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BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Harry Potter and the magic of £10 West End tickets

Published: 18:42 EST, 22 October 2015 | Updated: 19:59 EST, 22 October 2015

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The Harry Potter show, expected to be one of London’s biggest theatrical blockbusters, will have tickets for as little as £15 (and even a bargain £10 during previews). So people can see the two-part production for just £30.

Low-priced tickets will be sold by lottery for every performance.

The Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2, takes J.K. Rowling’s fantastical world of wizards and magic to the London stage and will follow on from where Rowling’s seventh and final Potter novel ended. Its storyline has been a closely held secret — until now.

Spellblinding: J.K. Rowling talks over ideas with writers Jack Thorne, left, and John Tiffany

‘It’s safe to say that The Cursed Child picks up from where The Deathly Hallows ended,’ revealed Sonia Friedman, who is producing the play with Colin Callender.

That book concluded with an epilogue where readers discovered that Harry wound up marrying Ginny Weasley, and they had three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus (known as Al), and Lily Luna.

That postscript was titled Nineteen Years Later, and it’s also the tagline for the drama created by Rowling and written by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany (who will also direct), which is being performed in two parts.

The poster, unveiled here for the first time reads: The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.

Ardent Potter fans will catch on because, in The Deathly Hallows, Rowling painted a scene of Harry and Ginny seeing their two lads off to Hogwarts from Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross station.

Particular attention was paid to Al, aged just 11, starting his first year at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and nervous about whether he’ll be put in Slytherin house.

But his father reassures him, telling him he’s named after two headmasters of Hogwarts — Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape — and one of them was a Slytherin.

A statement from the creative team noted that Al must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted and that ‘past and present fuse ominously’ when Harry and his younger son learn the uncomfortable truth that ‘sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places’.

Friedman and Callender were cautious when discussing The Cursed Child. ‘We don’t want to spoil it for the audiences,’ Callender said, reasonably.

And when I asked if there would be any flashbacks to Harry’s own parents, Friedman said, more bluntly: ‘It’s for theatregoers and fans, and we’re not going to say any more about the story.’

I wondered whether they would have to cast a green-eyed child to play Al, because Rowling describes him in The Deathly Hallows as having eyes the same colour as his paternal grandmother, Lily.

Ardent Potter fans will catch on because, in The Deathly Hallows, Rowling painted a scene of Harry and Ginny seeing their two lads off to Hogwarts from Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross station

From August 3, after The Cursed Child has opened, seats for the two shows will cost £30, £70, £100 or £130. Tickets to see just one part of the production can be bought at half the prices quoted

GARRICK THEATRE MAGIC

If you have booked to see plays at the Garrick Theatre for the Kenneth Branagh season, take in the enchanting restoration work by Nimax, the company run by Nica Burns and Max Weitzenhoffer.

The plaster work has been restored, the auditorium is stunning and The Winter’s Tale, with Judi Dench and Branagh, looked very much at home when I saw a preview.

Piece de resistance, though, is the Gold Bar and terrace, its gold paint reflected through the chandelier. Rattigan’s Harlequinade and All On Her Own start previews tomorrow.

Friedman doubted audiences would be able to tell eye colour from the stalls, but said she would discuss it with the creative team.

And what about flying broomsticks?!

‘Because it’s a play, it’s worth stressing that at this stage of the process it’s not our intention to have a high-tech show, but to go back to basic story telling,’ Friedman said. She and Callender both termed it ‘raw theatre’.

However, they have hired special effects experts and an illusionist. ‘We very much hope to deliver magic — but in our unique way,’ Friedman added.

A cast of roughly 30 will begin rehearsing in February or March. Preliminary casting has begun but no actor has been picked yet.

The company will move into the Palace after Derren Brown and Eddie Izzard complete their separate, limited runs. At this point there isn’t a provision for family or group rates for tickets, but a batch of £10 seats during previews, rising to £15 once the show has opened, is going to prove immensely popular.

Previews begin on June 7 at the Palace Theatre, when tickets to see both parts will be priced £20, £50, and £80 to £100. (They can be watched on one day on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.)

From August 3, after The Cursed Child has opened, seats for the two shows will cost £30, £70, £100 or £130. Tickets to see just one part of the production can be bought at half the prices quoted.

Priority tickets for those who registered to see the June to September shows can be bought online from next Wednesday; others can buy seats two days later. The show officially opens on July 30.

For further ticketing information, including details about daily and weekly lotteries, look for a longer version of this story on MailOnline or visit harrypottertheplay.com