Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is thrown into chaos after owl gets loose

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First preview of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was thrown into chaos
Live owl apparently escaped in the theatre - prompting a backstage search
Follows Rowling's defence of decision to cast a black actress as Hermione

Published: 19:44 EST, 7 June 2016 | Updated: 04:11 EST, 8 June 2016

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The first preview of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was reportedly in disarray last night after a live owl apparently escaped – prompting a backstage search.

Twitter user Josh Grisetti said: '1st preview blooper! No spoilers, but... An owl just got loose in the theatre. Intermission owl hunt backstage!'

A 1,500-strong audience were the first to see the hugely anticipated play at London's Palace Theatre in the West End.

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The first preview of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was reportedly in disarray last night after a live owl apparently escaped – prompting a backstage search

Line-up: Pictured, from left to right, Director John Tiffany, Jamie Parker who plays Harry Potter, playwright Jack Thorne, Noma Dumezweni who plays Hermione Granger, actor Paul Thornley, and J.K. Rowling

Although fans were careful not to give away spoilers online they did reveal that live owls were used on social media sites.

The production, by Jack Thorne and authorised by JK Rowling, is set 19 years after the seventh and final book in the popular Hogwarts series.

It smashed records by selling 175,000 tickets in 24 hours and is tipped to be the theatrical event of the year.

Rowling warned audiences on Monday not to reveal the ending of the play to others in a video posted to her Twitter account.

She said: 'You've been amazing for years at keeping Harry Potter secrets so you didn't spoil the books for readers who came after you.

'So I'm asking you one more time to keep the secrets and let audiences enjoy Cursed Child with all the surprises that we've built into the story.'

In Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Harry will be played by Jamie Parker (left), Poppy Miller will play his wife Ginny Weasley (right) and Sam Clemmett will play their son Albus Severus Potter, who is sent off to school

The play, which follows Harry, Hermione and Ron as grown parents sending their children off to school, opened at the Palace Theatre, London for cut-price previews last night before being unveiled in a premiere on July 30

JK Rowling took to Twitter to beg fans to 'keep the secrets' of the new Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play

The play was written in collaboration with Rowling and director John Tiffany and is the first time an official Harry Potter story has been presented on stage.

More than 30 actors will tell the story of Harry, played by Jamie Parker, as an over-worked employee at the Ministry of Magic.

It will also explore how his youngest son Albus (Sam Clemmett) deals with the burden of the Potter family legacy.

Norma Dumezweni will play and adult Hermione Granger.

In an interview with the Observer Rowling lashed out at 'a bunch of racists' who criticised the casting of a black actress for the role.

She said: 'I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione 'turned white' – that is, lost colour from her face after a shock – that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with.

Olivier-award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni was picked for the role of Hermione

'But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm.'

She added that Olivier winning Dumezweni 'was the best actress for the job'.

The script for the play is already topping bestseller lists, although it will not be published until after the play's official opening on 30 July.

The lucky few who managed to secure tickets for last night's show were asked to arrive at the venue an hour early for security checks.

The request follows controversy surrounding Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet at the Barbican, when security staff struggled to prevent audience members from filming or photographing forcing Cumberbatch to beg fans not to record his performance.

The hugely successful Harry Potter books, about a boy wizard who attends wizard school, have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997.

The seven books have been adapted into eight films.

FANS AND CRITICS 'SPELLBOUND' AFTER HARRY POTTER OPENING NIGHT

She released a heartfelt video message yesterday pleading with fans to 'keep the secrets' of the plot twists so as not to ruin the excitement for others, but JK Rowling can breathe a sigh of relief today after fans and journalists alike kept their word as they heaped praise on Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.

Although the show does not officially open at the Palace Theatre in London until July 30, fans have already had their first look at the latest instalment in the Potter franchise, which picks up the story 19 years after the last novel.

Rowling appeared in a short video clip before the opening preview last night, urging fans to keep plot details under wraps. Audience members were also issued with #KeepTheSecrets badges as a reminder.

And while no major plot twist secrets have been leaked from the two-part stage play, fans and journalists who saw the first instalment made it clear they were spellbound.

Author JK Rowling (pictured) had sent out a heartfelt video message to fans of the wizardry franchise, begging them to not spoil the plot of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for others once the previews opened

Clare Fitzsimons wrote in The Mirror: 'Spells and hexes combined with laughs and drama mean Harry Potter And The Cursed Child will be every bit the hit everyone expects.'

She added: 'Judging by the whooping and cheering, nobody was disappointed.'

Fitzsimons said the play will appeal to super-fans and Potter novices alike.

Hannah Furness wrote in the Daily Telegraph: 'The storyline, a hymn to friendship and teenage misfits, contains enough twists to please the most knowledgeable of fans, who remained resolutely tight-lipped about the plot as they spilled on to the pavement in raptures afterwards.

'Any fears that the world of Hogwarts on stage would struggle to compete with the multimillion-dollar special effects of film were quickly kicked into touch. Objects seemed to disappear before our eyes and characters appeared as if from nowhere.'

She added: 'The script, written by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany around an original new story by JK Rowling, is fast moving and, most importantly, funny. But for all the laughs and tricks, this story also promises to be a thriller.

'Has Rowling done it again? The audience was in no doubt.'

Meanwhile, the New York Times also heaped praise upon the play. It said: 'The three main characters remained true to their younger selves... The audience cannot be more thrilled or more appreciative or more ready to be caught up in the spirit of the undertaking.'

Anticipation is building for the new stage play which is set 19 years after the last Harry Potter book finished

Actor Paul Thornley, actress Noma Dumezweni and actor Jamie Parker, who play Harry, Hermione and Ron in the Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, were all met with rapturous applause and praise after the preview

There was also praise for actors Jamie Parker (Harry Potter), Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger) and Paul Thornley (Ron Weasley).

Fans agreed, with Ollie Grainger teasing on Twitter: 'Interval. IT'S MAGICAL. That's all I'm saying.'

Shama Hussain wrote: 'The only disappointment about @HPPlayLDN #CursedChild is that I can't reread it over & over like a book. Stunning performances.'

Maddie Campion said: '#CursedChild is fantastic - really funny, impressive, magic is perfectly executed. Doesn't feel restricted as a play. Cast is perfect.'

The script is set to be published as a book on July 31, which is Rowling's and Harry Potter's birthday - allowing fans who cannot afford to see the play, or who missed out on tickets, to find out what happens to Harry and his friends.

The plot for the play reads: '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.'