Harry Potter fans were buzzing with excitement on Saturday as &quot;Harry Potter and the Cursed Child&quot;, a stage play that imagines the fictional boy wizard as a grown-up father of three, opened in London. 
 
After nearly eight weeks of well-received preview performances, London&#39;s Palace Theatre hosted the opening gala as the general public were invited to strap themselves in for a new adventure in the saga that has captivated millions around the globe. 
 
Arriving for the opening gala, creator J.K. Rowling told the Press Association she was &quot;so happy&quot; that fans had heeded her pleas to keep the plot a secret, and said she hoped the play would one day appear on Broadway. 
 
Set 19 years after the events of Rowling&#39;s seventh and final book, &quot;Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows&quot;, the play sees a grown-up Potter working at the Ministry of Magic. The official plot outline for the play reads: &quot;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.&quot; 
 
&quot;As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places,&quot; it said. 
 
Like many of his fans, Potter has now grown up and has three children with his wife Ginny Weasley, the sister of his friend Ron. He still has his trademark round-rimmed glasses and the scar on his head, a permanent reminder of his nemesis Lord Voldemort, but must now help his youngest son Albus confront the family&#39;s dark past. 
 
&quot;Harry Potter and the Cursed Child&quot; is currently sold out, but another 250,000 tickets are set to go on sale next week as the play&#39;s run has been extended until December 2017. 
 
&#39;Written with fans in mind&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The script will be released in Britain at midnight on Saturday (2300 GMT), with bookshops planning to stay open into the wee small hours to satisfy the desires of Potter fans. July 31 is the birthday of both Rowling and Potter. Her books have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and been adapted into eight films. 
 
Jamie Parker plays Potter, who is joined on stage by his old school friends Ron Weasley, played by Paul Thornley, and Hermione Granger, played by Noma Dumezweni. Albus Dumbledore actor Sam Clemmett has been a big hit, as has Anthony Boyle as Draco Malfoy&#39;s son Scorpius. 
 
The theatre show is written by English screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne, based on an original story co-written with Rowling and the play&#39;s director John Tiffany. 
 
Given the millions of fans around the world, the decision to move the characters on two decades was seen as risky. 
 
&quot;Judging by the whooping and cheering, nobody was disappointed,&quot; Clare Fitzsimons wrote in the Daily Mirror newspaper after the first preview showing last month. &quot;It&#39;s a great show, and it&#39;s well done -- entertaining and interesting for adults and children,&quot; fan Anna, 30, said. 
 
&quot;The play was written with the fans in mind,&quot; she added. &quot;Rowling obviously wanted us to relive some of the pleasure we got from reading the books, and it worked.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The play is set 19 years after the events of Rowling's final book 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'

Harry Potter fans were buzzing with excitement on Saturday as "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", a stage play that imagines the fictional boy wizard as a grown-up father of three, opened in London. After nearly eight weeks of well-received preview performances, London's Palace Theatre hosted the opening gala as the general public were invited to strap themselves in for a new adventure in the saga that has captivated millions around the globe. Arriving for the opening gala, creator J.K. Rowling told the Press Association she was "so happy" that fans had heeded her pleas to keep the plot a secret, and said she hoped the play would one day appear on Broadway. Set 19 years after the events of Rowling's seventh and final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", the play sees a grown-up Potter working at the Ministry of Magic. The official plot outline for the play reads: "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," it said. Like many of his fans, Potter has now grown up and has three children with his wife Ginny Weasley, the sister of his friend Ron. He still has his trademark round-rimmed glasses and the scar on his head, a permanent reminder of his nemesis Lord Voldemort, but must now help his youngest son Albus confront the family's dark past. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is currently sold out, but another 250,000 tickets are set to go on sale next week as the play's run has been extended until December 2017. 'Written with fans in mind' The script will be released in Britain at midnight on Saturday (2300 GMT), with bookshops planning to stay open into the wee small hours to satisfy the desires of Potter fans. July 31 is the birthday of both Rowling and Potter. Her books have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and been adapted into eight films. Jamie Parker plays Potter, who is joined on stage by his old school friends Ron Weasley, played by Paul Thornley, and Hermione Granger, played by Noma Dumezweni. Albus Dumbledore actor Sam Clemmett has been a big hit, as has Anthony Boyle as Draco Malfoy's son Scorpius. The theatre show is written by English screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne, based on an original story co-written with Rowling and the play's director John Tiffany. Given the millions of fans around the world, the decision to move the characters on two decades was seen as risky. "Judging by the whooping and cheering, nobody was disappointed," Clare Fitzsimons wrote in the Daily Mirror newspaper after the first preview showing last month. "It's a great show, and it's well done -- entertaining and interesting for adults and children," fan Anna, 30, said. "The play was written with the fans in mind," she added. "Rowling obviously wanted us to relive some of the pleasure we got from reading the books, and it worked." (AFP)

