Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two - Review
When I initially read the full published script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two, I remember feeling very disappointed in the final outcome. What could have been a simpler and more interesting story seemed to be thrown out in favour of dull twists, poorly-handled fan service and a lack of focus. An updated version of the script was published later, and to be honest I'm not sure how many differences there were. It's taken me quite a while to be able to see the show at Palace Theatre in London, and honestly...it's a hell of a lot better seeing it on stage.
Firstly, the theatrical production is absolutely stunning. The stage crew have attempted something hugely ambitious (more so than I thought they would, even for a Harry Potter play), and have succeeded in all departments. The main set is incredible in itself, but the way it shifts and changes with different props, doors, lighting changes, etc. is just a marvel - and never gets in the way of the actual story. Over the course of each Part (each totaling around 2hrs 20mins excluding interval), the crew have to create a whole variety of different locations, and do so with ease. The moving staircases are a particular highlight, while the effects sequences are stunning. Characters float up in the air, fire spells at one another and even a patronus effect is created beautifully. I'm sure some audience members will start to spot how these effects are created, but they're so well-executed that I found it very easy to just ignore that aspect. There were some effects that just entirely baffled me.
One aspect I wasn't so sure on was the constant dancing and movement to transition between scenes. At first, it's very well-done, but after a while I wasn't too sure. It's a nice angle, and works brilliantly for theatre, but perhaps doesn't feel like something out of Harry Potter - despite being very well-choreographed and performed by the actors on-stage. It's an interesting stylistic choice that keeps the play moving, even if perhaps it didn't entirely work for me personally. The music by Imogen Heap is very interesting as well, favouring electronic and choral motifs as opposed to the grand orchestral sound we're used to with the Harry Potter films. John Williams' themes for the series are nowhere to be found, and whilst this isn't an issue as such, I found it bizarre that they weren't incorporated for the audience's recognition. That being said, the music is very good and takes on its own unique style - there are some amazing moments enhanced by the music - especially the ending to Part One. The sound design is excellent as well.
It's a very well-directed piece, and the cast throw themselves in with great enthusiasm. No, the new leads aren't Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, but the new actors do a good job at putting their own spin on the characters - it might not work for some, but you have to admire them for giving it a go. It would be incredible to see the original film leads tackle this story as either a feature film or simply performing them on-stage in the future though. If there is an issue with this though, it's that the characters here are new versions, and thus don't create the same emotional attachment from the audience. That being said, it's a very subjective criticism of the play, which could simply not be an issue for some people.
Thanks to the amazing work on-stage though, it's easy to forget some of the issues with the script itself - penned by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. The story tries to tackle very familiar Harry Potter story beats in an interesting way, and while this angle isn't a bad one, the story does take a very long time to really get going, and takes a rather clichéd turn in it's final third, throwing out a twist as poorly-handled as the Credence reveal in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Whilst initially this seemed like fan-fiction on the part of Thorne and Tiffany, in retrospect I honestly do think this was Rowling's decision - and it's a poor one at that. Some will be able to overlook it, but as a fan of the series I can't help but feel cheated by such a lazy twist. It doesn't really serve the story or characters, even if the character could potentially be an interesting mirror to one of the leads. I don't outright hate it, but it simply doesn't fit with what JK Rowling has written beforehand, making it feel cheap and lazy as opposed to a brilliant, earth-shattering reveal.
The pacing of the story as a whole is...questionable, if I'm honest. Initially it feels very fast-paced, but gradually starts to feel quite uneven, as though the writers are struggling to prioritise key moments from a much longer, more expansive story. There are some bizarre plot-holes that can be easily ignored, but the fact that they're left so obvious makes me wonder why they aren't resolved in a play that totals just over four-and-a-half hours. It feels a shame to criticise such aspects, but they did stick-out to me whilst watching, and were never really addressed. If this story is adapted to the big or small screen in the future, I think it might be an idea to fix some of these script issues.
Overall though, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two is well-worth checking out. I wouldn't recommend simply reading the script, as you simply don't get the experience of watching it on stage. Whatever reservations you have, put them to one side to enjoy a simply incredible theatrical production. It might be better as spectacle rather than story, but that's not to say that the story is poor at all. Seeing it on stage actually made me appreciate the story much more than reading the script. Regardless, it's a magical experience - and well-worth seeing on stage as soon as you can.
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