Dressed in Hogwarts robes and waving wands, eager fans got a first glimpse of the next instalment in the “Harry Potter” saga, giving a new London stage production glowing reviews.

    “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” brings back to life author J.K. Rowling’s magical world of wizards and witches, set 19 years after her last book about the much-loved character and his friends Ron and Hermione.

    The play, the eighth story in the series, opened for previews on Tuesday night at London’s Palace Theater, outside which queues snaked for meters as those who secured the first tickets waited anxiously to get in.

    The play, split into two parts, follows the three friends into adulthood, with Potter now described as an overworked Ministry of Magic employee, coping with his youngest son Albus’ struggles with his famous family’s legacy.

    British actor Jamie Parker, 37, is Potter now. He’s excited about the role. “These are stories that people have lived with for their whole lives, they’ve grown up with and now they’re adults re-joining the tale, picking it up where they left off and I’m one of them. I don’t really know how to put it into words, it’s just immeasurably exciting and I can’t wait to show it to people.”

    Little else has been revealed and Rowling, whose books were turned into box-office-hit movies, has asked that audiences do not spoil the story for others.

    “I really liked the films but after seeing this, I would say, forget the films,” fan Callum Fawcett said. “This is fantastic ... It’s got everything.”

    “It was utterly remarkable, just incredible,” fellow fan Ollie Southgate added. “It’s a whole different version of everything that everyone loves about the books ... The visual effects they’ve got is like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

    The play is based on a story written by Rowling, screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany. Journalists said audiences were enchanted.

    (SD-Agencies)