Harry Potter and the Cursed Child trims its two-part stage show to one

The long-running stage production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is being pruned from a two-part show into a single, streamlined version, according to a report in The Guardian.

The production has run for roughly a decade as a two-part play, requiring audiences to see two separate performances to follow the full story. The move to a single-part version marks a significant change to how the show has been staged and experienced by audiences.

Members of the production team, including movement director Nuno Silva and associate director Nicola Samer, have been working with the cast in rehearsals as the new version is prepared, according to the report.

The show is known for elaborate stage effects, including illusions built around flying, transformation and other magical elements central to the Harry Potter story, and condensing two parts into one raises questions about how much of that scale can be preserved.

Details on the exact length of the new single-part version, its premiere date and which theatres will stage it were not fully specified in the available reporting, though the production team's rehearsal process was described as intensive and ongoing.