Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will have an exclusive season at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre in early 2019.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the award-winning eighth story in JK Rowling’s wildly popular Harry Potter series, will hit Australian shores in early 2019. Australian producer Michael Cassel – who has brought out productions such as Kinky Boots and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – will bring the two-part play, based on an original new story by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany (which was originally published as a playscript rather than a novel), to Melbourne for an exclusive season at the Princess Theatre. The production will feature an Australian cast, for which casting will begin in November.

Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildHarry Potter and the Cursed Child Original London Company. Photo © Manuel Harlan

“When we embarked on this journey, it was an objective to ensure we could get the production to Australia as soon as logistically possible,” the play’s producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Challender said. “You can’t ever assume a new play is going to have a further life, but we knew that if Harry Potter and the Cursed Child did have a life beyond London and Broadway, that the next stop would be here.”

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sees the now grow-up Harry Potter working for the Ministry of Magic, balancing work and family life and grappling with his past.

Harry PotterJamie Parker as Harry Potter from the Original London Company of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Photo © Manuel Harlan

When the show premiered in London’s West End in 2016, where it is still playing to sold out audiences, it received five stars from The Telegraph, who described it as “a magical show with a strong emotional core.” “British theatre hasn’t seen anything like it,” wrote reviewer Dominic Cavendish.

The play is presented in two parts, intended to be seen in order on the same day or consecutive evenings.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won 22 major theatre awards in the UK and broke records at the 2017 Olivier Awards, taking out nine prizes including Best New Play, beating out previous record holders Matilda the Musical and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. There are high expectations for its opening on Broadway in 2018, where it will open at the Lyric Theatre in New York. Performance and ticketing details for the Melbourne season will be announced soon.

“The Harry Potter stories have millions of fans across the globe, and so we’re very happy and proud that we’re able to bring our beautiful production to Australia, where we know a whole new audience will experience the eighth story,” said Friedman and Challender. “Melbourne is a fantastic city with such wonderful culture and heritage, and so we’re thrilled that the gorgeous Princess Theatre will be Cursed Child’s next home.”

 

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