Back in June 2015 it was announced that a new play based on the Harry Potter books would make its stage premiere next year at London’s Palace Theatre. Yesterday it was announced that the play will in fact be split into two separate shows.
According to pottermore.com who have spoken to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child director John Tiffany and writer Jack Thorne “in order to do this justice we have decided to present the play in two parts.”
I can’t help but worry that this is going to become a new money spinner in theatre. With the recent outrage over ticket prices for this Christmas’s ELF the Musical (reaching £250 each), could this be a crafty new way of selling tickets at a more reasonable price but making audience members pay twice in order to see the whole story?
We don’t think twice about going to see a film at the cinema that will be produced in parts that we have to go back to see. In fact I couldn’t be more excited for the third part of the Hunger Games to be released. But cinema tickets are much cheaper than theatre.
Could the concept of developing theatre into parts be a clever idea or will it turn out to be a greedy producers way of trying to make a quick buck? There is also the risk that the first play could be sold at a very reasonable rate and then once people are hooked and want to see the sequel, prices are hiked right up.
I’m hoping that my concerns will be proved wrong. Perhaps audiences will be able to buy a two for one ticket to cover them for both shows. With no information yet available on ticket prices this is all just coming from the concerned mind of a theatre blogger. I am sure the producers behind these new Harry Potter plays wouldn’t take advantage of fans. After all, they have expensive Hogwarts educations to pay for!
West End Wilma
www.harrypottertheplaylondon.com
Photo: Warner Bros