Should #KeepTheSecrets Matter?

J.K. Rowling’s #KeepTheSecrets campaign may be well-intentioned, but not all fans agree that mum should be the word on Cursed Child spoilers.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been a hot-button topic since its inception—from its initial intrigue to casting controversy to the previews’ accolades and condemnations alike, the play certainly hasn’t left fans speechless. And in fact, the lack of speechlessness is the foundation of a new controversy: Should J.K. Rowling’s insistence that Cursed Child audience members #KeepTheSecrets be taken as fandom law?

Our friends over at Hypable explore this issue in-depth, and make the important observation that Rowling’s hashtag campaign has resulted in the fact that “whether intentionally or not, Cursed Child has now created a hierarchy of Potter fans.” This has indeed been an issue since the announcement that the eighth Harry Potter story would not be a book or a film, but a play, a medium that is heavily constricted by geography and monetary funds. Despite the script’s release on July 31, fans who are privy only to this written dialogue and stage direction lose the effects of the much-praised visual aspects of Cursed Child, and are left with nothing but the bare bones of a shoddy narration.

Now, the story itself is up to personal preference, but the detailed spoilers that hit the internet after the premiere have given plenty of Potterheads pause. The fact that Rowling wished the plot be kept secret is irrelevant—this is the day and age of information, and how to acquire it as efficiently as possible. Something as big as a Harry Potter sequel didn’t stand a chance at remaining spoiler-free and, furthermore, I’m in agreement with Hypable that it shouldn’t.

Between tickets and travel costs, fans are doling out thousands of dollars for the entire Cursed Child experience. That’s a small fortune for an arguably frivolous venture, and fans shouldn’t fret about losing money to something that, at the end of the day, they’re not going to enjoy. The staging and performances may be one for the books, but there’s still a story to be told, and a good number of fans aren’t eating that particular bit up. If fans want to know what they’re shelling out the big bucks for, they should have that freedom and opportunity, especially considering the economic struggles that so many members of the Harry Potter generation face.

Trouble with transportation and funds won’t come to an end when Cursed Child goes on tour, either—theater tickets are no small expense, even if you only have a short journey to the destination. If performances were to be filmed and hit cinemas, however, there’s little danger of missing out or feeling as though you’ve wasted a good chunk of your savings. Movie tickets may have climbed to a good ten bucks a pop, but that’s nothing to sweat over compared to the price of theater tickets.

But since there’s little to no evidence of a filmed version of Cursed Child coming our way, the fact is that fans should be free to share and seek spoilers as they wish. The Harry Potter fandom is well-known for its discussion and discourse, and fans shouldn’t be limited to that if this new play isn’t readily available to them. As noted by Hypable, “[I]n general the following applies to any spoiler situation: as long as spoilers are clearly labelled, it isn’t anyone else’s responsibility to negate your lack of self-control.”

Next: Cursed Child: Our Spoiler-free Review

All in all, #KeepTheSecrets if you want, but don’t impose your silence onto others who may be offering or seeking this information for their own greater good.

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