Broadway's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is shortening its running time once again, with the new version of the play set to begin performances at the Lyric Theatre November 12, debuting alongside a major cast change. The show currently runs at 3.5 hours and the new running time will put it at just under three hours.

The new version will be the play's third on Broadway, with press notes promising "all the magical storytelling, emotion, and spectacle currently seen on stage at the Lyric" being retained. The work—written by Jack Thorne from a story created by J.K. Rowling, director John Tiffany, and Thorne—originally opened April 22, 2018 as a two-parter, running over five hours total. Audiences were invited to either see the show over two consecutive evenings or as an all-day matinee-and-evening marathon. A condensed, 3.5-hour production opened following the COVID-19 pandemic December 7, 2021, and has been used ever since. Only London's West End, where the work premiered in 2016, is still presenting the original, two-part version of the play.

November 12 will be the Broadway debut of the new, further condensed version, which had its world premiere with the launch of the production's U.S. national tour in Chicago last month. Since the work's world premiere, a revised and condensed version has also been made available to high schools in the U.S. and U.K. via Broadway Licensing.

"From the very beginning, we and the creative team have challenged ourselves to find new and innovative ways to bring the extraordinary storytelling and stagecraft of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to life," say producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender in a statement. "This innovative process has continued since the original production first opened in London in 2016, with the show evolving creatively as it has expanded across the globe. We are thrilled that John Tiffany, Jack Thorne, and the entire original creative team were able to reunite over the last few months to revisit and explore the original material, creating this new version of the show, which now runs under three hours, especially for Broadway. We are incredibly excited to announce that it will soon land at the Lyric Theatre. We were delighted by the ecstatic reception of this new version of our spectacular show when we premiered it in Chicago last month, and we can’t wait to see our extraordinary new cast bring it to life on stage in New York starting in November."

As previously announced, the Broadway cast as of November 12 will feature Matthew James Thomas (Pippin) as Harry Potter, Sarah Killough (Leopoldstadt) as Ginny Potter, Alex Serino in his Broadway debut as Albus Potter, Rachel Christopher (Jaja's African Hair Braiding) as Hermione Granger, Ayanna Nicole Thomas (How to Dance in Ohio) as Rose Granger-Weasley, and Kristen Martin (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark) as Delphi Diggory, plus new ensemble members Megan Byrne, Maxim Chlumecky, James Cribbins, Janae Hammond, Sophie Hearn, Zachary Lindberg, Jay Mack, Bradley Patchett, Dan Plehal, Isaac Phaman Reynolds, Allie Re, Khadija Tariyan, Baylen Thomas, Julius Williams, and Riley Thad Young.

Continuing in their roles will be Daniel Fredrick as Ron Weasley, Aaron Bartz as Draco Malfoy, and Erik Christopher Peterson as Scorpius Malfoy as well as veteran cast members Chadd Alexander, John Alix, Ted Deasy, Kira Fath, Gary-Kayi Fletcher, Eleasha Gamble, Logan James Hall, Abbi Hawk, Chance Marshaun Hill, Alexandra Peter, Kira Player, Gabrielle Reid, Stephen Spinella, and Tom Stephens.

The production also features movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music and arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions and magic by Jamie Harrison, and music supervision and arrangements by Martin Lowe. U.S. casting is by Jim Carnahan.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions.

Visit HarryPotterBroadway.com.