Harry Potter play to be performed in two parts

A new Harry Potter play is to be staged in two parts on separate nights.

Schedules for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which will debut at London's Palace Theatre next summer (16), are yet to be finalised, but producers have confirmed the lengthy production will be split in two.

Audiences will have to watch the two performances on different nights, with only weekend ticket-holders able to take in both shows in one day.

Producer Sonia Freedman tells Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "It can be seen on consecutive days in the same week or in some instances on the same day," adding that the story is, "too long to be told in a traditional length and it became inevitable that it had to be in two parts."

Fellow producer Colin Callender acknowledged that staging the play in this way could make it difficult for audiences, but adds, "Access is important to us and certainly we want audiences to see the plays in the same week."

Fans of J.K. Rowling's wizard tales are used to her stories being split up for dramatic adaptations, as the final novel in the original book series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released as two films.

More details about the stage show, which was developed with input from Rowling and includes music by English singer-songwriter Imogen Heap, are set to be confirmed next month (Oct15).