Harry Potter Weaves West End Musical Spell???
Date: 28 August 2007
This year, we’ve had Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who plays Harry Potter, making his West End debut; next year, we may have the boy wizard himself. According to the Sunday Mirror, plans are under way to create a stage musical based on JK Rowling’s seven best-selling novels. Casting agents are now searching for a young star to create the role of Harry on stage; at 18, Radcliffe is too old – and no doubt unavailable.
A “theatre insider” told the newspaper: "The musical has the potential to be huge. You are already off to a head start with the most popular book of recent times. Everyone loves the characters and the mythical world Rowling has invented. The difficulty is condensing the seven books into a manageable show. They are exploring various ideas. One possibility is to tell the whole story. Another is to just take a single plot. The plan is for spectacular flying scenes, live Quidditch and big showdowns with Voldermort."
A composer and creative team is also still being sought for the musical, which is tipped to premiere in the West End in 2008. It’s not the first time Harry Potter has worked his magic on stage. Potted Potter - which has just been seen at the Edinburgh Fringe and is now touring ahead of a possible Christmas engagement at Trafalgar Studios - takes the Reduced Shakespeare Company approach, with Blue Peter's comic storytelling duo Dan and Jeff condensing the first six books into an "unauthorised" 60-minute kids’ show.
