Birmingham-born actress Cherrelle Skeete plays Rose Granger-Weasley in HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, PARTS ONE AND TWO at London’s Palace Theatre. In the eighth instalment of J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter adventures, the two-part play is set nineteen years later. Rose is the daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. She is about to embark on her first year at Hogwarts along with Harry’s son Albus. J.K.Rowling in ‘Pottermore’ said, “Rose is like her mother, but more secure, more grounded. She was born to wizards and knows her place in the world. Cherrelle plays her perfectly: bossy but deeply lovable.”

After graduating with an Honours Degree from the Central School of Speech & Drama in 2011, Cherrelle made her West End debut in THE LION KING the following year as Shenzi cover and swing. She played Sister Sally in the Olivier-nominated THE AMEN CORNER at the National in 2013, returning last year to play Katya in Patrick Marber’s THREE DAYS IN THE COUNTRY, an adaption of Ivan Turgenev’s moving comedy A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY. Cherrelle’s small screen debut was in the fourth series of the BBC period drama CALL THE MIDWIFE, then starred in the BBC1’s ORDINARY LIES.

It was a little quieter before last Saturday’s matinee, compared with the hustle and bustle of the previous week’s World Premiere gala performance when I missed Cherrelle at the stage door. This time only a handful of ‘graphers were hovering and a lot easier to have my drawing signed.