Potter play conjuring up new audience in West End

Producers of the new Harry Potter production in London’s West End said that more than half of attendees are first-time theatregoers.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, based on the novels by JK Rowling but written by Jack Thorne, is playing at the Palace Theatre.

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Sonia Friedman and her co-producer, Colin Callender said the Palace box office is regularly releasing cheaper tickets in the hope of keeping the show family-affordable. Devices to prevent mass online purchase by electronic diallers or bots have kept the secondary ticket-sales market small, though Friedman thinks this is partly due to the play appealing to families.

“Over 50% of our audience are first-time theatregoers,” said Callender. Friedman said: “And over 50% of our audience – again, unusual – is under 35. Which is genuine audience development for our industry.”