Three Chicago actors cast in Broadway premiere of Harry Potter show

Let’s just say that three Chicago actors — Alex Weisman, Jessie Fisher and James Romney — will probably be taking very long leases on New York apartments soon.

And why is that? It’s because they’ve all been cast in what is sure to be the most enormous Broadway box office hit of 2018 and beyond: the U.S. premiere of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the two-part play that broke records in its 2016 London debut.

The show, based on a new story by J.K. Rowling, director John Tiffany and Jack Thorne (who penned the show’s script), is set 19 years after the events in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” and follows Harry, now a Ministry of Magic employee as well as a husband and the father of three school-age children, including his youngest son, Albus Severus Potter, who is about to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Weisman, who, like Romney, will be making his Broadway debut, has appeared on stages throughout Chicago, in productions by TimeLine Theatre (“The History Boys”) and, more recently, in a bravura turn with a puppet in “Hand to God” at Victory Gardens Theater.

Fisher, a gifted musician as well as an actress, starred in “Once” on Broadway, left her mark on the Chicago Children’s Theatre production of “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” and Steppenwolf Theatre’s “Constellations,” and more recently received raves for her performance at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in “Grounded,” a one-woman show about a fighter pilot.

Romney starred in Theo Ubique’s 2016 production of “Fly by Night,” an intimate musical in which he played a young sandwich maker and wannabe songwriter.

According to Weisman, the actors, who are part of a large ensemble cast, are not allowed to say who they are playing at this point.

Seven actors from the show’s London cast will reprise their roles in New York: Jamie Parker (as Harry Potter); Noma Dumezweni (as Hermione Granger); Paul Thornley (as Ron Weasley); Poppy Miller (as Ginny Potter); Sam Clemmett (as Albus Potter); Alex Price (as Draco Malfoy), and Anthony Boyle (as Scorpius Malfoy).

Preview performances will begin in New York at the fully renovated Lyric Theatre in March with an official opening set for April 22. Tickets will go on sale Oct. 12 via Ticketmaster Verified Fan® following a required registration period between Oct. 1 and Oct. 5. This will be the first time that a Broadway show has used this program, which protects ticket buyers from bots and scalpers. For additional information visit www.HarryPotterThe Play.com.