Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

[ely_baby]

This is my personal review on the play that I saw on the 16th and 17th of June, and this is probably going to be my last post for quite a while. I know there are a few of people from my Flist that don't particularly fancy the idea of the play, and you really, really don't have to read this if you don't want to. I'm going to put everything under a nice, huge, image-heavy cut, so that you can skip it completely.





If you read the plot that leaked and are wondering - horrified - if it is true, well, I am sorry to tell you that yes, it is exactly how the story goes. I couldn't believe it either when I first read it, and I hoped that it was all a joke. It wasn't BUT I can tell you this: seeing the story in the theatre is very different than reading it in a book or watching a film, and, even if it's hard to believe it, that story actually works when it's represented through that medium.

Before I start telling you what I liked and disliked about the play, let me tell you that my seat in the theatre was better than I expected, I could see everything pretty darn well, and I even had an empty seat near me so I could stretch my legs and use it for my jacket and bag. (I actually didn't have an empty seat, but my soon-to-be-ex-friend - or she is already my ex-friend, I'm not sure - walked out of the theatre after the break during the first part, never to return again. Not because of the play, but because we had a row. I'm not particularly bothered, though; it was a weight off my shoulders, to be honest.) I was sitting next to two very loud Americans and they kept chatting and singing. They were fun!

Anyway, this is what I think about it.

WHAT I REALLY, REALLY LIKED:

• The actors. They are ALL amazing. All of them. Really. They are that good. Even the youngest ones. Jamie Parker is one sexy Harry Potter and I was instantaneously smitten. He looks dashing in those fitting clothes that he has to wear. And Anthony Boyle plays Scorpius too well to be real. Honestly. He is brilliant. But Poppy Miller (Ginny), Paul Thornley (Ron), Numa Dumezweni (Hermione), Alex Price (Draco), Sam Clemmett (Albus), and Cherrelle Skeete (Rose), all need a special mention. They are amazing.
• The older characters and how J.K.Rowling developed them. Especially Harry. It is wonderful to see such an imperfect and insecure Harry in the role of the father. Ron is bloody brilliant, even though we laugh at him more often than actually laughing with him - like it happens in the films - but he is great fun. Ginny is perfection. Exactly (and I mean EXACTLY) like I imagined her. She's awesome, a wonderful mother and a perfect wife. And the actress looks very much like an older Bonnie Wright (whom I never actually picture when I think about Ginny). Hermione is a bit too cold, in my humble opinion, but the scenes she has with Ron are the cutest. Draco's character changed so much, and at the same time he is very much in character. I loved him and he was great fun, too - his scenes with Harry will make all those Drarry shippers out there very happy.
• The new characters. Scorpius. Like, honestly Scorpius. Scorpius is amazing. And for most of the play I was wondering if the he was the cursed child of the title instead of Albus. He has the best lines, we either laughed or aww'd at everything he said and he is great fun. Albus too, but - very much like his father in the Order of the Phoenix - he is very dramatic, and... God, he is just not as fantastic as Scorpius. Scorpius is amazing. Rose is not a central character, Lily and James only have minor part, but that's okay.
• The relationships. Both the romances and bromances. Ginny/Harry is just what I imagined. Ginny supports Harry and tries to mediate between him and Albus. Ginny is the glue that keeps her family together, and all those nights that Harry wakes up with his scar hurting, she is always there to comfort him and help him understand what's going on. Ron/Hermione is just what J.K.Rowling imagined, probably. They are constantly bickering, but they are very much in love, and you can see the differences between the two of them - Hermione is Minister for Magic and Ron runs the joke shop - and you know straightaway who wears the trousers in the relationship. He is very affectionate though, and I love when he asks her to marry him again because the first time he was too drunk to remember it. Albus/Scorpius is what you all out there Albus/Scorpius shippers want. Their bromance is perfect, and sometimes, when they are on the stairs and a heart-breaking music starts playing after Harry has forbidden Albus to see Scorpius, they look very much like Romeo and Juliet. They are hilarious and they have some very intense moments, too. They're so good. Draco/Harry... LOL! Even Ron is jealous of the two of them getting all "chummy" as he says. They have all these confrontations and serious talks and funny lines and it's amazing. I love how much we get to know about Draco's past through what he says - spoiler alert, his story is heartbreaking. Rose/Scorpius. IT IS CANON!!! That's all I need.
• The magic. The tricks, the effects, everything is brilliant. Honestly, you have to see how they did the Dementors, the Floo Network, the entrance to the Ministry, the cursed library in Hermione's office, the portraits, the moving stairs, the Time Travel. Everything is bloody brilliant.
• The lines. You can definitely spot J.K.Rowling's trademark humour and her brilliant lines from afar. Especially when the older characters are talking. I especially liked Scorpius' disastrous attempts at asking Rose out - "You smell like breath." - Harry's lines - "Uncle Ron sends you a love potion, because... you know... because he's Ron..." - Ron's lines - all of them. Each and every single one of Scorpius' lines. Even McGonagall is hilarious, and Umbridge and Snape and EVERYBODY.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE AS MUCH:

