Fabulously wealthy Harry Potter author JK Rowling has announced that she’ll be involved with a play based on the titular wizard’s early years living with the Dursley family. Rowling will be a co-producer for the Harry Potter play and will consult with the writers, but will not write the script herself. Writers and directors are being considered, with the project moving into development next year. Here’s a clip from the announcement:
What was it like to be the boy in the cupboard under the stairs? This brand new play, which will be developed for the UK theatre, will explore the previously untold story of Harry’s early years as an orphan and outcast. Featuring some of our favourite characters from the Harry Potter books, this new work will offer a unique insight into the heart and mind of the now legendary young wizard. A seemingly ordinary boy, but one for whom Destiny has plans…
Uh…what? This seems like a missed opportunity. It would have been awesome to explore the Harry Potter world when Voldemort was running wilder than Hulkamania. It would have been cool to learn more about the original Order of the Phoenix. The books have so many interesting adult characters and it would have been fantastic to see them in their primes. Instead, we’re getting a tale of Harry Potter’s life in the cupboard. The books already tell enough about that stage of Harry’s life: it was crap.
On the plus side, I imagine that a large chunk of the play will be Harry talking to himself while locked in the cupboard. At least production costs will be cheap.
Hopefully my initial feelings about the play are dead wrong and the writers can work some magic to create a heart-tugging experience. What’s your first reaction to a play based on Harry Potter’s life living under the stairs? Does it have potential? Or does it sound ridiculous? Please leave a comment and let me know.
