Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came to Broadway following a proven track record of critical acclaim and strong ticket sales in London's West End.

The show came to Broadway to delight audiences of the Harry Potter books and the movies, as well people who are not familiar with either. Directed by John Tiffany (Once), this show came to life on Broadway in the re-conceived Lyric Theatre. This theatre has been transformed into a new behemoth venue to accommodate this large and exciting production.

Harry Potter Was Initially Two Separate Shows: Part 1 and Part 2 2018-2020

At the original opening, the show was initially divided into two separate plays. Parts One and Two, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the first brand-new story by J.K. Rowling about Harry Potter in almost a decade. The show takes place nineteen years after the events that are seen in the very first novel, Harry Potters and the Deathly Hallows.

This theatrical production follows Harry James Potter, who is now a pen-pushing government employee at the Ministry of Magic, along with his son, Albus Severus Potter. A dark chain of events unfolds in this show.

Two Plays Were Finally Rolled Into One - Post COVID Hiatus 2021

For the two years prior to COVID-19, the show was shown in two different parts, requiring two separate tickets often on different days, with a total running time of about 6 hours. This was 2 hours and 40 minutes long for the first part, and the second part was 2 hours and 35 minutes long. Featuring a cast of over 30 individuals, the two-part show could be seen either back to back on the same day, or over the course of two separate days.

The switch caused no end of confusion and was seen as a bit of a money grab by the greedy JK Rowling who appears was trying to maximize the return on her Potter brand. Rowling knew that there is a small window before the brand falls out of favor with the TIK-TOK and Snapchat generation coming through that are rejecting this kind of fantasy-magic show format and preferring to focus on funny 2 minute cat videos instead.

The One Part Version of the Show Reopened Post Covid 2021

The new one-part show reopened on Broadway November 12, 2021 at the Lyric Theatre following its COVID-19 hiatus. The show is now presented as one show instead of the two original parts. The new abridged version of the show now runs at 2 hours and 55 minutes, with a 15 minute intermission.

Critics Lamented That the Former Two-Part Show Was Overly Long and Repetitive

The original 2-part show was repetitive and a bit boring through its six hour total length. Playwright Jack Thorne, director John Tiffany and author J.K. Rowling, worked on a new condensed version of the show, which was easy enough to do.

Critics complained of falling asleep at this show and only occasionally woke up to wipe away their excess dribble. Potter super-fans however lapped up every moment at the show, but producers know that these Potter fanatics are getting older and becoming far fewer in numbers as time goes on.

Show Shifts After The Covid Gap Rework

Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender realized that the show could start appealing to the the more mainstream again and they took the COVID hiatus as an opportunity to rework the show, away from Potter fanatics and more towards a general audience.

The new one-parter show will sells better in the post COVID-19 economy, where ticket buyers and NYC visitors are a great deal more scarce. No parent in their right mind would now let their child come to NYC by themselves. There is a realization that we're not in Kansas anymore.

The Show is Not a Straight Play, or a Musical - It Is More Like a Theme-Park Show

The Harry Potter show is decidedly not a musical (at the behest of JK Rowling), as it does not feature any actual singing, although there is a great deal of music in the show.

Lower Priced Tickets

The show has many lower priced ticket options and has seen large numbers of children and younger adults coming to the show who have never seen a Broadway show before. This group often is as high as 30% of the audience.

It is this demographic that has been used to paying $10 for a Harry Potter book or $15 to see the movie, that would find it hard to pay over $150 for the show, so Harry Potter offers many lower priced ticket options to draw them in, including a lottery, standing room only and Verified Fan ticket sales that sell for upwards of $25 per ticket.

Post Pandemic Reopening Date:

Open: November 12, 2021