They’re Back: Watch the Cast of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” Melbourne Make an Emotional Return
They’re back! They’re finally back! After months of closures and many rounds of postponements, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child can finally go on once again in Melbourne. The agonizing wait for the Princess Theatre to come alive ended on February 25, 2021, when Cursed Child reopened with its first performance.
A few days ago, Wizarding World Digital reported on the surreal experience that the cast and crew had of finally being reunited for rehearsals and their eagerness to put up the production after a 49-week hiatus. Now joining in the celebratory occasion were the various Cursed Child companies around the world, who are unfortunately still stuck at home as the pandemic rages on in their respective cities. Cast members wished their Melbournite counterparts lots of chookas – an Australian theater slang term equivalent to “break a leg” (good luck).
Toi, toi, toi! Break a leg! Chookas! We are so thrilled that @CursedChildAUS is back on the stage and wish them a magical reopening! #LetTheMagicBeginAgain at the Princess Theatre. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/vrIILE8MQF
— Harry Potter and the Cursed Child NYC (@CursedChildNYC) February 24, 2021
After the show’s conclusion, the curtain calls were livestreamed for local and international audiences alike to celebrate this special moment together. Gareth Reeves (Harry Potter), Paula Arundell (Hermione), and Michael Whalley (Ron Weasley) took to the spotlight to make heartfelt speeches about Cursed Child‘s return. Reeves gushed with emotion and gratitude:
They told me this might be emotional; I totally underestimated it. Look, I know, we know, that a lot of you have been waiting a long time to get here, and we just want to say, as a company, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for sticking with us. Thank you for being here and making the effort and bringing a bit of magic into our lives here in Melbourne. Thank you very much. […] It’s been a difficult year for everyone, and yeah, I just want to once again thank you all again for being here. In times like this, there’s nothing more important than each other and community, and live theater is a really special way to get both of those things in one night.
Arundell also acknowledged the devastating toll that the pandemic has taken on the theater industry around the world and surprised the audience by revealing that this segment was being broadcasted on all social media platforms, leading to lots of excited screams.
Tonight is not just about Melbourne. We are the first production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to be starting up again all around the world. There are productions that are still on hold. We have London, New York, Hamburg, Toronto, and San Francisco, so we are literally the light in the darkness for them, and all of the Wizarding World is very excited to share this moment.
The successful reopening of Cursed Child could not have been possible without the stringent safety rules that were enforced at the Princess Theatre, which only operated at 85% capacity. Actors had to wear masks at all times unless they were speaking, onstage, or wearing makeup, while theatergoers had to keep their masks on at all times. Safe distancing and deep cleaning measures were also taken. The infamous Cursed Child Friday Forty has also returned, with fans able to enter a draw Monday through Friday to win tickets for the following week’s performances priced at AUD 40 per part (AUD 80 total).
Congratulations to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Melbourne on a successful and emotional opening night! We are thrilled that the magic has returned to bring some much-needed joy into Melbournites’ lives.
