A Day Before Ticket Sales Open, “Cursed Child” Duo Discusses Bringing Harry Back

Fans have been buzzing ever since it was announced last week that the Cursed Child we’ve all been wondering about is none other than Albus Severus, but while we’re all making up our minds about whether we’re happy about that or not, the creative team behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is finally opening up about the process of creating a stage adaptation of the wizarding world we love so well.

We posted the first part of an interview Pottermore did with writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany on Sunday, and today Pottermore has posted the second part of the interview, revealing more juicy details about their collaboration with J.K. Rowling.

Tiffany, like Richard Harris (and doubtless many others involved in the Potter franchise), was convinced to work on the show by the young fans in his life:

I’d asked both sets of kids in my life, my three nephews and my godchildren, whether I should do this show. They’d all gone through Harry Potter, and they all said, ‘We’ll kill you if you don’t.’

In the interview, it’s clear that Thorne and Tiffany are not only colleagues but also friends, having first collaborated on the 2013 stage adaptation of Let the Right One In. After Tiffany signed onto the project, he was certain he wanted to work with Thorne to bring Harry to the stage. Tiffany says of the first time he introduced Jo and Jack,

We went to Edinburgh to Jo’s house – Jack and I. Then I sort of watched the love affair begin. You know, it’s like taking your best friend to meet your new partner and then realising… Well, it was two writers meeting; you don’t get a look in.

Both Thorn and Tiffany are honored that Jo has permitted them a bit of room to create in her world, though some fans may be disappointed to hear that they never considered doing a “historical” play – one that focused perhaps on the Marauders or the time just after Harry’s birth. Says Thorne of the process,

I’d read all the books in my twenties, and I’d go to the cinema and watch all the films by myself. I was deeply in love with Potter already, so the chance to do this… We started talking about ideas and her generosity in the way she listened to what was inside our heads, and then fed into that with her brilliant mind, was incredible. You were very clear back then, John, that you didn’t want to do something historical.

As we’ve been hearing for months now, no prequels! The plot for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was set that same day, after which Tiffany and Thorne flew back to London to begin work. The pair closes the interview by discussing their venue, the Palace Theatre, which they believe is the perfect spot to re-launch Harry’s world.

It chose us, I think. I mean, it’s exciting to imagine anyone going to see Harry Potter there. It’s a Gothic theatre; there’s a majesty there, and it has this Hogwarts feel to it.

You can read the original interview here, and don’t forget that priority booking for the show begins TOMORROW at 11 a.m. GMT. Ticket sales are sure to be stressful for all, with potentially millions of fans trying to secure seats at once – so have your wands at the ready, and good luck!