Rowling wants Cursed Child to go “wider” than Broadway

J.K. Rowling wants Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to be seen by as many Potter fans as possible, implying touring productions in the future.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has had its official debut on the London stage, and plenty of outlets were there to cover it. Among the red carpet luminaries, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling was on hand for the event as well as director John Tiffany and writer Jack Thorne. Rowling had some interesting things to say about the play’s future. For example, when the subject of a Broadway run of the play came up, she said that has bigger hopes for her newest creation.

“I’d love it to go wider than that,” she said on the red carpet, according to WBOC. “I’d like as many Potter fans to see it as possible.”

That’s a sentiment shared by co-producer Sonia Friedman. “Hopefully many countries at some point will get to see it,” she said. “But it’s a big piece of theater, it’s a big endeavor. You can’t just turn this around overnight.”

The notion that the show might tour isn’t unexpected. Cursed Child is, after all, the biggest theatrical events since…well, since Hamilton, which actually wasn’t that long ago, but that’s not the point. The point is that Cursed Child is already huge, despite being out of previews for all of a day, and everyone involved is going to want it to tour so it can make as much money as possible. No one on the red carpet gave specifics, but if you wait long enough, odds are Cursed Child will eventually be playing at a theater near you.

Rowling also weighed in on how “amazing” fans have been about not giving spoilers during the play’s lengthy preview period. “It’s the most extraordinary fandom so I’m kind of not surprised, because they didn’t want to spoil it for each other,” she said. “I’m so happy we got here without ruining everything.”

Now, I’m sure plenty of fans didn’t reveal anything, but spoilers have still been available for a while. Still, far be it for us to ruin the good vibes. No one leaked anything.

As for what audiences can expect from the play, director John Tiffany said that it hasn’t changed much during the preview process.

"We’ve crystallized and evolved some of the illusions and costumes – all of the actors are still in it, I’m glad to say. It’s been great to see it develop in front of an audience."

Next: Fans are still split on how to treat Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Critics have been falling over each other to praise the play, although fans are a bit more divided. In any case, it seems Cursed Child is a hit, with Friedman even saying that it’s set to be the biggest-selling play of all time. Welcome back to the limelight, Harry Potter.

h/t BBC News