First look at the Potter family from upcoming play ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

It’s been 19 years since the events of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and boy does it show.

The first images of upcoming West End stage play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” written by English playwright Jack Thorne and based on a story from Thorne and “Potter” scribe J.K. Rowling, show an abbreviated Potter family portrait featuring Harry Potter (Jamie Parker) and wife Ginny (Poppy Miller) alongside their son Albus (Sam Clemmett).

The play will serves as the eighth installment of Rowling’s blockbuster series of books that have already found success on the big screen.

The play is Intended as a two-performance experience; audiences will ideally see “Part One” in a matinee showing, followed by “Part Two” that evening, or see the parts on consecutive nights.

For Harry Potter, the boy who lived (under the stairs), life has changed a lot since the events of the books. He’s married to childhood sweetheart Ginny Potter neé Weasley, has a hectic job working for the Ministry of Magic and has three school-age children, James, Lily and young Albus.

It would appear, however, that growing up with famous parents in the world of magic is no easier now than it was when Harry was attempting the feat as a child, and Albus struggles with the legacy that comes with being Harry Potter’s son.

Though “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” doesn’t enter previews until next week, the production has garnered headlines for months, most notably with the December casting announcement that included Swaziland-born actress Noma Dumezweni as Hermione, a decision that spurred conversation among fans, given that the casting of a black actress was a significant departure from the character played by Emma Watson in the films.

When the fervor arose, Rowling tweeted, “Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione.”

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is not the only new entrant into the Potter universe this year, with the film adaptation of Rowling’s book “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” starring Eddie Redmayne, scheduled to debut Nov. 16.

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