And the magic continues: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child hits London theatres

To some it may be an imagined sport, but for the players at the Quidditch World Cup in Frankfurt on Sunday (July 24), the competition was very real. 
 
The sport played by young witches and wizards in Joanne Kathleen (JK) Rowling&#39;s Harry Potter novels has become a phenomenon in its own right, played by competitors with sticks between their legs representing broomsticks. 
 
Teams from across the world were battling to become World Cup champions in the German city of Frankfurt, attempting to score points by throwing the ball through hoops whilst chasing the elusive &#39;snitch&#39;, embodied by a player with a tennis ball swinging from their trousers in a sock. 
 
With such varied roles in the team, the sport offers something for everybody, says spokeswoman for the German national team Juliane Schillinger. 
 
&quot;Quidditch is a very multi-faceted game so it attracts a great range of athletes and also lots of people who aren&#39;t normally into sport but come along because of their fascination with Harry Potter and try something new,&quot; she said. 
 
Fans and players alike seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere in sunny Frankfurt. 
 
&quot;The community&#39;s just amazing, you can see there&#39;s people from all different countries around the world and it&#39;s just.. you meet people, a lot of really really interesting and amazing people and I love it,&quot; United States player Celen Richard said. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s very different to what you see in other sports and it puts you in a good mood, it&#39;s something different,&quot; spectator Caroline Weber said. 
 
Quidditch was adapted in 2005 by US students at Middlebury College in Vermont. 
 
Since then, the sport has spread to dozens of countries and has some 700 teams, mainly based in the United States and largely at colleges and universities. 
 
(Reuters)

The sport played by young witches and wizards in JK Rowling's Harry Potter novels has become a phenomenon in its own right

To some it may be an imagined sport, but for the players at the Quidditch World Cup in Frankfurt on Sunday (July 24), the competition was very real. The sport played by young witches and wizards in Joanne Kathleen (JK) Rowling's Harry Potter novels has become a phenomenon in its own right, played by competitors with sticks between their legs representing broomsticks. Teams from across the world were battling to become World Cup champions in the German city of Frankfurt, attempting to score points by throwing the ball through hoops whilst chasing the elusive 'snitch', embodied by a player with a tennis ball swinging from their trousers in a sock. With such varied roles in the team, the sport offers something for everybody, says spokeswoman for the German national team Juliane Schillinger. "Quidditch is a very multi-faceted game so it attracts a great range of athletes and also lots of people who aren't normally into sport but come along because of their fascination with Harry Potter and try something new," she said. Fans and players alike seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere in sunny Frankfurt. "The community's just amazing, you can see there's people from all different countries around the world and it's just.. you meet people, a lot of really really interesting and amazing people and I love it," United States player Celen Richard said. "It's very different to what you see in other sports and it puts you in a good mood, it's something different," spectator Caroline Weber said. Quidditch was adapted in 2005 by US students at Middlebury College in Vermont. Since then, the sport has spread to dozens of countries and has some 700 teams, mainly based in the United States and largely at colleges and universities. (Reuters)

All aboard broomsticks for Quidditch World Cup in Germany

It&#39;s almost 20 years since the initial release of &#39;Harry Potter&#39; and the wizarding saga seems to be far from over. &#39;Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them&#39; hasn&#39;t even hit the cinemas yet and author JK Rowling is ready with the script for its sequel. 
 
