Hungarian Harry Potter to Hit the Stage

Hungarian fans of "Harry Potter" now have something to look forward to, other than the next installment in the phenomenally successfully series of books by British author J. K. Rowling. According to radio.hu, the Tamás Hibó Art School in the northern town of Salgótarján recently received permission from Rowling and Warner Brothers to present a musical theater version of the story about the young wizard and his band of extremely gifted fellow students.

Writer and composer László Varga said the play will have its premiere next May, after which it will likely tour the country. Currently, casting and a search for sponsors are underway. According to the contract with the owners of the rights to the vastly profitable franchise, all proceeds from the musical have to be spent on developing the school, and neither Rowling nor Warner will kick in a dime for the production. Nevertheless, according to László, it's a "major thing" to have received permission in the first place, as apparently there are hundreds of such requests sent to Potter HQ every day, and months are known to pass before petitioners get a response, which is almost always a rejection. Either way, it sure beat the shit out of having to do "Oklahoma."