It's finally here! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has officially opened at the West End's Palace Theatre after weeks of previews and rave reviews.
The anticipated show's opening gala today (July 30) featured plenty of famous faces, including (of course) writer JK Rowling.
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"I always try and avoid the word magical, for very obvious reasons," Rowling said on the red carpet. "But it really has been magical. I've loved every moment of it. It's been a wonderful process."
She was joined by her fellow co-writers Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, who created the play together, with Rowling adding: "They were the people I trusted to do it right, and they've done it more than right. I'm so proud of this play."
Plenty of other well-known faces apparated onto the red carpet, including comedian David Baddiel, Sherlock's Andrew Scott, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
(Andrew Scott)
(David Baddiel and Morwenna Banks)
(Sadiq Khan and wife Saadiya Khan)
The play received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics this week, including a full five stars from Digital Spy.
A sequel to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Cursed Child follows a grown up Harry 19 years after he defeated Lord Voldemort.
It focuses on his and Ginny Weasley's children, as well as those of Ron and Hermione, who were introduced in the seventh book's epilogue, and audience members have been encouraged not to spoil the plot with the hashtag #KeepTheSecrets.
Due to the high critical praise and extreme demand, the show is releasing an extra 250,000 tickets booking up until December 10, 2017, which go on sale next Thursday (August 4) at 11am BST.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is showing at the Palace Theatre.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