• Hugo is only mentioned twice! I mean, if you know me, you know how much I love Hugo, and I was really disappointed that he doesn't have a part in the play. Not even at the beginning when they are at the station and the scene is basically the same as the one in the books... Lily plays a very small part, too, but at least she is there. (After all, though, it's all good, it means that I can still write whatever I want about them without going against canon.)
• Delphi Lestrange-Riddle. LMAO. That's all I can comment on that, but I swear that the wacky plot works well with the theatre. It's fast, a lot of things happen, and the scenes keep changing. You have to keep up with it, and it's not always easy, but it's great fun and, after five hours, it grows on you. I promise. Plus, all I can think about now (a few days later) are the characters and the scenes and the magic tricks, but not the plot.

WHAT WAS ALREADY MY CANON AND ONLY GOT CONFIRMATION FROM THE PLAY:

• The awesomeness of Ginny/Harry, Ron/Hermione, and Rose/Scorpius.
• James, Rose, and Lily in Gryffindor. Scorpius in Slytherin.
• Hilarious older Draco.
• McGonagall still being Headmistress when the next-generation comes to Hogwarts.
• Albus and Scorpius being BFF.
• Ron and Ginny being awesome siblings and teasing and supporting each other constantly.

WHAT IS MY NEW CANON NOW:

• Scorpius. Scorpius being involuntarily and voluntarily funny, Scorpius being adorkable and a loser (he is an outcast at school and not only because of the rumors that he is Voldemort's son), Scorpius having a huge crush on Rose Weasley and trying and failing to chat her up all the time. Scorpius. Just Scorpius. This Scorpius is my Scorpius now. He is too adorkable. Honestly, I don't think you can imagine how amazing he is if you don't see him. He IS bloody fantastic. He is the one that keeps the play together.
• Draco and Harry getting all chummy. Boy, that was hilarious and sweet and amazing. I loved how Draco and Harry talked about life and children and being fathers and finding their children and defeating Voldemort's daughter. I just love their relationship here.
• Albus in Slytherin. I always thought that he would end up in Gryffindor, but I'm really not bothered at all. Not that I usually write about Hogwarts years anyway. Albus is quite awesome (and exactly Harry's copy) and nobody has a problem with him being in Slytherin - only Rose, and only at the beginning - so I don't have a problem either.
• Harry being afraid of the dark, small spaces, and... pidgeons. I mean pidgeons. Albus was laughing and so was everybody in the theatre.
• Albus Polyuicing himself into Ron and distracting Hermione by kissing her three times and asking for them to either make another baby or have a holiday. And Scorpius laughing at Albus for kissing his own aunt. LMAO.
• Voldemort/Bellatrix. It's real, and they even had a daughter. I mean... whaaaaat? But the idea is too hilarious not to embrace it completely. Also, there's infidelity in HP! And Bellatrix masked her pregnancy pretty darn well in that last book...

WHAT I DON'T WANT TO BE MY CANON:

• Astoria dying when Scorpius is that young. I was literally crying at that point. No, J.K.R., that was just mean.

All in all, it was an amazing experience. I hadn't been to the theatre in ages, and I forgot how much I loved it. I just want to go back now to see Harry Potter, or anything else, really.

Ah! I also spent 15£ in merchandise! I didn't want t-shirts or bags - they were bloody expensive, too - but I got myself a pin, the stage book, a bookmark, stickers and a fridge magnet (the postcard was probably free because it was not on the receipt)! The #KeepTheSecrets pin was basically shoved into your hand at the end of every part - yes, I have two, I gave one to a friend of mine. And I pre-ordered the book of the play. Can't wait to read it!



In case it wasn't clear, I loved this. It was magic to be back into the Harry Potter world with a new adventure. I highly recommend seeing it and I swear it's just lovely to see all the characters that we love being brought back to life.

And that's all, Friend-List! I hope you enjoyed this comment. I just wanted to gush over this amazing experience. Take good care and...

Mischief Managed!