Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, or A Very Potter Musical?

When many people read a Cursed Child, they felt like they were reading fanfiction…in fact, some went so far as to say they were reading bad fanfiction. Even though I was one of the few who enjoyed the book — I haven’t been lucky enough to see it live — I couldn’t help but notice there were some definite “fanfiction” parts of it.

Enough of them, that I started thinking about another play that was put on for Harry Potter fans, that went viral on Youtube! A Very Potter Musical. These two are very different. For one, A Very Potter Musical isn’t endorsed by JK Rowling. In fact, the acting company, Starkid, actually got into a potential legal dispute about it. So much so, they had to take it down and rework parts of it.

However, no matter which you like more, these are both fantastic stories that tell the story of Harry Potter a different way. For instance, A Very Potter Musical puts multiple books into one storyline. The put parts of the novels already out to tell a new story of Harry Potter at school. This is great for a comedic version of what can be a dark couple of books!

The Cursed Child is set nineteen years in the future, and follows Albus and Scorpius, Harry’s child and Draco’s child, after they both get put into Slytherin.

Now you might be asking WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW?? Becuase there are some similarities in these shows!

First, Bellatrix and Voldemort

What started out as a joke in A Very Potter Musical with a relationship between Bellatrix and Voldemort also became very real in Cursed Child! Though it was confusing, in Cursed Child, Voldemort goes back in time and has a baby named Delphi (aww! It’s a cute name! Who knew the two evilest people would have such great naming abilities!). So what AVPM hinted at as a joke came very true in the end!

Second, Albus and Scorpius/Draco and Hermione

Hang with me here. In Cursed Child, there could be a relationship available to ship if you decided to ship Albus and Scorpius. They’re both there for each other, they both really seem to understand that they aren’t quite what their fathers wanted…it’s a good foundation for a friendship, or something more. It shows that the Malfoys aren’t “evil” to a core. They can be friendly.

AVPM, mostly for laughs, decided to put Draco in love with Hermione, and have Draco sing a duet with Ron about how they both thought she was beautiful. Was it all for laughs, yes! But Lauren Lopez, who played Draco, comedically or not, did a great job at giving Draco dimensions through all three of the musicals!

What does this mean?

Basically, it’s just crazy to me that there are so many similarities between the two shows. If you haven’t given one a try, do it! Do you love AVPM but never seen Cursed Child, pick up the book! If you’ve seen Cursed Child but not AVPM, it’s on Youtube waiting to be watched!

Come back and tell us what you think!