Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
May. 1st, 2019 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustLast month, I went down to Melbourne to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Apparently it's only the third city in the world to get the play, after London and New York. I can see why it's not very portable - the staging must require a load of special sets, and the Princess Theatre was renovated to make it possible.
I really loved the script when I read it, and it was really cool to see it come to life on stage.
* "Next gen" canons can be hit or miss for me. But I was really charmed by Albus and Scorpius - the sons of Harry and Draco - becoming best friends after being sorted into Slytherin together. I found Albus not always likeable but completely empathetic, and Scorpius was just adorkable.
* I love, love, love time travel stories. And they made maximum use of all my favourite tropes:
- Going back in time to save someone from dying.
- Returning to a Bad Future, and having to go back in time again to fix it.
- Going back to the same point in time more than once and seeing your past self there.
- Accidently erasing someone from the timeline.
- Meeting younger versions of people you know.
- Meeting alternate versions of people you know.
- Meeting people who died before you were born.
- Figuring out how to send a message to the future.
- Choosing to let someone die to preserve the timeline (ie the Guardian of Forever dilemma).
* Where the play shines is pulling off magic on stage. Highlights included:
- The polyjuice potion transformations and hijinks.
- The magical duel between Harry and Draco.
- Bane the centaur, complete with flicking tail.
- The Dementors flying over the audience.
- The reveal of the hidden writing all over Delphi's room.
* The play also comes into its own with intensely emotional scenes of confrontation, confession, and catharsis. Some of the magic scenes were great set pieces, but some of the emotional scenes were also what I would call set pieces: the big moment that we've been waiting for, stuff with significant build-up and pay-off. And just the themes about parents and children and the relationships between them. And how Harry never fights alone, he always has his friends by his side. And how it's love that saves us, and that we're stronger together.
* The cast was really awesome. New actors playing these characters! Daniel Radcliffe and company defined them for a generation, and now others are taking up the mantle and interpreting those roles.
* Harry reminded me a bit of the Eleventh Doctor. I think it was the combination of suit, hairstyle, and glasses.
* Scorpius was very hyper, whereas I'd imagined him rather shy. I guess they decided to translate his social discomfort as nervous babbling rather than awkward hesitation?
* Snape got a huge cheer when he appeared.
* Some of the scenes were a bit shouty, in a "We Are Acting" kind of way. Whereas in the script, I'd read them as being more subtle in delivery. I guess it's a matter of interpretation.
* I just want to say how much I love the swirling robes. Every time a wizard or witch entered or exited, they would gesture with one arm like a conductor, so that their robes would swirl and ripple in this really cool way. (There was even a dance number where the swirling robes got a workout. I would so watch a musical version of this.) I have no idea if those robes are super expensive to produce, or where I would even wear them, but if they were available in the gift shop I would have been tempted.
One of my favourite moments was the flashback when Hagrid tells eleven year old Harry:
"Harry - you're a wizard - you changed everything.
You're the most famous wizard in the whole world."
That line is from the very first book. Hearing it now gave me chills.
Yes, and yes, and yes.
I really loved the script when I read it, and it was really cool to see it come to life on stage.
* "Next gen" canons can be hit or miss for me. But I was really charmed by Albus and Scorpius - the sons of Harry and Draco - becoming best friends after being sorted into Slytherin together. I found Albus not always likeable but completely empathetic, and Scorpius was just adorkable.
* I love, love, love time travel stories. And they made maximum use of all my favourite tropes:
- Going back in time to save someone from dying.
- Returning to a Bad Future, and having to go back in time again to fix it.
- Going back to the same point in time more than once and seeing your past self there.
- Accidently erasing someone from the timeline.
- Meeting younger versions of people you know.
- Meeting alternate versions of people you know.
- Meeting people who died before you were born.
- Figuring out how to send a message to the future.
- Choosing to let someone die to preserve the timeline (ie the Guardian of Forever dilemma).
* Where the play shines is pulling off magic on stage. Highlights included:
- The polyjuice potion transformations and hijinks.
- The magical duel between Harry and Draco.
- Bane the centaur, complete with flicking tail.
- The Dementors flying over the audience.
- The reveal of the hidden writing all over Delphi's room.
* The play also comes into its own with intensely emotional scenes of confrontation, confession, and catharsis. Some of the magic scenes were great set pieces, but some of the emotional scenes were also what I would call set pieces: the big moment that we've been waiting for, stuff with significant build-up and pay-off. And just the themes about parents and children and the relationships between them. And how Harry never fights alone, he always has his friends by his side. And how it's love that saves us, and that we're stronger together.
* The cast was really awesome. New actors playing these characters! Daniel Radcliffe and company defined them for a generation, and now others are taking up the mantle and interpreting those roles.
* Harry reminded me a bit of the Eleventh Doctor. I think it was the combination of suit, hairstyle, and glasses.
* Scorpius was very hyper, whereas I'd imagined him rather shy. I guess they decided to translate his social discomfort as nervous babbling rather than awkward hesitation?
* Snape got a huge cheer when he appeared.
* Some of the scenes were a bit shouty, in a "We Are Acting" kind of way. Whereas in the script, I'd read them as being more subtle in delivery. I guess it's a matter of interpretation.
* I just want to say how much I love the swirling robes. Every time a wizard or witch entered or exited, they would gesture with one arm like a conductor, so that their robes would swirl and ripple in this really cool way. (There was even a dance number where the swirling robes got a workout. I would so watch a musical version of this.) I have no idea if those robes are super expensive to produce, or where I would even wear them, but if they were available in the gift shop I would have been tempted.
One of my favourite moments was the flashback when Hagrid tells eleven year old Harry:
"Harry - you're a wizard - you changed everything.
You're the most famous wizard in the whole world."
That line is from the very first book. Hearing it now gave me chills.
Yes, and yes, and yes.
