Melbourne’s ground-breaking production of hit play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child resumes tonight after an 11-month hiatus, underlining Victoria’s continued recovery and reinvigoration of its cultural and community life. From Thursday, 25 February, the Princess Theatre will again be home to the two-part play, injecting renewed energy into Melbourne’s CBD and helping to draw people into the city’s restaurants, bars and hotels. The production’s COVIDSafe Plan is in place to protect cast and crew, audience members and the wider public, and includes crowd limits and a requirement for audience members to wear masks.
“Melbourne is the only place in the world staging Harry Potter and the Cursed Child right now, which is something to celebrate.” Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula commented “With theatregoers coming to town to see this magical production, the city’s restaurants, bars and hotels will reap the benefits with more people out and about enjoying the very best of Melbourne.”
“For the cast and crew of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, this is something of a homecoming. We can’t wait to open the doors of the beautiful Princess Theatre and welcome back audiences.” Harry Potter and the Cursed Child executive producer Michael Cassel commented.




Minister Pakula explained that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child broke Australian theatre records in its first year, attracting more than 325,000 people which made it the most successful play in the country’s history. The record had previously been held by the Melbourne Theatre Company’s The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time. The Minister also pointed out that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is supported by the Andrews Labor Government’s $100 million Major Events Fund, which ensures that Victoria continues to secure the best major cultural and sporting events.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opened in the restored Princess Theatre in February 2019 as only the third city in the world to welcome the critically acclaimed play following its premiere in London in 2016 and its debut in New York in 2018.




Minister Pakula said that Harry Potter fans travelled from near and far to enjoy the production with 50 per cent of ticket holders coming from regional Victoria, interstate and 42 countries around the world. The Minister went on to explain that for many, the production was their first theatre experience (51 per cent) and for others it was their first time visiting the Princess Theatre (77 per cent). The appeal of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to younger audiences has also been strong with 44 per cent of attendees under the age of 35, introducing theatre to a new generation.
The Minister also said that the much-anticipated reopening of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child follows the return of global smash hit Come From Away for an encore season at the Comedy Theatre while pre-sales for Moulin Rouge! The Musical, scheduled to open in August 2021, have broken records at the Regent Theatre.