Culture

Here’s What The First Reviews Are Saying About ‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’

(With as few spoilers as possible).

by Meg Watson  26 July 2016

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This post contains (deliberately vague) discussion of the plot of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

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With previews of the stage show beginning almost two months ago, the cult of secrecy around Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is frankly incredible. We live in a world where (despite pleas to the contrary) every plot twist on an episode of Game of Thrones is spoiled within the hour, but one of the largest and most dedicated fandoms on the planet can happily keep their mouths zipped about the plot and substance of a new five-hour instalment to their beloved 19-year-strong canon.

If you need any reassurance of the state of humanity, please take a cruise through the kind words and open-mouthed selfies #keepthesecrets. These people have made a very serious investment in your future joy:

Today, however, things have become a little more complicated. With the show now officially opened, the embargo has been lifted and the internet is completely awash with very detailed reviews of the show. Though many outlets published commentary on the show prior to this, it was only really a teaser.

You must now make a very real decision: would you like to know about the magic of the show and live vicariously through those who’ve seen it, or stay completely fresh for its eventual (hopeful?) run in Australia? If you choose the latter, goodbye I wish you well on your noble travels. If you’re up for the former, here’s a little guide (with most of the specific plot points weeded out). Needless to say, the reviews are glowing.

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NY Times – Ben Brantley

“This production captures Ms. Rowling’s sensibility even more persuasively than did the special-effects-driven films. True, the movies were blessed with an unmatchable stable of idiosyncratic British character actors like Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith and, as Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes… But in The Cursed Child, everyone onstage has direct, present-tense responsibility for the story being told. And most of them play many parts.

“That includes the show’s principals, though I won’t reveal how and why they do so. Suffice it to say that these transformations become haunting, funny physical reflections of our desire to connect with the people we only think we know well, with the dead who linger in our lives and with the selves we once were and will be.

“The word for these imaginative leaps of faith is empathy. That’s the magic practiced so affectingly and entertainingly in The Cursed Child, and it turns everyone in the audience into a sorcerer’s apprentice.”

Main takeaway: This is a complicated and incredibly heartfelt extenuation of the original works.

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The Guardian – Michael Billington

“What struck me was how [co-writer Jack] Thorne, like Rowling, knits together a series of mythical strands. There is the quest motif, which is as old as Arthurian legend. There is the idea of time travel, which has been a standard part of sci-fi from HG Wells to Doctor Who. On top of that you have a Manichean world in which good and evil are locked in perpetual combat. Underlying all that is a mix of white magic and Christian theology that leads Harry to say, at one point, ‘A child died to save the world.’

“If Thorne has added yet another ingredient to an already complicated brew it is that of post-Freudian guilt: much of the story revolves around the adult Harry’s angst at his past actions and Albus’s need to prevail over his father. But, just as things start to get a bit heavy, Thorne adds a touch of leavening humour and reminds us that a smile is as good as a myth.”

Main takeaway: The show is a fun time for newcomers, but it will pay to know the Harry Potter world first.

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The Independent – Jack Shepard

“Really, Part 1 should be labelled a magic show, as the tricks come thick and fast. From actors disappearing in an instant to an incredible moment where the entire stage is ‘submerged’ underwater, moments of wonder are plenty. The creators quite obviously care (and have the budget) for these astonishing set pieces, ones that are rarely seen on stage; it’s quite something to behold.

“When we reach part two, things become a lot darker; where part one was a jubilant ride through four years at Hogwarts, starting off at platform nine and three-quarters, the second part is an emotional rollercoaster that sees the story progress through what will no doubt be quite a controversial storyline.

“Would Harry Potter and the Cursed Child work on paper? I’m not sure. It’s quite apparent this isn’t written to be either a book or a tie-in film; it’s a spectacle for the theatre, one that is filled to the brim with fan service and magical imagery that will amaze. For any Potterhead who can get their hands on a ticket, it will no doubt be a fantastic experience; for those not already enamoured by Rowling’s wizarding, The Cursed Child is still captivating, if not a slightly long ride.”

Main takeaway: The work is a triumph of stage theatrics and is best experienced in the theatre.

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Time – Theo Bosanquet

“Cursed Child is really about the next generation, and it’s the younger cast that steal the show, especially Sam Clemmett as Albus and Anthony Boyle as Scorpius. The self-described pair of ‘losers’ are recognisably human and distinct from their family traits…

“Just as Rowling’s novels captured some of the challenges and joys of growing up, this story is about the bond between parents and their children — appropriate, perhaps, now that the novels’ original readers are themselves becoming parents. By the time it ends, the mystery in its title — just who is the cursed child? — has some surprising answers, and suggests that the inevitability of pain is itself a curse we all must bear.”

Main takeaway: This is a work deliberately made for the franchise’s faithful audience — and it really delivers.

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The Hollywood Reporter – Leslie Felperin

“The result is an entrancing theatrical event that generously serves fans and newcomers alike. While purists might grumble about the colonisation of yet another stage in the West End by a property that originated in another medium, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has originality, craft and charm that will help to hook a new generation of mainstream theatregoers…

“The humanism of Rowling’s universe shines through, with its forgiving understanding that no one, not even Voldemort, is born evil, but that evil can be made from neglect, abuse and lack of love. That’s a good lesson to learn, as is the fact that no theatrical moment can’t be improved by the savvy deployment of organza and wire harnesses.”

Main takeaway: The work is stacked with empathy and driven by great character.

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Variety – Matt Trueman

“Rowling has found a neat way to revisit her original, allowing for both novelty and nostalgia. Without giving those secrets away, her plot has shades of fan-fiction to it, revealing the past anew and prodding at its possibilities. It’s built for aficionados, of course, and while flashbacks and (clunky) exposition fill in the key plot points, you do need a knowledge of the world itself, from floo networks to Dementors’ Kisses….

“Beneath the surface, Cursed Child is absolutely contemporary. It shows a generation that has known only peace and certainty on the cusp of chaos; its villain isn’t an overlord with an army at hand, but a lone terrorist acting in and out of isolation. Even run by good people, the Ministry of Magic makes mistakes, and the Marauder’s Map, once a mischief maker’s friend, has become a surveillance tool. The answer this time is not solo heroics but collective action.”

Main takeaway: Harry Potter is so great, oh man, we should re-read all the books immediately.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I and II (the script of the play) is released in Australia this Sunday.