Cursed Child, reaction post in short (spoilers in the cut only)
I finally got my hands on a copy of Cursed Child this weekend... and proceeded to read it in about 6 hours. On the whole, I enjoyed reading it, mostly because I enjoyed figuring out how I'd do the staging and the magical bits as I read them. (So many quick scene changes! So many quick costume changes! Characters exiting on one side of the stage and then immediately reappearing on the other via Polyjuice Potion!) I completely admit that despite my issues with the story, I really want to see how this play is staged, and if it's anywhere close to what I envisioned.
(Probably not.)
As for the story itself... yeah, after one reading, I'm left with more questions than answers, and I'm tempted to read it again to see if I can't figure them out. But I also have no time, so it'll have to wait a bit.
As I usually do, I try to seperate what I liked with what I didn't. So, here goes:
What I liked:
Scorpius Malfoy. He was funny, he was sweet, he was a little bit of a cliche but the way I pictured him in my head was largely adorable. He actually reminded me a lot of the way copperbadge portrayed young Draco Malfoy in the Saving Harry universe - sweet and loyal and very lonesome for a friend. I liked the running gag of Scorpius' puppy love for Rose Granger-Weasley, and how he accepted her dislike and distrust and just went with it, confident in his ability to win her over (and confident that she'd mellow and mature over time).
This is probably not so much a commentary on the play itself, but on my own imagination. The only actor I've seen pictures for is Noma Dumezweni, who plays Hermione as an adult. I've never seen her anywhere else, I don't have a clue what her voice even sounds like... but as I read, I imagined her in the role. And I loved it.
....But as for what I liked? I think that's kind of where it ends.
What I didn't like:
Dephi. I have... so many questions about Delphi, and her specific storyline.
--Why is she so insistent at the beginning that they have to save Cedric Diggory? Why does she believe that saving Cedric will automatically result in a world where Voldemort is in power? She has no indication that he'll turn Death Eater - actually, I'd have said that it was highly unlikely, given what we knew of him in canon up to this point, and disregarding the humiliations that Scorpius and Albus bestow on him. (I do get how he'd turn DE as a result of those humiliations - but I don't understand how Delphi would have been able to guess that.)
--If she's the daughter of Voldemort and Bellatrix... when on earth was Bellatrix pregnant? I mean, I know it says in the script that Bellatrix gave birth shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts, but don't we see Bellatrix around the time she's meant to be pregnant (when Harry et al rescue Luna and Mr. Ollivander from Malfoy Manor), and she's not pregnant? Or was Bellatrix's pregnancy magically enhanced to be super short, or just not show? (And for that matter... um... ew.)
(Want I really want is to be able to reread the relevent chapter in DH, but I can't, because it's packed.)
--And here's another thing: if Bellatrix was pregnant, and hanging at Malfoy Manor, and in fact gave birth at Malfoy Manor... how on earth does Draco not know about h??????
(Again, something I want to reread DH for, to figure out if Draco was at school that entire year, or if he dropped out at that point - I want to say he dropped out, but I can't remember. Because if he dropped out, wouldn't he have been at Malfoy Manor at least part of the time, and you'd think he'd notice that Bella was pregnant with a demon hell-spawn baby. Draco was not THAT oblivious.)
--Where was Delphi kept this entire time? Obviously, not at Malfoy Manor, or Draco would have known about it. Obviously not raised by her parents, since they died in the Battle of Hogwarts (thank you Molly Weasley - though now that whole battle between the mothers takes on a slightly different twist, doesn't it? Bella was fighting for her child as much as Molly was fighting for her own. I mean, Bella was still super evil and twisted and I think we can all agree that Delphi would have been worse if Bella had a hand in raising her, but still. Mom and child.)
Other questions, not exactly related to Delphi:
--Ron's characterization. I find it kind of hard to believe he would have worked for the joke shop - I mean, playing pranks was Fred and George's thing, not Ron's. And while I agree, I don't really think of him as the government beaurocrat in the same way as Harry or Hermione - seeing him as the prankster doesn't quite fit with what I'd interpreted as his character from the books.
That said: JKR's world, not mine, her character, not mine, her choice to take him there, not mine. But I do think turning him into Fred sells his steadfastness and seriousness short.
--Was it truly necessary to dig up every dead character important to Harry over the course of the play? His parents, Dumbledore, Snape, Hagrid... Was it truly necessary to make Harry watch his own parents' death???? NO, HARRY, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WATCH THAT, OMFG.
--As much as I loved watching how Scorpius and Albus met and became friends... I'm not sure any of that part was necessary, including the fast-foward four years. I'd want to read again, but I think you could cut that entire section (which I think probably takes about 30 minutes to perform, maybe more) and rewrite a new opening scene about the start of 4th year and you'd be fine.
Mostly, though - I feel like the play dragged. On. Forever. Particularly when it came to the back-and-forth nature of using the Time-Turner. Surely there would be a simpler way for Delphi to ensure the rise of Voldy than flippin' Cedric Diggory.
OH WAIT THERE IS. JUST GO TO GODRIC'S HOLLOW, OMG.
WAS IT TRULY NECESSARY TO SEND THE CHARACTERS ON A TWO HOUR JOURNEY TO FIGURE THAT OUT, THERE'S ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND FANFICS THAT ALREADY DISCUSS THAT VERY WHAT-IF. GO PERUSE FICTION ALLEY SOMETIME, JO.
I probably have other questions and things, but that's all I can think of at the moment, and I want to try to get some editing in before Charlie wakes up from his nap. And I'm curious who else has read the play now and what they think. (Or seen it, and what they think.) It's entirely possible I missed something as I read - there were points where I could read only one or two lines at a time before a child interupted me - but hey, I think for reading it super fast, it wasn't bad.
