Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Gets Overwhelmingly Positive Response
By Ani Bundel
Audience reactions for the first preview of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Part 1 have been overwhelmingly positive.
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As everyone reader of this blog knows, the first preview for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Part 1 happened in London last night. Tomorrow, the second half, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Part 2 will have it’s first preview debut. (Tonight is a night off for the theater, though one suspects that the actors are probably working, having a final rehearsal for Part 2.)
Though audiences last night only saw the first half of the story, rumors flew thick and fast as to the plot, and the big story twists. Whether or not these spoilers are true, there is one thing we can say for certain–everyone who went to see the show last night seems to have loved it.
Andrew Sims of Hypable summed it up thusly on Twitter:
Cursed Child intermission quick review: VERY impressive magic happening on stage. Funny script. The story.. Where it’s heading… BIG things.
— Andrew (Not The) Sims (@sims) June 7, 2016
The only disappointment about @HPPlayLDN #CursedChild is that I can't reread it over & over like a book. Stunning performances. @jk_rowling
— Shama Hussain (@shama_ny) June 7, 2016
A pedestrian walks past advertisements in front of the Palace Theatre for its new show ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ in London on June 6, 2016. (Photo credit DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
The Guardian interviewed audience members after the show, and all of them seemed to agree that not only was the show amazing, but the technical aspects–including pulling magic off on stage–was beyond people’s expectations.
"“I was expecting the tears and the laughter. I wasn’t expecting the goose pimples,” said Rosa Hadjiska, 23, who spoke of growing up with JK Rowling’s bestselling series of novels. “It was amazing, and a shock. It’s unbelievable and I can’t wait for the next part.”"
From The Daily Mail‘s critic:
Spine chilling!Brilliant!@HPPlayLDN #CursedChild !To be continued in part 2.
— Baz Bamigboye @Deadline (@BazBam) June 7, 2016
From The Telegraph‘s review:
"Any fears that the world of Hogwarts on stage would struggle to compete with the multi-million dollar special effects of film were quickly kicked into touch…. The director John Tiffany uses the actors to create simple imaginative settings out of the old-fashioned travelling trunks which strew the stage. Mixed in with this simplicity, though, is trickery of the highest sophistication.Objects seemed to disappear before our eyes and characters appeared as if from nowhere. Scriptwriters have been generous with their Potter in-jokes, with the return of so me old favourite characters and enough shock plot twists to cause pantomime gasps from the audience. The audience came wanting magic and they got in spades. But for all the laughs and tricks, this story also promises to be a thriller. Has Rowling done it again? The audience was in no doubt."
Next: On The Subject of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Spoilers
One small note that everyone is also talking about–apparently an owl got loose at the wrong time and flew around the audience, much the the amusement of viewers and the stress of the crew. But considering this is a show with myriad ways to go wrong, including liberal use of pyrotechnics and fog, one badly behaved bird is a mere trifle.