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Last night in London, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (pictured) swept the Olivier Awards (the English equivalent of the Tonys) with a record-breaking nine wins, beating Matilda and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for most prizes. What does this mean for the show’s Broadway transfer?
Well, it’s not going to slow the juggernaut’s momentum. If anything, it just kicked the hype up a few notches and ensured a price war on tickets that may even rival the fiscal insanity around Hamilton. Mind you, tickets are not on sale yet.
As we reported in December, Harry Potter is headed to Broadway, but you’ll have to wait a year. Performances start next spring at the Lyric Theatre, Broadway’s biggest space with 1,938 seats. The owners of that space must be thrilled, because the place has been home to only flops or qualified semi-hits: Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, a lukewarmly received On the Town and Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour, which no one loved. The prospect of a long-running hit must have the Lyric owners happier than victors at the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup.
Not all British producers eying Broadway should count their Ashwinder eggs before they’re hatched, however. Take Groundhog Day, which played London last year and is set to open April 17. The show, with a score by Tim Minchin (Matilda), won best new musical and star Andy Karl won best actor in a musical. All good and well, but remember: not every hit in London translates into gold on the Great White Way. We look forward to catching up with Punxsutawney Phil & Co next week.
Read the entire list of winners at the Olivier Awards official site.
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