Transgender rights demonstrators were removed from a red carpet in London’s West End on Thursday evening after staging a protest outside a gala performance of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
The group, some wearing masks and hats to hide their faces, lay down across the carpet at the Palace Theatre as celebrity guests began arriving for the showcase of a reworked, single-part version of the hit stage play.
Security staff moved in swiftly and escorted the demonstrators away from the entrance. One protester wore a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Rowling money kills”, an apparent reference to Harry Potter author JK Rowling, whose public statements on gender identity have drawn sustained criticism from trans rights campaigners.
The demonstration unfolded as stars walked the red carpet for the gala, which marked the unveiling of the most significant reworking of The Cursed Child since it opened. The revised production condenses the story — originally a two-part epic running to more than five hours when it premiered in 2016 — into a single performance lasting just under three hours.
The arrivals continued after the demonstrators were removed. Guests at the event included television presenter Vanessa Feltz, who arrived in a bright pink gown, alongside Good Morning Britain host Richard Arnold, The Chase star Anne Hegerty and television presenter Angellica Bell.
Divisions over Rowling’s views
Rowling has described her views on sex as “real” and “immutable”, and has criticised self-declared gender identity as “quasi-religious” and “anti-science”. She has repeatedly denied being transphobic, saying she respects “every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them”.
Her comments have split the Harry Potter fanbase and prompted a string of protests and boycotts by transgender rights activists at themed events and attractions connected to the franchise.
Thursday’s demonstration is the latest in a recent wave of direct action by trans rights campaigners targeting Harry Potter-themed events and locations, as the debate around the author’s views continues to shadow the franchise’s stage and screen ventures.
A new chapter for the Cursed Child
For the theatre itself, the gala was a landmark evening. The Cursed Child, written by Jack Thorne from a story by Thorne, Rowling and director John Tiffany, has been one of the West End’s biggest draws since its 2016 premiere, regularly selling out the Palace Theatre.
The original staging could be watched across a single day as a matinee and evening performance, or spread over two separate evenings — a commitment the new single-part version trims to one sitting of just under three hours, a move producers hope will open the show to a wider audience.
The production has been a critical and commercial triumph since its debut, winning a record-breaking nine Olivier Awards in London and six Tony Awards on Broadway, and it remains one of the most sought-after tickets in the West End.
Producers are betting the streamlined single-part format will attract both devoted fans and newcomers who were put off by the original two-show commitment, while keeping the production’s spectacular stagecraft intact.
The capital’s theatreland has enjoyed a string of celebratory moments of late, including theatre giant Andrew Lloyd Webber being made a Freeman of the City of London. Stars of stage and screen continue to flock to its opening nights, with recent productions drawing packed houses and famous faces.
But the district has also seen its share of disruption. A man was attacked outside a Victoria theatre earlier this month, in an incident police said posed no wider risk to the public.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues its run at the Palace Theatre in London.
