We’re thrilled to confirm Jamie Parker, Noma Dumezweni & Paul Thornley will play Harry, Hermione & Ron #CursedChild pic.twitter.com/s1rsDbrXMO
— Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (@CursedChildLDN) December 21, 2015
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a stage play about the Boy Who Lived and his son, Albus, that’s coming to London’s West End in 2016, has found its cast. Jamie Parker, Paul Thornley, and Noma Dumezweni will play Harry, Ron, and Hermione, respectively. Those names were probably foreign to most Harry Potter devotees before today, but Dumezweni, a Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress of South African heritage, has quickly become a fan favorite.
The biggest fan of all: J.K. Rowling.
Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione 😘 https://t.co/5fKX4InjTH
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 21, 2015
The author also retweeted this fan art.
Some of my favourite Hermione fanarts next to our new Hermione! pic.twitter.com/80bIkcLBMJ
— alice (@alwaysdragxns) December 20, 2015
Rowling told fansite Pottermore, “I’m so excited with the choice of casting for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I can’t wait to see Jamie, Noma, and Paul bring the adult Harry, Hermione and Ron to life on stage next summer.”
The original text makes reference to Hermione’s “white face,” which racists (who believe in magic, but draw the line at black wizards) are going to use as proof that the stage play ISN’T CANON. But who cares? It’s an adaptation, and having Hermione be played by Dumezweni allows for different stories than the ones we read in the books or saw in the films (it certainly adds new meaning to her being discriminated against for being a “mudblood”).
One big question remains, though: Are the Weird Sisters still together?
(Via Pottermore)
