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A Reimagined Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Has Hit The Stage At Melbourne’s Princess Theatre

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The two-part epic Harry Potter and the Cursed Child  theatre production has been on show at the magical Princess Theatre for some time now. Between a raft of lockdowns, the critically acclaimed show and its Melbourne season has welcomed guests to oft-sold out shows week-in, week-out—though its swan song is near, at least in its current 5 hour+, two-part format.

While die-hard Potterheads couldn't get enough of the two-parter marathon, many will relish in the fact Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will continue its Melbourne season, however as a reimagined, one-part performance. 

The decision to consolidate the production wasn’t made easily, though producer Colin Callender and team confidently believe theatre-goers won’t miss out on the magic—figuratively and literally—regardless of which version they see.

“As a starting point, we had to include all the illusions, all the magic, all the special effects. everything that people would say 'oh my goodness how on earth did they do that'. We wanted to keep all of that in the new one-part, and one of the challenges was finding a version which kept all of that, while at the same time telling the story,” said Callender.

Those familiar with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child—which extends into the future of the Potterverse, telling a tale of Harry’s son Albus—will be aware it’s one that’s rich in everything one would expect from the world of Potter, but also rich in intricate storylines and emotion. So how is something so detailed and sprawled across two separate parts successfully repackaged into one? Callender explains that the spell is in staying true to the story.

“We didn't let go of anything that we thought was fundamentally central to the story. And so, in the end we wanted to protect the story of Albus and Scorpius, and we wanted to protect the story of Harry and his son, and I feel as though we’ve done that.”

Those hoping to take The Hogwarts Express through the one-part can do so right now. Book your tickets here.

Catch up on everything else happening around Melbourne here.

Image credit: supplied

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