to at SDCC, and Bubba Weiler ( Scorpius Malfoy), as well as the Boy Who Lived himself, James Snyder, who plays an older Harry Potter in the production – they’re all such huge Potter fans, it was a pleasure to interview them!

Pottermore revealed the rebrand in a piece at the same time as the Times Square activation was announced – ‘Sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places’ is the new tagline for Cursed Child, and the new logo ‘celebrates the play’s place as the eighth story in the canon’ with J.K. Rowling’s name and the logo designed by Mary GrandPré:

HP_SOMEDARK-KeyArt__1__4_

Pottermore explains the tagline:

“If you look a little closer, you’ll see the looming threat of a Dark Mark, the sign of Lord Voldemort and his followers, dwelling in the spell’s glow. Could this ominous symbol from the wizarding world signify how the impact of Lord Voldemort still haunts Harry as a grown-up?”

This is the first step outside of ‘Keep The Secrets’, after the play had its first public performance for Back to Hogwarts at London’s King’s Cross on September 1.

The design clearly links this to Harry Potter canon, and is an unmistakable attempt to welcome the play into the ‘official’ Wizarding World. Pottermore was clear to attribute J.K. Rowling to the play:

‘The eighth official Harry Potter story, which J.K. Rowling wrote with playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany’

Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender linked this activation, also, to Back To Hogwarts in a statement:

‘It is so exciting to watch audiences all over the world be transported “Back to Hogwarts” to revisit their beloved characters. There is nothing like the experience of being in a theatre with a community of others, seeing and experiencing in real-time as the magic unfolds live before your eyes. The Boy Who Lived, lives on, and the story continues on stage across the world because, as J.K. Rowling herself said: “Sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.”‘

934 (signalling Platform Nine and Three Quarters and Back to Hogwarts) tickets are being handed out on harrypotteronstage.com at theatres around the world, limited to ONE ticket per person.

EDwBucHUcAEEWKA

Read more on the redesign at Pottermore. What do you think of the new rebrand and tagline? Are you welcoming the show officially into canon?





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.