Broadway's Harry Potter to officially open April 22, 2018

Producers Sonia Friedman, Colin Callender and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Theatrical Productions have now revealed that the Broadway transfer of the West End smash hit Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts I & II will officially open at the Lyric Theatre on April 22, 2018. The first preview date will be announced at a later time.

Last month, the London world premiere production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child made Olivier Awards history, scooping a record-breaking nine awards including "Best New Play."

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, set 19 years after the last Rowling novel, and the first official stage production of Harry Potter.

Synopsis: "It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."

Under the direction of John Tiffany, the creative team behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child features music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe, movement by Steven Hoggett, scenic design by Christine Jones, costume design by Katrina Lindsay, lighting design by Neil Austin, sound design by Gareth Fry, and illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison.

As previously reported, Ambassador Theater Group plans a multi-million dollar renovation of Broadway's 1,900-seat Lyric Theatre, removing 400 seats and creating a more intimate space to accommodate director John Tiffany's staging of the play. ATG also plans a renovation of the theatre's lobby and a relocation of the main entrance from 42nd Street to 43rd Street.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child officially opened at London's Palace Theatre to excellent reviews on 30 July 2016, following previews from 7 June. The play is performed in two parts with the option for audience members to attend either both parts in the same day or on seperate days.

There is still no word yet on casting for the Broadway production or whether the London stars - Jamie Parker (Harry), Noma Dumezweni (Hermione) and Paul Thornley (Ron) - will transfer with the show.