In an interview, director David Yates said that Rowling, who is making her screenwriting debut with the &#39;Harry Potter&#39; spin-off, has already finished the second one and has various ideas for the third, reports the Independent. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve done the first one, she&#39;s written the second one, (and) she&#39;s got ideas for the third one,&quot; said the director of &#39;Fantastic Beasts&#39;. 
 
Yates also discussed the difference between working on the past &#39;Harry Potter&#39; adaptations - &#39;Order of the Phoenix&#39;, &#39;Half-Blood Prince&#39; and both parts of the &#39;Deathly Hallows&#39; - and the upcoming film. 
 
He noted, &quot;It&#39;s sort of lovely in a way. When we adapted the books, you would always have to leave out things that you hate leaving out because they didn&#39;t quite work within the structure of the storytelling for the movie, or the movie would just be far too long. With this, it&#39;s just pure JK (Rowling) from the first page to the last page.&quot; 
 
&#39;Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them&#39; is all set to hit the UK theatres on 18 November. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp; 
 
 
&nbsp;

'We've done the first one, she's written the second one, and she's got ideas for the third one,' said director David Yates

It's almost 20 years since the initial release of 'Harry Potter' and the wizarding saga seems to be far from over. 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' hasn't even hit the cinemas yet and author JK Rowling is ready with the script for its sequel. In an interview, director David Yates said that Rowling, who is making her screenwriting debut with the 'Harry Potter' spin-off, has already finished the second one and has various ideas for the third, reports the Independent. "We've done the first one, she's written the second one, (and) she's got ideas for the third one," said the director of 'Fantastic Beasts'. Yates also discussed the difference between working on the past 'Harry Potter' adaptations - 'Order of the Phoenix', 'Half-Blood Prince' and both parts of the 'Deathly Hallows' - and the upcoming film. He noted, "It's sort of lovely in a way. When we adapted the books, you would always have to leave out things that you hate leaving out because they didn't quite work within the structure of the storytelling for the movie, or the movie would just be far too long. With this, it's just pure JK (Rowling) from the first page to the last page." 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is all set to hit the UK theatres on 18 November. (ANI)

JK Rowling has already written 'Fantastic Beasts 2' script

Queues snaked for meters at London&#39;s Palace Theatre on Tuesday (June 7). The reason? The next installment in the &#39;Harry Potter&#39; saga.

&#39;Harry Potter and the Cursed Child&#39; opened for the first of several previews at the central London venue&nbsp;and fans lucky enough to secure tickets for the event waited anxiously to get into the theatre.

The story - which is split into two parts - follows title character Harry Potter (played by Jamie Parker) and his school friends Ron Weasley (Paul Thornley) and Hermione Granger (Noma Dumezweni) in adulthood.

Set 19 years after JK Rowling&#39;s last work &#39;The Deathly Hallows&#39;, the &#39;Cursed Child&#39; was adapted from a story written by Rowling and director John Tiffany - and brought to the stage by playwright Jack Thorne.

Fans were thrilled with the story which focuses on the title character and his youngest son Albus.

Harry is shown as an overworked Ministry of Magic employee coping with his son&#39;s struggles to deal with being the son of the famous wizard.

However, there has been very little other detail about the play revealed - as JK Rowling has requested that audiences don&#39;t spoil the story for others.

Harry Potter enthusiasts were thrilled by the play.

Super fan Callum Fawcett said, &quot;I really liked the films but after seeing this, I would say, &quot;Forget the films&quot;. I mean, this is fantastic. I would definitely come to watch this. It&#39;s got everything. It&#39;s got the real magic that the films miss out, if you know what I mean.&quot;

It seems as though the play will appeal most to super fans, rather than the casual Harry Potter enthusiast.

David Rolls said the plot is easy to get confused over if you don&#39;t know the stories inside out. &quot;I must admit I got a bit lost with some of the characters. You have to be a real super fan, I think, to get into the story,&quot; he said.

