There are several lines of dialog from the Harry Potter films that live on as part of a universal language among fans—one of these is “Scared, Potter?” First spit out by Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, released in 2002, those words are now being heard again in person from the same actor in the same role at the Lyric Theatre in New York City. When Tom delivered this line during a scene in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child where an adult Draco and Harry get into a duel, the audience went wild. And that enthusiasm and nostalgia could be felt throughout the theater for the duration of the production.

In his Broadway debut, Tom is reprising his role as Draco in the stage play through May 2026. The 38-year-old has been vocal about how surreal the experience of stepping back into the Slytherin’s shoes after one and a half decades has been, and it’s just as special for fans who are getting to see the rare occurrence of an actor returning to play a character at a later stage in life.

Hosts Amy and Nicole were among those able to attend a performance of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child featuring Tom and even meet him at the stage door. Read below for more details and tips for navigating the experience.

Where to Sit

There are three levels of seating at the Lyric Theatre: orchestra, dress circle, and balcony. We recommend snagging tickets in the dress circle. The rows are on enough of a slope to allow you to see clearly over the audience members in front of you, and the section is close enough to the stage that you can still see the actors’ faces. The dress circle is also significantly cheaper than orchestra seats.

Entering the Theater

Doors open one hour prior to the show. Because there are photo ops inside the theater and getting through the bathroom and concession lines takes some time, we recommend taking full advantage of that hour before curtain.

You can enter the theater on either 42nd or 43rd Street. The main entrance is on 43rd, but we recommend going through the doors to the gift shop on 42nd. There is typically no line on this side of the building, so you can look at all the merch before the crowd from the other side gets in.

Tom Felton Merch

There are a variety of exclusive items for sale to commemorate Tom’s run in the show, including two T-shirts featuring him in full costume as Draco Malfoy, a magnet, a poster, and a button pack. As of November, the souvenir program for the show does not feature Tom in any of the photos.

Stage Door

Tom has been very consistently meeting fans who line up at the stage door after performances. However, if you’re attending a matinee, he may not go down the line, but will wave and directly leave. So for the highest chance at meeting him, attend an evening performance or swing by the stage door on a night you don’t have tickets for. We chose the latter option the night before our show since we (correctly) didn’t anticipate him coming out after our matinee.

The show started at 8 pm, and we got there around 9 pm. If we had been any later, we wouldn’t have gotten a spot at the barricade, so we recommend arriving within an hour after the show starts if you’re trying to do this. This is because the theater has started saving a portion of the barricade for fans who have tickets for that particular show, since crowds have been lining up outside the door while the show is going on. And if you’re not at the barricade, you likely won’t get an interaction since he goes down the line once and that’s it.

The show is three hours long including intermission, and Tom came out to meet fans about 40 minutes after it ended. He was lovely as always, chatting and taking photos with everyone. He has started to sign autographs less in favor of group selfies, likely to save on time, especially after these late shows.

Our last word of advice is to stay orderly and be polite. Tom gets understandably annoyed when people start yelling or pushing, and he will skip over groups if there is any of this type of behavior happening. Be kind, treat Tom and those around you with respect, and everyone will have a good time!