'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' first preview: your reactions

Last night was the first preview of the long-awaited 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' West End play. Well, the first part, at least. We went down and chatted to the audience after the show. Here's how they reacted:

"We can't tell you a thing!"

"Magical, amazing, and breathtaking."

"Magical, exciting, and just, like, thankful... for being there. It was beyond everything I imagined. I'm excited for everyone to see it or read the book."

"Entertaining, unbelievable, spectacular. It exceeded my expectations by miles. It definitely progresses the story so far forward – I'm really excited for the other half in two days' time!"

"Absolutely... incredibly... magical. It was super cool. They've just been able to create the same sense of magic you get in the movies with all the special effects using stage effects, so you don't lose that sense of wonder or excitement."

"Absolutely fucking brilliant. It was like both funny and dark at the same time, which really brought me back to that 'Deathly Hallows' feeling. It's just SO nice. The original characters have changed, but with such integrity. And I never thought theatre could do this much in terms of the staging and special effects."

"Cliff-hangery – is that a word? – awesome, and, er, scary! It's really dramatic and at the end there were... [REDACTED]."

"Phenomenal. And... no... words. And like, yeah. You can't put it into words what we just saw. Everyone was really excited, you could feel a kind of buzz in the air whenever anything happened, everyone was just anticipating everything, and then you just felt this communal awe or shock. I'd like to go back in the theatre now and watch Part Two right now!"

"Amazing amazing amazing. Best show ever. It continued the legacy, exceeded it to what we expected... there was also a loose owl?! I don't think that was meant to happen but it was really good. What I WOULD say is, don't buy a ticket to Part One, and then NEXT MONTH buy a ticket to Part Two. Watch it back to back. Because you will be in pain after part one. You will WANT to know what happens next. I'm in pain now and I just have to wait two days!"

"Wonderful stagecraft, magical, unbelievable. It takes me back to when I was reading the books. They really did it justice –  I was a big fan of the books, so to see it progress, without ever ruining anything, and all the characters from the previous generation, was great... but also to see it brought forward, and plot-driven, that's what everybody wanted. Even the mannerisms – all the old characters are so on point!"

"Absolutely mindblowing. We're making mindblowing one word? OK, absolutely FREAKING mindblowing. I was a little nervous, I didn't know what to expect, but the actors did a fantastic job of bringing the characters back to life in the present and I was really impressed. There was magic, the set design was beautiful, there was music, the set design was cool. It was great!"

Meanwhile, the excitement continued on Twitter:

sister and I sat in bed last night chatting for ages about #CursedChild because we were too hyped to sleep, it was like being a kid again

— Sophie Gadd (@sophie_gadd) June 8, 2016

All I will say is that was potentially the best thing I have ever seen... @HPPlayLDN #CursedChild #KeepTheSecrets pic.twitter.com/dbh37nKo2n

— Fraser Maxwell (@fjmaxwell) June 7, 2016

Go and see this show. Wait as long as it takes. Go. Magic is real #keepthesecrets #cursedchild

— Melinda Salisbury (@AHintofMystery) June 7, 2016

#cursedchild was amazing! The production was just...it literally looked like magic on stage. My face after part 1: pic.twitter.com/qtJFZV3YQe

— Des Or Rée (@desi8bit) June 7, 2016

Sorry not sorry for bragging, I just got home from the first preview night for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and it was SO INCREDIBLE!!!

— Nikki Plummer (@plumtingz) June 7, 2016

Everyone with #CursedChild tickets - you have SO much to look forward to. Part 1 was incredible #KeepTheSecrets pic.twitter.com/Ec9NCgTAOU

— Maddie Campion (@diaryofamaddie) June 7, 2016

The staging on #CursedChild brings the Wizarding World to life and - crucially - doesn't feel like trickery.

— Joe Utichi (@joeutichi) June 7, 2016

At full time on Harry Potter and the #CursedChild Part 1, an enormous cheer and a cliffhanger and a half.

— Joe Utichi (@joeutichi) June 7, 2016

MAGIC IS REAL. #CursedChild #KeepTheSecrets #FlippingHeck

— Ollie Grainger (@OllieGrainger) June 7, 2016

Watch people's reactions after the show:

Or, check out the best Harry Potter experiences in London.