Perhaps the biggest fan in attendance was Samantha Kent, who arrived at the venue at 12pm - seven and a half hours before the show started. She showed off her numerous Harry Potter themed tattoos and explained why she got to the theatre so early.

&quot;Because I was photographed as the first person to queue up in Birmingham for the last book, and I kind of had to beat my record. Apart from that, I&#39;m a massive fan,&quot; said Kent.

There has been some controversy over the casting of the play - with criticism that some of the actors don&#39;t look the same as the cast who played the characters in the films.

In particular, the decision to cast Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger in the play has provoked debate as the actress is black, whereas Emma Watson who plays the same character in the films is white.

JK Rowling has hit out at critics, saying she never specified what ethnicity any of the characters were in the books.

Many of the audience said it didn&#39;t matter what the play actors looked like.

&quot;Personally, I feel it&#39;s how they [the characters] should have been all along. Hermione particulary, as a woman of colour, is just groundbreaking and it&#39;s amazing and she suits the role so, so well,&quot; said&nbsp;Jess Hart, a fan of the series.

Previews of &#39;The Cursed Child&#39; continue until July 30 when the play opens officially.

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' opened for the first of several previews at the central London venue. Previews of 'The Cursed Child' continue until July 30 when the play opens officially

Queues snaked for meters at London's Palace Theatre on Tuesday (June 7). The reason? The next installment in the 'Harry Potter' saga. 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' opened for the first of several previews at the central London venue and fans lucky enough to secure tickets for the event waited anxiously to get into the theatre. The story - which is split into two parts - follows title character Harry Potter (played by Jamie Parker) and his school friends Ron Weasley (Paul Thornley) and Hermione Granger (Noma Dumezweni) in adulthood. Set 19 years after JK Rowling's last work 'The Deathly Hallows', the 'Cursed Child' was adapted from a story written by Rowling and director John Tiffany - and brought to the stage by playwright Jack Thorne. Fans were thrilled with the story which focuses on the title character and his youngest son Albus. Harry is shown as an overworked Ministry of Magic employee coping with his son's struggles to deal with being the son of the famous wizard. However, there has been very little other detail about the play revealed - as JK Rowling has requested that audiences don't spoil the story for others. Harry Potter enthusiasts were thrilled by the play. Super fan Callum Fawcett said, "I really liked the films but after seeing this, I would say, "Forget the films". I mean, this is fantastic. I would definitely come to watch this. It's got everything. It's got the real magic that the films miss out, if you know what I mean." It seems as though the play will appeal most to super fans, rather than the casual Harry Potter enthusiast. David Rolls said the plot is easy to get confused over if you don't know the stories inside out. "I must admit I got a bit lost with some of the characters. You have to be a real super fan, I think, to get into the story," he said. Perhaps the biggest fan in attendance was Samantha Kent, who arrived at the venue at 12pm - seven and a half hours before the show started. She showed off her numerous Harry Potter themed tattoos and explained why she got to the theatre so early. "Because I was photographed as the first person to queue up in Birmingham for the last book, and I kind of had to beat my record. Apart from that, I'm a massive fan," said Kent. There has been some controversy over the casting of the play - with criticism that some of the actors don't look the same as the cast who played the characters in the films. In particular, the decision to cast Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger in the play has provoked debate as the actress is black, whereas Emma Watson who plays the same character in the films is white. JK Rowling has hit out at critics, saying she never specified what ethnicity any of the characters were in the books. Many of the audience said it didn't matter what the play actors looked like. "Personally, I feel it's how they [the characters] should have been all along. Hermione particulary, as a woman of colour, is just groundbreaking and it's amazing and she suits the role so, so well," said Jess Hart, a fan of the series. Previews of 'The Cursed Child' continue until July 30 when the play opens officially.

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And the magic continues: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child hits London theatres

All aboard broomsticks for Quidditch World Cup in Germany

JK Rowling has already written 'Fantastic Beasts 2' script

JK Rowling's newest work brings magic back to life