The first performance will take place on Friday 9 October, with the reimagined production currently booking to 27 June 2027. The one-part production has a running time of 2 hours and 55 minutes including one interval.
I have seen both versions of the show and you can read my thoughts on which I thought works best below.
Celebrating 10 years at the Palace Theatre in July, the final performance of the original multi-award-winning two-part production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be on 20 September 2026, as previously announced, marking the culmination of a celebratory decade of extraordinary achievement, innovation and creative collaboration since the original critically-acclaimed production opened at the Palace Theatre in July 2016. Having welcomed over 2.2 million people, including over 300,000 first-time theatregoers, now is the final chance to book tickets for the two-part production.
Since its world premiere in London, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has achieved global success with 9 productions staged around the world including six productions currently running worldwide in London, New York, Hamburg, Tokyo, a North American tour, and the Netherlands production which opened earlier this month. Previous productions have been staged in Melbourne, San Francisco, and Toronto.
Based on the beloved book and film series by J K Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was brought to life as a stage show, opening at the Palace Theatre in London in 2016. A two-part play, set years after the final Harry Potter book, telling the story of Harry and his son, who is off to Hogwarts school himself, under pressure to live up to his father’s historical past.
In 2018, the play opened on Broadway in the same format, two plays, both around 2.5 hours each, which could be viewed on the same day (one in the afternoon and one in the evening), or in separate parts on any given days.
But during the pandemic, when all theatres were closed, the New York production announced that when it returned to the Lyric Theater stage in November 2021, it would be as one condensed 3.5-hour show (with one interval).
Whilst in New York this week, I was curious to go and check it out to see how it worked as one long show.
Firstly, as it is one show, you only pay the price for one (making it half the price it would cost to see both parts in London). I paid the equivalent of £75 for a third-row seat in the dress circle (the best place to sit in my opinion for the special effects), which would be around that price or slightly more (when I compare to current tickets on sale for the London production) per part.
Secondly, Broadway theatres are much more modern than those in the West End and obstructed views are far less of an occurrence, meaning you don’t have to worry about getting vertigo if you sit in the cheap seats at the top of the theatre or book in fear of having a pillar in front of your seat, blocking your view.
This was my third time seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and despite the fact they must have shaved an hour off of the play to make it fit into 3.5 hours, I didn’t notice anything that had been cut. I am sure die-hard fans of the show will be able to tell me but it didn’t affect the story or my enjoyment.
I was unsure how it would feel sitting still, watching a play for that length of time with only one break but it was actually very comfortable and the time flew by. Even the youngsters in the audience seemed fine with the lengthy acts which surprised me.
Overall I would definitely say there is a place for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to be a condensed, single show. Hardcore fans of the books may prefer the longer, two part version, but for those who don’t want to spend a whole day watching one show, this abridged version is perfect.
19 years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, they’re back on a most extraordinary new adventure – this time, joined by a brave new generation that has only just arrived at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prepare for spectacular spells, a mind-blowing race through time, and an epic battle to stop mysterious forces, all while the future hangs in the balance.
The West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the only version worldwide shown in two parts and the only production where you can see 9 of the characters from the Harry Potter series – Hagrid, Bane, Bathilda Bagshot, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, Dudley Dursley, Young Harry and Lily Potter Jr – alongside Harry, Ron and Hermione and many more.
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany
Written by Jack Thorne
Directed by John Tiffany
Movement by Steven Hoggett
Set by Christine Jones
Costumes by Katrina Lindsay
Music & arrangements by Imogen Heap
Lighting by Neil Austin
Sound by Gareth Fry
Illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison
Music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe
Casting by Julia Horan CDG and Lotte Hines CDG.
Booking until
Current 2-part production – 20 September 2026
New 1-part production – from 6 October 2026 – 27 June 2027
Running Time
Current 2-part production
Part One, 2hrs 40mins including 1 interval
Part Two, 2hrs 35mins including 1 interval
New 1-part production
2 hours and 55 minutes, including one interval
Theatre
Palace Theatre, 113 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 5AY
Age Recommendation
10+
British Sign Language Performances
Sunday 17 January 2027 at 2:30pm
Sunday 9 May 2027 at 2:30pm
Captioned Performances
Sunday 31 January 2027 at 2.30pm
Sunday 16 May 2027 at 2.30pm
Audio Described Performances
Sunday 24 January 2027 at 2.30pm
Sunday 23 May 2027 at 2.30pm
