Ten years after its premiere, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has taken a bold gamble by shedding its two-part format and emerging as a streamlined one-part production at the Palace Theatre in London. Trimming Jack Thorne's ambitious five-hour script down to three hours was always going to be risky – this is, after all, a show that has come to feel like a fixed jewel in the West End. Yet the gamble has paid off handsomely. The new version proves that sometimes less really is more.
There are inevitably some casualties in the edit. Key characters have been cut, dream sequences nixed, and the plot – which picks up nearly 20 years on from JK Rowling's final book and follows Harry's youngest son Albus as he arrives at Hogwarts determined to make a name for himself distinct from his famous father – can feel overwhelming in its complexity. When Albus and his best friend Scorpius Malfoy stumble across a time-turner and unleash dark forces, the story becomes so densely packed that it occasionally threatens to derail the production itself. But here's the thing: despite these drawbacks, the streamlined script doesn't undermine what makes Cursed Child special.
What saves this production is the sheer artistry surrounding the narrative. Director John Tiffany's spellbinding vision, combined with Steven Hoggett's beautiful movement direction, creates an experience that transcends the sometimes convoluted plotting. The huge ensemble cast moves as one, working wonders with their cloaks and creating genuine magic at every turn. Christine Jones's set design – with its huge arches and great open dark spaces – hints at bigger, darker powers just out of sight. Jamie Harrison's illusions bring the impossible to life: portrait conversations, dancing stairs, flying men. This is theatre that believes in wonder.
The performances across the board sparkle with humour and humanity. Ewan Rutherford, playing Albus Potter as an understudy, brings a lovely flinty defiance to the role. Bill Stanley, on his West End debut, is especially good as Scorpius, his voice perpetually on the verge of breaking. David Ricardo-Pearce's Harry is weighed down with responsibility; Thomas Aldridge's Ron is funny but tinged with sadness; Naana Agyei-Ampadu's Hermione commands respect while remaining vulnerable. Crucially, there's not a superstar in sight – the real star is the magic itself.
The new three-hour version running at the Palace Theatre until 5 September proves that Cursed Child didn't need five hours to work its spell. By trusting in direction, design, movement and ensemble work rather than narrative sprawl, this production has discovered something vital: sometimes the most powerful magic is knowing when to stop.