Interview: Joshua Sullivan, Tamia Renée Alexandra & Kai Spackman On 10 Years Of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

As Harry Potter and the Cursed Child celebrates its landmark 10th anniversary in the West End this week, the ‘younger’ cast members are proving that the magic of the production extends far beyond its breathtaking stagecraft. Speaking about their roles, Joshua Sullivan who plays Albus Potter, Kai Spackman who plays Scorpius Malfoy and Tamia Renée Alexandra who plays Rose Granger Weasley, reflected on the themes that continue to resonate with audiences a decade after the show's debut, with a particular focus on their friendship, identity, family and belonging.

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One of the greatest strengths of the play is its focus on the next generation. What do you think makes these younger characters so relatable today?

Kai: Scorpius is so relatable because he can be so entirely himself. He isn't afraid to own his quirks and qualities, flaws from some perspectives. He isn't afraid to be himself, even when the world around him is trying to shape him with rumours and gossip into something else. I think that's relatable to an extent that it's what we all kind of aspire to be. It's almost inspiring more than it's relatable. He loves to laugh with his friends, and he has a real eagerness to engage in the magical world.

The friendship between Albus and Scorpius is beautiful and inspiring. Why do you think audiences connect with it so deeply?

Joshua: Albus and Scorpius are somewhat opposites. They're the ying to each other's yang. They match each other, and what one maybe lacks, the other one fills in, and vice versa. There's this expectation of the Malfoy’s and the Potters, to be born enemies, but they choose to completely ignore the legacy of their parents and decide to choose each other. For Albus, he's so isolated with his family, he's the only Slytherin, he's a middle child, he's got classic middle child syndrome. Scorpius is his one and only true friend, who he can really relate to and talk to about things that he's struggling with. It's so beautiful, they don't care what other people think of them. They're so true to themselves in the way that they feel about each other, that they stick by that and stand by that. 

Rose is confident, intelligent and fiercely independent. Tamia, what have you most enjoyed about bringing her to life?

Tamia: Rose has given me confidence; she's taught me a lot about myself and how I want to come across and to other people. Also to stand up for things that I believe in. If I think something's unfair, it's okay to have a voice. Rose leads her house and she's very admirable for just being present and real with everyone. That's something that I think I am in real life and something that I'd like to continue to be. She's very loyal to her family, so I feel like she has like a lot of characteristics that I have. We've got a lot of similarities, but we also have some differences that I'd like to inherit from her. I know, it's like, gorgeous. She's really great and I enjoy playing her a lot as she's kind of just a heightened, exaggerated version of myself. Shout out, Rose.

Every generation faces expectations from those who came before them. How does the play explore finding your own identity?

Kai: Beneath the magic, spectacle and the wonders, the play is about the relationship between fathers and sons and parents and children. It doesn't shy away from difficult aspects of parent-child relationships. We argue, we disagree, we fall out, we run away from each other. It is presented in a way that is truthful, which allows the audience and cast to accept these difficulties and these nuances.

It would be very easy for Harry Potter being the hero that he is, to write him as having the perfect children, and for Draco Malfoy being a villainous figure in the original stories, to have him have children that are likewise inclined. To flip that on its head, is realistic at the least, and confronting at its best as well.

How have you developed the chemistry between your characters during rehearsals and performances?

Joshua: We built a chemistry in rehearsals; we were in this together. It mimicked that bonding as we spent so much time together in rehearsal. We got to know each other as well as got to know each other as our characters, so we got to figure out, this is your Albus, this is your Scorpius. We really like clicked and understood what each other were. During performances, we discover even more, so with DRP (David Ricardo Pearce) who plays Harry, every time we do the blanket scene or the final scene at the end, there's always something new to discover. I think it's all about being playful and experimenting, constantly. That's what makes it fun. We make it a bit of a game sometimes, keeping it fresh or you're doing yourself a disservice. You owe it to yourself to play and discover new things.

What has been the most rewarding part of joining a production with such an extraordinary legacy?

Tamia: Getting to celebrate the 10-year anniversary is exciting, I've only been here for a short amount of time, but I'm here representing all the Rose’s that have come before me. To be the front of that is rewarding. Also, to be around all these cast members and people who have been in the show from years ago and new faces of the show is such a lovely dynamic. This cast is very close and we're all like a family and we all support each other on and off stage. If something was to happen on stage, you don't feel as bad about it because you've got the people on stage to support you, and then we all kind of laugh about it off stage and then talk about it for a bit, and then we get on with it, you don't dwell on it for a long amount of time because it feels safe. I think it's so important to have cast members that you just feel safe and comfortable around because it just makes the whole experience a lot easier for you.

What moment in the show always reminds you why live theatre is so magical?

Joshua: One thing comes to my mind straight away. I watched this show at age 11 or 12. And I only saw part two for some reason, don't know why. I had no idea what was going on, but I remembered the magic and how incredible it was. There was one moment where a character transformed. I remember watching that as a kid and being absolutely mind blown. So, every time it happens on stage and I'm looking at it, not from the audience point of view, but from the point of view of the people on stage. I always have a little pinch me moment there as I know how privileged I am to be able to be here.

There is something about live theatre and this show, aside from films and TV special effects and whatnot, and it looks really cool, but live theatre, it's happening right in front of you. The connection between the audience and the people on stage is real. We feel it every single time, you're always in relationship with the audience. To feed off each other's energy the entire time. When you hear reactions to magic tricks, and you hear people gasp at certain lines and laugh and cry, it's all fuel for everyone and everything, it's so lovely to experience that. I think that's the thing about live theatre, that connection is so special between the people who watch it and the people who do it.

If you could borrow one magical object from the Wizarding World for a day, which would you choose and why?

Kai: Time Turner, it's very useful, it'd be so cool to be able to travel back in time and see things from a different perspective.

Joshua: For one day I'd just grab a wand. I’d cast some spells, hit a little Accio. Come over here, you know?

Tamia: I'd say the invisibility cloak, so I can get into rooms that I wouldn't normally be able to. Do some eavesdropping, who doesn't like an eavesdrop?

Looking ahead to the next ten years, what do you hope audiences continue to discover in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?

Kai: I hope that the audience continue to see themselves presented on stage in whichever way that may be. I hope the audience and cast find that wonderful moment which is specific to that day and that magical pun fully intended, magical connection of telling such a big epic story together.

Tamia: I hope audiences continue to be in awe of all the magic and the magic stays fresh and alive.

Joshua: That the connection between the people who watch it and the people who do it stays as tangible as it always is. It's something you only experience by going to the theatre. I hope people relate to things in their own lives. It’s the George Bernard Shaw’s quote that theatre holds up a mirror to life. Being able to see yourself on stage and bring it back into the way that you deal with things day to day, it's such a wonderful thing, and I hope that's what I hope people take away from this 10 years on.

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