The West End's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Extends Performance Suspension

In the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the producers of London's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have announced that performances will continue to be suspended through February 21, 2021.

"Please be assured that the producers are working closely with the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), government bodies and health organizations in the United Kingdom to ensure we are following the very latest advice," reads a statement on the production's website. "Thank you for your understanding in this rapidly developing situation, where the health and safety of audiences and staff must come first."

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play by Thorne and directed by Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett. The two-part epic received its world premiere in July 2016 at the Palace Theatre in London, where it was still playing at the time of the West End shutdown. Prior to the Broadway shutdown, the show was playing at the Lyric Theatre on Broadway, where it opened in April 2018, taking home six Tony Awards including Best Play.

As previously reported, West End theaters remain closed, and Shakespeare's Globe and other venues are facing permanent closure without government funding. There is a coalition that includes SOLT, UK Theatre, Arts Council England, Association of British Orchestras, One Dance UK and other organizations that intends to find solutions that enable theatrical venues and businesses to reopen safely in the wake of COVID-19.