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'You are literally vile scum'

Harry Potter fans after touts put tickets for West End play on sale for £900 each

Author JK Rowling wanted to attract new audiences to the theatre, but touts are reselling tickets for a huge mark-up

TICKETS for the Harry Potter play were being sold for £900 by touts today — as 150,000 fans queued to buy them on the official website.

Around 250,000 tickets went on sale at 11am for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, which runs until next December.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child had its official gala opening last week, and has been a hit with fans and critics alike
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child had its official gala opening last week, and has been a hit with fans and critics alikeCredit: PA:Press Association
But many fans will struggle to see the play after long online queues meant many failed to get tickets when the second wave went on sale on Thursday, and resale prices are as high as £1000 for two tickets
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But many fans will struggle to see the play after long online queues meant many failed to get tickets when the second wave went on sale on Thursday, and resale prices are as high as £1000 for two ticketsCredit: PA:Press Association
The play follows Harry Potter and his family nineteen years after the books ended
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The play follows Harry Potter and his family nineteen years after the books endedCredit: PA:Press Association

Author JK Rowling hoped to attract kids from “non-theatre going families” to the West End show, with 300 seats for each performance priced at £20 or less.

But screengrabs showed 150,000 waiting in the online ticket queue while tickets appeared on eBay for £600 and on resale site StubHub for £900.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling wanted to help introduce non-theatregoing children to plays. But she may not get her wish as so many tickets have been snapped up by touts.
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling wanted to help introduce non-theatregoing children to plays. But she may not get her wish as so many tickets have been snapped up by touts.Credit: Getty Images

Touts were called "vile scum" by angry Twitter users who had been waiting to join the queue as soon as it opened.

Marlies Van Eunen wrote: "Wizardingworld unite and let us all rise against the evil and foul souls selling their #CursedChild tickets on ebay."

While another user said they were "utterly devastated" to have spent the whole day queuing for nothing.

Others questioned whether there was any point in continuing to wait to buy tickets.

And although those who did eventually get tickets were pleased, many had waited for 10 hours to get them, and will still have to wait over a year to see the play.

A spokesman for the show said tickets advertised on re-sale sites will “be automatically void”.

While a ticket lottery every Friday may help some fans win cheap tickets every week.

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