 'Cursed Child' actors Sam Clemmett & Anthony Boyle on transitioning plays to Broadway
Leading up to the April 22 premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, two of its young stars Sam Clemmett (Albus Potter) and Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy) discussed - in separate interviews - the transition from London to New York City, bringing their characters to life, and moving beyond the massive shadow of the Harry Potter brand. Highlights can be found below.
Clemmett on his love of the Harry Potter series pre- Cursed Child: Quote:
“I read the books as I was growing up. I wasn't someone to queue up at midnight and wait for the next book, but I was a big fan of them like everyone else seems to be as well. I loved the films. And then once I'd seen them all and read them all, I didn't so much put them to bed, but they just weren't as big a part of my life as it is for a lot of other people.”
Clemmett on the first performances of Cursed Child in London two years ago: Quote:
"The music started at the top of the show, and I got incredibly nervous. You go out, you say your first line, and the energy we all felt from that first preview audience in London was euphoric. We all sort of sat back into our parts and went, ‘No, actually, this is going to be all right. They seem to be with us and on this journey with us and wanting it to be good.’ And then by the end of Part Two, the response we got was like we've said so many times, it was like a rock concert. It wasn't like any theatrical experience I've ever had in my life. It was like an event. It became an event more than a piece of theater. And it celebrated what theater could be. It was amazing!”
Boyle on connecting to Scorpius the character rather than the Malfoy name: Quote:
“I remember reading the first couple of scenes. Scorpius loses his mother quite early on in the play. There was just so much pain in him when I read it, and there was a lot of humor, but often people cover up great pain with humor. There’s something about the role that I just completely fell in love with. I just think that I knew who he was almost immediately.”
“I focus not on the idea of being a wizard, but on the idea of being this 14-year-old who’s very lost and very mixed up. As opposed to, you know, the weight of the cultural impact that Harry Potter has had, or the gravity of this. It’s all a bit much, isn’t it?”
Tickets are on sale for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway online, though more readily attainable in person for those in or around the New York City area. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and the father of three school-age children.
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.
Seven members of the Original West End Company reunite on stage for the Broadway premiere: Jamie Parker (Harry Potter), Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger) and Paul Thornley (Ron Weasley) with Poppy Miller (Ginny Potter), Sam Clemmett (Albus Potter), Alex Price (Draco Malfoy) and Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy). They are joined by David Abeles, Brian Abraham, Shirine Babb, Jess Barbagallo, Olivia Bond, Stephen Bradbury, Lauren Nicole Cipoletti, Will Coombs, Joshua De Jesus, Jessie Fisher, Richard Gallagher, Susan Heyward, Geraldine Hughes, Edward James Hyland, Byron Jennings, Katie Kreisler, Joey LaBrasca, Andrew Long, Landon Maas, Kathryn Meisle, Angela Reed, Dave Register, Adeola Role, James Romney, Nathan Salstone, Malika Samuel, Alanna Saunders, Brooklyn Shuck, David St. Louis, Stuart Ward, Madeline Weinstein, Alex Weisman and Benjamin Wheelwright playing a variety of characters.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child features movement by Steven Hoggett, a set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe. US Casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA. UK Casting by Julia Horan, CDG.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions.
 |
