Harry Potter and the Curse Child - Review (Spoiler free)

 

Visited Friday 19^th November 2021

 

We grew up with the Harry Potter films as kids, with Deathly Hallows part two released when I was 12. Every year, I re-watch the series without fail, I fall in love with the franchise even more, and it’s taught me some important life lessons;

• The importance of Friendship throughout life.
• To talk about your emotions
• Having the strength to do things on your own.

This website sums it up perfectly - https://au.reachout.com/articles/9-things-we-can-learn-from-harry-potter

After visiting the studios in October and meeting new Harry Potter Fans, it made me realise just how much the franchise is loved by millions.

When the show debuted in 2016, I stayed away from spoilers, and didn’t read the play script until after the show, so I went in completely blank. This was my most anticipated show on the west end for over 5 years, and we finally managed to get tickets.

Plot

The story follows on from the last scene in the Deathly Hallows Part 2, as Albus Potter and Rose Granger-weasley are off to Hogwarts for the first time.

Albus has the hardest trouble fitting in, as he struggles with the weight of a family legacy he never asked for. This causes Albus and Harry to become opposites. Albus wants to make things right, which causes changes in their past, present and future.

 I can’t really say anything else about the story, other than there are many twists and turns, some which relate to the main harry potter stories. Without giving anything away, the ending of part 2 was an emotional rollercoaster.

There was a heavy amount of character development in Act one, as we are introduced to Scorpius Malfoy (Draco Malfoys son), who stole the show in my opinion. Albus and Harry’s relationship are also developed.

 

Music:

The music in the show was slightly different to what I was expecting, after loving the soundtrack for all Harry Potter films (composed by John Williams).

The music used in Cursed Child (created by Imogen Heap) is very refreshing, and sets each scene up perfectly. Imogen also did the soundtrack for The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, which a couple of tracks sounded similar in the Cursed Child.

The sound mixing was also brilliant. Certain songs was mixed louder for dramatic purposes.

The choreography used when changing scenes was also used effectively. A few standout moments without spoiling anything is a ‘wand dance’, and the opening dance in part 2 gave me chills.

Set design: 

The set design felt in some ways like an old Shakespeare play. 

There were enough visual cues and sets to give the audience an impression of were they were. For example, one scene included the dragon task from the Goblit of Fire. Although we didn't see the fight ourselves, the set design and narration allowed us to imagine the scene. This mixed with the projections felt like a refreshing way of portraying theatre.

 

Illusions

For me, what brought the show to life was the use of special effects.

There were so many illusions and special effects throughout the show which made the experience magical (pun intended).

The clever lighting design completely darkened parts of the staging during some illusions, making it impossible to see how they do some stunts within the show.

 

Pricing and view:

Each part cost us £57.50 per person for row C in the Grand Circle, which was a reasonable amount, considering the stalls were almost double the price. Although quite high up, we did have a great view of the stage. The right hand side of the stage was slightly restricted, but this wasn’t used. We could also see the facial expressions of the actors, and we could see the full auditorium (which is used to its advantage without spoiling anything). We could also clearly see the projections around the stage, which is used throughout both parts of the show.

I’d recommend these seats to anyone who might be on a budget, but doesn’t want to sit in the balcony. Leg room was tight, but most west end theatres are similar.

 

My personal recommendation is to see both parts on the same day if you can, as you’ll be addicted to find out what happens in Part 2. The Cursed Child is a satisfying experience for Harry Potter fans. The return of all characters and the continuation of the story in a new environment was a whole new experience, and even if you aren’t a huge harry potter fan, you will still be immersed in the wizarding world. 

I had such an amazing day, and I’ll definitely be back to see this again in the near future.

In the words of JK Rowling, “The stories we love best do live in us forever”.