(Also, I was perfectly aware that I was reading a script, and not a story, and perhaps a lot of my questions are answered through the performance. Lots of nuance in performance, there is.)
(Probably not.)
As for the story itself... yeah, after one reading, I'm left with more questions than answers, and I'm tempted to read it again to see if I can't figure them out. But I also have no time, so it'll have to wait a bit.
As I usually do, I try to seperate what I liked with what I didn't. So, here goes:
What I liked:
Scorpius Malfoy. He was funny, he was sweet, he was a little bit of a cliche but the way I pictured him in my head was largely adorable. He actually reminded me a lot of the way copperbadge portrayed young Draco Malfoy in the Saving Harry universe - sweet and loyal and very lonesome for a friend. I liked the running gag of Scorpius' puppy love for Rose Granger-Weasley, and how he accepted her dislike and distrust and just went with it, confident in his ability to win her over (and confident that she'd mellow and mature over time).
This is probably not so much a commentary on the play itself, but on my own imagination. The only actor I've seen pictures for is Noma Dumezweni, who plays Hermione as an adult. I've never seen her anywhere else, I don't have a clue what her voice even sounds like... but as I read, I imagined her in the role. And I loved it.
....But as for what I liked? I think that's kind of where it ends.
What I didn't like:
Dephi. I have... so many questions about Delphi, and her specific storyline.
--Why is she so insistent at the beginning that they have to save Cedric Diggory? Why does she believe that saving Cedric will automatically result in a world where Voldemort is in power? She has no indication that he'll turn Death Eater - actually, I'd have said that it was highly unlikely, given what we knew of him in canon up to this point, and disregarding the humiliations that Scorpius and Albus bestow on him. (I do get how he'd turn DE as a result of those humiliations - but I don't understand how Delphi would have been able to guess that.)
--If she's the daughter of Voldemort and Bellatrix... when on earth was Bellatrix pregnant? I mean, I know it says in the script that Bellatrix gave birth shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts, but don't we see Bellatrix around the time she's meant to be pregnant (when Harry et al rescue Luna and Mr. Ollivander from Malfoy Manor), and she's not pregnant? Or was Bellatrix's pregnancy magically enhanced to be super short, or just not show? (And for that matter... um... ew.)
(Want I really want is to be able to reread the relevent chapter in DH, but I can't, because it's packed.)
--And here's another thing: if Bellatrix was pregnant, and hanging at Malfoy Manor, and in fact gave birth at Malfoy Manor... how on earth does Draco not know about h??????
(Again, something I want to reread DH for, to figure out if Draco was at school that entire year, or if he dropped out at that point - I want to say he dropped out, but I can't remember. Because if he dropped out, wouldn't he have been at Malfoy Manor at least part of the time, and you'd think he'd notice that Bella was pregnant with a demon hell-spawn baby. Draco was not THAT oblivious.)
--Where was Delphi kept this entire time? Obviously, not at Malfoy Manor, or Draco would have known about it. Obviously not raised by her parents, since they died in the Battle of Hogwarts (thank you Molly Weasley - though now that whole battle between the mothers takes on a slightly different twist, doesn't it? Bella was fighting for her child as much as Molly was fighting for her own. I mean, Bella was still super evil and twisted and I think we can all agree that Delphi would have been worse if Bella had a hand in raising her, but still. Mom and child.)
Other questions, not exactly related to Delphi:
--Ron's characterization. I find it kind of hard to believe he would have worked for the joke shop - I mean, playing pranks was Fred and George's thing, not Ron's. And while I agree, I don't really think of him as the government beaurocrat in the same way as Harry or Hermione - seeing him as the prankster doesn't quite fit with what I'd interpreted as his character from the books.
That said: JKR's world, not mine, her character, not mine, her choice to take him there, not mine. But I do think turning him into Fred sells his steadfastness and seriousness short.
--Was it truly necessary to dig up every dead character important to Harry over the course of the play? His parents, Dumbledore, Snape, Hagrid... Was it truly necessary to make Harry watch his own parents' death???? NO, HARRY, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WATCH THAT, OMFG.
--As much as I loved watching how Scorpius and Albus met and became friends... I'm not sure any of that part was necessary, including the fast-foward four years. I'd want to read again, but I think you could cut that entire section (which I think probably takes about 30 minutes to perform, maybe more) and rewrite a new opening scene about the start of 4th year and you'd be fine.
Mostly, though - I feel like the play dragged. On. Forever. Particularly when it came to the back-and-forth nature of using the Time-Turner. Surely there would be a simpler way for Delphi to ensure the rise of Voldy than flippin' Cedric Diggory.
OH WAIT THERE IS. JUST GO TO GODRIC'S HOLLOW, OMG.
WAS IT TRULY NECESSARY TO SEND THE CHARACTERS ON A TWO HOUR JOURNEY TO FIGURE THAT OUT, THERE'S ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND FANFICS THAT ALREADY DISCUSS THAT VERY WHAT-IF. GO PERUSE FICTION ALLEY SOMETIME, JO.
I probably have other questions and things, but that's all I can think of at the moment, and I want to try to get some editing in before Charlie wakes up from his nap. And I'm curious who else has read the play now and what they think. (Or seen it, and what they think.) It's entirely possible I missed something as I read - there were points where I could read only one or two lines at a time before a child interupted me - but hey, I think for reading it super fast, it wasn't bad.
(Also, I was perfectly aware that I was reading a script, and not a story, and perhaps a lot of my questions are answered through the performance. Lots of nuance in performance, there is.)