The Lyric Theatre on West 43rd Street underwent a massive renovation in the months leading up to the New York opening of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the two-part stage play that revisits the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling nineteen years after the events of the last novel in the fantasy series. HUDSON SCENIC was at the core of this immense refurbishment project, building soaring arches and barrel vaults and fabricating various surfaces within the auditorium itself. Hudson, together with a team of consultants, engineers, architects, and other theatrical scenic shops, seamlessly fused elements from the magical world of Harry Potter and the Lyric’s own history as a Broadway playhouse together, effectively doing the previously unimaginable: building a theatre within a theatre. The final effect is one of elegance and cohesion, a beautiful environment that not only stands on its own as an architectural marvel, but also flows organically from the stage design of the play itself.
Brett J. Banakis, the associate scenic designer and international scenic supervisor for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, gave his perspective on this fantastic feat in recent article on Stage Directions: The Art and Technology of Theatre. Click here to read the fascinating interview.