Use of live owls dropped from Harry Potter play

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter holding an owl.

LONDON: The new Harry Potter play in London has removed the use of live owls from the production.

The decision follows an incident during the first show when an owl escaped into the auditorium.
The bird had failed to return to its handler after making a brief flight during a scene.
Meanwhile, J.K. Rowling urged fans not to ruin the magic by letting its secrets out.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” has had its first preview at London’s Palace Theatre, with audience members given buttons urging them to #keepthesecret.
In a recorded message, Rowling encouraged theatergoers to “let audiences enjoy ‘Cursed Child’ with all the surprises that we’ve built into the story.”
Rowling has long striven to spare fans spoilers for her immensely popular saga. When the final book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” was released in 2007, the author pleaded with readers not to give away the secret of whether Harry lived or died.
“Cursed Child” — staged as two plays — picks up the story 19 years after the climax of the final novel. Its characters include the adult Harry and his younger son, Albus Severus Potter, a student at Hogwarts school.
A synopsis says Harry is now an overworked civil servant in the Ministry of Magic, while his son is struggling “with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted.”
The Daily Telegraph said Wednesday that audience members were “in raptures” after Tuesday’s performance, the first night of almost eight weeks of previews.