Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, with famed Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, have confirmed they are in exclusive talks with The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) to bring the London production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to Broadway’s Lyric Theatre.
The London production of the two-part, six-hour Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is sold out for most of the next two years and advance sale reportedly stands at a record $50 million.
According to a December 1 press release, ATG plans a multi-million dollar renovation to completely transform, remodel, and reconfigure the 1,900-seat theatre, currenty Broadway’s largest, and turn it into a scaled-down, more intimate playhouse, with approximately 1,500 seats. The back wall of the orchestra reportedly will be moved closer to the stage.
“We are thrilled about ATG’s ambitious plans which will provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a unique theatre space tailored to the specific needs of the production over the play’s two parts,” said Friedman and Callender. “The remodeled Lyric will include a smaller auditorium redesigned to the specifications of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child team, as well as an adapted proscenium and stage that can house designer Christine Jones’ glorious set without swamping or compromising director John Tiffany’s brilliant staging. The spacious front-of-house environment will also be transformed to optimize the atmosphere and audience experience.
“But above all, ATG’s plans will provide Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with a bespoke home that will be intimate enough for a drama, yet big enough for us to deliver on our commitment to provide audiences with access to low priced tickets throughout the auditorium.”
J.K. Rowling added, “I’m delighted we are one step closer in bringing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to Broadway and very excited by the proposed plans.”
A further renovation was reported by The New York Post, but not confirmed by ATG. The Lyric’s main entrance reportedly will be switched from the traditional 42nd Street side to the 43rd Street side (which has its own separate and rarely used box office), where it will dominate a block that has no other Broadway theatres.
Rowling previously told Playbill.com, “[With] Cursed Child, we did very much look into Broadway, but I have no dates to tell you—yet—but, certainly, we hope…”
Further updates are to be announced at a later date.
The play, which is presented in two parts, finds them now as adults. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted.
For more information, visit HarryPotterthePlay.com.
