'CURSED CHILD' PRODUCERS RESPOND TO BROADWAY JOURNAL
Their unabridged statement.
Adrian Bryan-Brown, a production spokesman for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, emailed the following in response to my queries about the franchise’s financial results:
Thank you for your inquiry about the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child productions playing around the world. As you are probably aware, we don’t discuss the financials of the productions.
We are extremely proud that during a particularly challenging time for live theatre everywhere, especially on Broadway, we have delivered returns in three major markets:
The London production has recouped and continues as a two-play production.
The Broadway production recouped, even after moving to the one-part version during the pandemic.
The Melbourne production recouped despite the impact of the pandemic on all theatre.
As a long-running play, we are constantly finding new, inventive ways to promote ourselves — without the advantages musicals have of performing songs on television, radio, at events, or through music-led social campaigns. We’ve also reduced our running time on Broadway to under three hours to ensure the experience remains accessible and appealing to new audiences.
Our producers are proud of how we’ve been able to pivot and respond to the ever-increasing costs of producing theatre on Broadway, while still allowing new generations to attend. Over half our audience are brand new theatregoers — a meaningful contribution to the wider ecosystem across our entire industry. And over the years, the production has provided employment to thousands of artists, technicians, and craftspeople across multiple territories.