Unfortunately, not everyone can secure a spot on the train to Hogwarts — at least for now.
Many people who registered through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan System in hopes of purchasing advance tickets for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Broadway on Wednesday found themselves lacking access codes (which were sent out by email and were needed in order to purchase tickets) and placed instead on a standby list because of high demand.
By 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Ticketmaster confirmed that all the available tickets had been sold and advised that additional tickets will go on sale before preview performances begin. The purpose of the early registration effort was to avoid scalpers and bots.
According to the show’s producers, anyone who was identified as a genuine ticket buyer through the vetting process was equally eligible to be selected at random to receive an access code. However, it was made clear from the beginning that registration did not guarantee an access code.
Controversial Michael Brown drama hits New York
“Ferguson,” a highly controversial new courtroom drama by politically conservative Irish writer-filmmaker Phelim McAleer that dramatizes Police Officer Darren Wilson’s grand jury testimony following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, will open on Monday at the 30th Street Theatre, an off-off-Broadway venue. When a staged reading of the play was produced in L.A. in 2015, nine cast members quit over concerns that it was biased toward Wilson. On Indiegogo.com, where McAleer has sought crowdfunding, the writer said the play doesn’t have an agenda: “It presents the exact testimony and asks you to decide for yourself.”
‘War Paint’ advances closing date
The Broadway musical “War Paint,” will close on Nov. 5 (rather than Dec. 30, the previously announced date) to allow Patti LuPone (who stars as cosmetics giant Helena Rubenstein, alongside Christine Ebersole’s Elizabeth Arden) to undergo hip replacement surgery. “For several months I have been performing in a great deal of pain,” LuPone said in a statement.
Leavel, Sieber and lots of little girls set for ‘Annie’ at Paper Mill
Broadway veterans Beth Leavel (“The Drowsy Chaperone”) and Christopher Sieber (“Shrek”) will lead the holiday-time revival of the perennial cheer-up musical “Annie” at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse, playing Miss Hannigan and Oliver Warbucks respectively, with performances beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 22. The role of the title orphan will be shared by Peyton Ella (who recently played Annie at Westchester Broadway Theater) and Cassidy Pry (a New Jersey native). “Annie” is the only show being produced by Paper Mill this season that is not a new musical or play. The world premiere of “The Honeymooners” (based on the classic television sitcom) opened last week to mixed reviews, making it uncertain whether the musical will transfer to Broadway, as previously speculated.
‘Children’s Monologues’ at Carnegie Hall featuring major actors
A starry cast (including Charlize Theron, Ewan McGregor, Susan Sarandon, Audra McDonald, Sienna Miller and Trevor Noah) will converge on Carnegie Hall on Monday, Nov. 13, to take part in “The Children’s Monologues,” a one-night benefit event directed by Oscar winner Danny Boyle that combines the real-life stories of South African children with musical performances. The children’s original words have been adapted for the stage by major playwrights including Lynn Nottage, Neil LaBute, David Hare and Tom Stoppard.
Spotted …
Shaquille O’Neal, John Travolta and Kofi Annan at “Hamilton” … Kathleen Turner at “Desperate Measures” at the York Theatre Company … F. Murray Abraham and Maura Tierney at “Measure for Measure” at the Public Theater … Mikhail Baryshnikov and Andrew Rannells at “Time and the Conways”
