It's almost time to put the wands back in the pockets and hang up the cloaks, because the Australian production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is coming to an end in July.
When the final curtain falls, it will hold the title of the longest-running play in Australian history, after opening in February 2019 at a bespoke Princess Theatre in Melbourne.
The Australian production was the first one globally to re-open — in February 2021 — after COVID-induced lockdowns crippled the show, and the wider performing arts, worldwide.
The original Cursed Child was more of an event than a stage show, coming to viewers in the form of a two-part performance with a 5+ hour run time. Then, it was re-imagined as a one-part performance in early 2022, running 3+ hours with an interval.
The show, which takes place 19 years after the conclusion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, follows Harry, Ron and Hermione as they team up with a brand-new generation of wizards and witches — boasting plenty of on-stage magic and illusions along the way.
Farewelling a giant
Through many changes, and up to a million people through the Princess Theatre's doors, one major constant remained the show's key cast – with Gareth Reeves and Paula Arundell starring as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger respectively since the beginning of the production's mammoth four-year run.
"I'm really feeling it today," Reeves told ABC News Breakfast.
"People are saying these figures and numbers … I've just had my head down, being busy doing it.
"I haven't taken a moment to stop and reflect. And that's suddenly happening now. So, I honestly don't quite know how I feel yet."
Reeves and Arundell originated the roles in the Australian production way back in 2019, so they've performed in both iterations of the beloved production.
"We got to explore it and keep exploring it, and we keep finding it. And new people come on board, and you keep working with them, and it becomes thrilling and exciting," Arundell said.
"It's going to be heartbreaking to say goodbye to that. Because in so many ways, that was a dream, to do that kind of work."
The show won legions of fans both here and abroad — and its longevity both before and after COVID lockdowns helped to forge strong bonds with some of the most strident supporters.
"It's pretty much always a full house. And people love it. They go mad for it," Arundell said.
"I saw someone the other night who must have been about 35, and his girlfriend said, 'can you please get a photo with him?' He was standing there, and he was like, 'I've been five times.'"
To perform a leading role for four years in such a large production is no mean feat – and it's something both Harry and Hermione are acutely aware of as the show draws to a close.
"It's really physical. It's the most athletic kind of thing I've ever done," Reeves said.
Aside from being longer than the average production – and all the physical and mental demands that come with one of those – the show also boasts plenty of magical stagecraft, demanding detailed and intense movements from the cast alongside plenty of rigour, including pyrotechnics and levitation, from those behind the scenes.
"I was talking to a dear friend of mine in the show who's a lot younger. And I said to her, 'don't be fooled by what I do in the show. I've had 20 years of doing voice warm-ups an hour before a play'. So, there was a lot of training that happened before the show even started, if that makes sense," Arundell said.
"I've learnt the hard way about how to train and sustain myself over that time — not training too hard, and how to rehabilitate, and how important sleep is … we don't often get access to this kind of work, so, a lot of us have had to learn hard and fast," Reeves said.
When the show ends on the 9th of July, it'll leave our shores – marking the end of a significant few years in Australian theatre.
"I'm going back to the beginning in some ways and thinking about where we started, and just trying to be really grateful for every moment that I have with our company and the play," Reeves said.
