The magic is back: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child returns to the stage

Actors discover muscle memory propelling them across the stage after 49 weeks off, and also discuss the impact of J.K. Rowling’s transphobia on the Harry Potter brand.

After an enforced 49-week pause because of COVID-19, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has reopened at The Princess Theatre, its return to the stage a beacon of hope for the theatre sector globally.

‘I think the Hamburg production [of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child] were a week off their opening night when they got shut down in Germany, and they haven’t yet got to come back. Nor has anywhere else in the world, so we’re feeling very, very privileged,’ said actor Soren Jensen, who plays a number of roles in the Melbourne production, including the half-giant Hagrid and the Sorting Hat.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts