What you need to know about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

You may have read the Harry Potter novels and seen all of the movies, but have you experienced the eighth story of the Boy Who Lived? J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World lives on as a hit play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Rowling co-wrote the story alongside Jack Thorne and John Tiffany ... and there's so much happening in it that the play had to be split into two parts!

Now, if you've got a good memory for Potter details, you should be well prepared for this adventure. But if you want a primer before your Potter Broadway experience, SYFY WIRE has you covered! Jackie Jennings recently visited The Lyric Theatre in New York City to speak with the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Along the way, we broke down the seven essential things you need to know about the play.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the end is the beginning. Which is to say that the very last scene in the novels and the films is the first scene of The Cursed Child. Most of the film is set nearly two decades after Rowling's famous stories. However, that doesn't mean that the past is gone. Several fan favorites appear in unexpected ways.

Out of the novels/movies, you're gonna want to pay close attention to The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, and The Deathly Hallows. Without spoiling anything, those stories have plot elements that are very important in The Cursed Child.

During our Potter brush-up, we also got to see some of the great set locations and props from the play. Check them out in our video! 

(Oh, and all eight Potter films — and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — are available to watch on both SYFY and USA. Check your network schedules and apps!)