The first 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' reactions are here, and they're magical

LONDON — So Part One of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play had its first preview last night — and from the sounds of it, the show will be every bit as magical as we'd hoped.

The official eighth chapter in the story of our favourite wizard has been split into two parts for its stage adaption — the first preview of Part One took place Tuesday evening, and fans from around the world queued up to see how the things would unfold for Harry's family 19 years after the story told in the books.

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Outside London's Palace Theatre, the tension was mounting.

Finally, it was time to begin.

The efforts to keep the show spoiler-free for others have been high in the build-up, with J.K. Rowling even appearing in a video appealing directly to fans to keep everything secret.

On leaving the theatre, audience members were handed #KeepTheSecrets badges.

From the sounds of it, though, Part One went down very well.

Aside from the play's synopsis, plot details are shrouded in secrecy at the moment. From the sounds of it, though, Scorpius Malfoy is going to play a big part.

"I really liked the character of Scorpius Malfoy and seeing Harry, Ron and Hermione grown up," an audience member called Natalie, from Ohio, told the BBC. "I think they did the magic on stage really well."

Before the play, J.K. Rowling tweeted a special good luck message to Anthony Boyle, who plays Draco's son.

The first preview of Part Two — the final part — will take place on Thursday evening. The start of public showings — and the release of the script — will take place July 31.