The First Reviews of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Are In

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News sources across the internet take to their homepages to tease Potterheads with details and thoughts on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

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The wait for what happens “Nineteen Years Later” is nearing its long-awaited end, and reviews of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have started rolling in. While J.K. Rowling’s #KeepTheSecrets campaign was mostly successful—with a few snags here and there, but this is a hot-button topic on the internet, after all, so what’re ya gonna do?—once Cursed Child hits the general public via stage and script book, fans will be able to talk of little else.

Come July 31, the Harry Potter fandom will bring on the spoilers, the breakdowns, and the analyses in the fresh new light we haven’t experienced since the release of Deathly Hallows nearly a decade ago. In the meantime, though, entertainment outlets across the web will be titillating us with their take on the eighth installment of Harry’s Wizarding world.

WARNING: Potential Cursed Child spoilers—vague and specific alike—follow.

There’s no way to Obliviate yourself out of it, so if you don’t want to know before you read or see the play for yourself, turn back now.

Some reviews have proven more detailed and arguably spoiler-y than others, but all the same there are some major points of general consensus, both positive and negative:

  • Cursed Child was, as rumored, made for the stage, and wouldn’t pack the same punch in any other medium.
  • The special effects are unmatched and revolutionary, and Imogen Heap’s score only adds to the ambiance.
  • The narrative, although rather expositional and clunky at times, reinforces the original series’ core values and overarching themes.
  • Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy) is the breakout star of the show, and his bromance with Sam Clemmett’s Albus Potter is the stuff of legends.
  • Meanwhile, other characters are short-changed and underused, particularly Ginny, Rose, a Hermione whose characteristic sternness is intact while her old warmth and passion isn’t, and a revamped version of the films’ Ron, who is more useless comic relief than the three-dimensional asset he is in the books. The actors and their performances are astounding, but the characters themselves lack exploration and purpose.
  • Despite its flaws, Cursed Child is a magical must-see.

While most reviews have been ultimately positive in ways from charitable and polite to the more often enthusiastic thumbs-ups, others have seen past the illusions of the special effects long enough to hit the play where it hurts. The Independent describes Part 2 as “an emotional rollercoaster that sees the story progress through what will no doubt be quite a controversial storyline.”

The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, is more blunt when it notes that “The plot, spread over two plays in succession, is a mess.”

If you’ve kept up with our spoilers here at Wizards&Whatnot (Part 1 and Part 2), you might know that already, although chances are the plot is more forgivable—or at least tolerable—when seen in its intended stage format. Indeed, every review that has expressed doubt regarding the sketchy nature of Cursed Child’s narrative has been quick to note that the staging, effects, and performances are really what makes the story just as magical as those that came before it. Anything negative about the play is rather sugarcoated by such accolades, so as it stands now it seems to me that the look of the play is more important than the content—which means, quite frankly, that the content likely falls short of the Harry Potter fans have come to know and love so well over the years.

But what really gives me pause is not the admitted campiness or the plot holes, but rather one newly revealed detail of the plot and Harry’s characterization. Apparently, the hero of our generation is somewhat unfit for fatherhood, as The Hollywood Reporter says, “Later, [Albus] and Harry will have a fierce argument and Harry will say the words every parent fears will escape their lips—that he wishes Albus had never been born.”

Personally, I am utterly appalled at the notion that Harry—who grew up neglected and abused—would turn on his son so hatefully. The Independent might cite Harry and Albus’ dynamic as “captivating” and a “turbulent father/son relationship,” but I have to put my foot down here, as the intended drama of this moment is completely inconsistent with Harry’s characterization. It’s a disappointment to say the least, and I can only hope that the script book will be enough to justify such an outburst (my fingers are crossed, but I must admit my heart’s not really in it).

On the general whole, these reviews convince me without a doubt that fans who only have access to the script book will be missing out on the true magic of the play. While this has been a concern for many from the get-go, now it seems that fear has been confirmed: The Independent claims that Cursed Child is “tailor-made for the theatre,” and the WSJ warns that “the script… won’t do the show justice.”

While each and every review thus far has assured Potterheads that Cursed Child extrapolates upon the overall themes of friendship, family, the loss of idealism in the face of heroism, and the importance of love, there seems to be a major lack of understanding of the original trio that will surely lessen the story’s impact. Cursed Child may play heavily upon the next generation of Potters, Weasleys, and Malfoys, but the original cast features prominently enough that fans will expect them to be portrayed truthfully—as evolved versions of their adolescent selves, yes, but still with their core hearts intact.

Potterheads across the globe will have their chance to decide for themselves come July 31. We may be teetering between excitement and hesitation, but regardless anticipation is high as the Chosen One’s birthday approaches. Until then, there’s little else to do but as Lee Jordan says on Potterwatch in Deathly Hallows: “Keep faith.”

Next: Anthony Boyle Talks Scorpius Malfoy in Cursed Child

Stay tuned in at Wizards&Whatnot, and we’ll meet you on the other side of “Nineteen Years Later” next week.

To read full reviews of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, check out the following links: