It’s been 10 years since “Harry Potter” made his stage debut — and now, the hit play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is making its way to Utah for the first time.
“The Cursed Child,” which tells a story set nearly 20 years after the events of the “Harry Potter” book series and has been a hit on both Broadway and London’s West End, will be at Salt Lake City’s Eccles Theater starting this weekend. Here’s what to know about the play.
What is ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ about?
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opens where the original “Harry Potter” closes — during the epilogue of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” “Nineteen Years Later.”
The youngest son of Harry and Ginny Potter, Albus Severus Potter, is preparing to board the train to start his first year at Hogwarts. Albus quickly befriends Scorpius Malfoy, the son of his father’s school rival, Draco Malfoy. And once they arrive at Hogwarts, Albus finds himself being sorted into Slytherin — separating him from the rest of his family, who are proud Gryffindors.
The play follows Albus and Scorpius’ friendship, Albus’ fraught relationship with his father Harry, and a mystery that has the potential to change both the past and the future.
When will ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ be in Utah?
The Broadway touring production of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will be at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City from Sept. 19-Oct. 11.
Ahead of the Eccles’ 2026-27 season, Victor Hamburger, vice president of the Mountain Region for Broadway Across America, called the play a “blockbuster magical event like no other” and said that “the live theater coming to Salt Lake City is better than ever,” as the Deseret News previously reported.
Where else can you see ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’?
‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ on Broadway
The play is currently at the Lyric Theatre in New York City.
Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” films, is reprising his role in “The Cursed Child” and will be part of the cast until Jan. 3, 2027.
After Felton’s departure, Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the films, will take on the role of Ron beginning Feb. 2 until May 30, 2027.
Although the play was originally presented in two parts, lasting about five hours total, the current Broadway production is a condensed, single-part version that is around three hours long.
‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ on the West End
“The Cursed Child” is currently at the Palace Theatre in London, and will continue the two-part, five-hour productions until Sept. 20. Beginning Oct. 9, the production will change to the single-part, shorter version.
‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ Broadway tour
The North American Broadway touring production has no further dates currently listed after the production finishes up in Salt Lake City on Oct. 11.
Did J.K. Rowling write ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’?
The story of “The Cursed Child” was originally co-created by “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, and the screenplay was written by Thorne.
The show premiered in 2016 at the Palace Theatre in London, and transferred to Broadway in 2018.
What have critics said about ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’?
“The Cursed Child” was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2018 and won six, including best play.
The Broadway play saw a record-breaking surge in ticket sales in 2025 after Felton joined the cast, The New York Times reported last year. It grossed $2.973 million in one week after Felton’s debut, which was more than the play had earned in one week in the past seven years.
In a review of the shortened, one-part version of the play on Broadway, the Times wrote in 2021 that “it may feel smaller, but is no less dazzling,” calling it “ravishingly entertaining” even if it sometimes feels like “a more obvious attempt to cash in on Pottermania.”
Vanity Fair wrote in 2018 of the original two-part version, “The sheer spectacle of the hot-ticket play, arriving on Broadway from London, is enough to make up for its faults.”
“The theater has brought its own brand of wizardry to the material,” Variety wrote of the Broadway play in 2018. “Visually and aurally, the show presents a panorama of dazzling effects that draw audible gasps from the audience.”
The Guardian argued in 2022 that the shortened version of the play lost some of its magic. “Somehow, there are even more magic tricks: no matter how many times you see this play, it’s hard to resist the joys of all the fiery explosions and optical illusions,” the outlet wrote. “But gone is much of the background richness that, while not essential to the story, gave a better sense of Rowling’s world maturing.”