Harry Potter play producer says cost of living made two-part show ‘impossible’

A Harry Potter And The Cursed Child producer has said the rising cost of living made it “literally impossible” to retain the play’s original format in two parts.

The production has been cut down to a single three-hour show and is set to re-open in the West End next month.

“The cost of living has gone up 30-40% since the pandemic, including running shows,” producer Sonia Friedman said in comments reported by media at a launch event. “The only way we could continue to run it as a two-parter would be by charging an amount for the tickets that would be unaffordable and inaccessible.”

The two-part play, a sequel to JK Rowling’s books, premiered in the West End in 2016 and closed on 20 September.

The changes to the West End production follow the 2021 relaunch of the play as a single show on Broadway in New York City.

“The pandemic, the cost of living and the wars going on around the world accelerated that decision in New York, and that’s where we are now with London,” Friedman said.

“Of course we’ll miss it but it was absolutely the right call and we’ve got a beautiful alternate version that we’re very proud of.”

Director John Tiffany said at the launch event that he and writer Jack Thorne – who also wrote acclaimed Netflix series Adolescence – had to be “dragged, kicking and screaming to make the one-parter” due to the success of their original script, the Times reported.

However, Tiffany said the new version meant “more people are going to get to see this show and not have to pay a fortune for it”, according to The Stage.

The play takes place 19 years after the final book and follows Harry’s son Albus Severus as he arrives at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The production has been seen by more than 14 million people around the world, including over 2.5 million in London.

The reimagined one-part production will retain some of its original cast, including David Ricardo-Pearce as Harry Potter, Thomas Aldridge as Ron Weasley and Naana Agyei Ampadu as Hermione Granger.

New actors have been cast in the roles of Albus Potter, Ginny Potter, Rose Granger-Weasley, Draco Malfoy and Scorpius Malfoy.