Magic returns to San Francisco as 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' has official reopening

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed called Thursday night a milestone in San Francisco's reopening.

It was the official opening night party for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" at San Francisco's Curran Theater that shut down nearly two years ago.

Harry Potter fans could be seen here, there, and everywhere you looked outside San Francisco's Curran Theater Thursday night.

"Not having the arts was definitely hard. I love being in this environment. I love being back seeing the magic on stage," said Harry Potter fan Dustin Harrell of Atlanta.

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Reopening night is probably a more accurate term for those who waited in long lines to see Thursday's show. The exact one that was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. The theater was then closed for 660 days until the soft opening last month.

"I really gotta say this is icing on the cake as we start to reopen our city and recover from this pandemic," said Mayor London Breed.

San Francisco and New York City are the only two U.S. locations where this Harry Potter show can be seen. In fact, many we talked with made a long journey to get here.

"I'm from Potsdam, New York," said Harry Potter fan Ren Stanavage-Monahan.

"We flew here today all the way from the other side of the country," said Harrell.

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Those at the show were excited to take pictures, drink butter beer, and enjoy Harry Potter among other die-hards. The say it's been a very long pandemic.

"I have felt very cooped up," said Harry Potter fan Leif Estrada.

"Long time, lot of video games, thank you Playstation 5," said Siter Peghan Ritual.

"Always been a huge geek and this is just incredible," said Stanavage-Monahan.

"Here we are today celebrating what I think is an extraordinary milestone after dealing with a global pandemic," said Mayor Breed.

"Thanks to our audiences the magic has now returned to San Francisco," said the managing director of the play.

To those who might also want to come out and catch a show, tickets are now on sale for shows through Sept. 4. For more information, visit this page.

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