Harry Potter has hit the shelves for the eighth time. Or rather, he’s hit the stage. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the special edition rehearsal script written by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, was released on July 31 and is decidedly less magical than its predecessors.
The play, which picks up 19 years after the end of the original series, follows Albus Severus Potter, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley’s son. Albus struggles with the weight of his father’s legacy, while navigating Hogwarts and his friendships with Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Granger-Weasley. Harry is now a working man, putting in time as both a Ministry of Magic employee and a father. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is currently showing at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End.
Fans expecting an eighth Harry Potter book will be sorely disappointed. The script is a script first and a Harry Potter story second. It feels more like fan fiction than a legitimate continuation of the first seven books. The emotional verisimilitude that characterized the original series has “disapparated.” Events and emotions, understandingly heightened to allow for the limited depth of a stage play, develop with alarmingly unrealistic speed.
The fault seems to lie with the medium. The play is clearly not meant to be experienced in text form. The stage directions often help the reader to visualize what’s going on, but some of the more complicated transitions and scene jumps read in a disorienting fashion. The plot develops quickly, which it has to; it is a play, after all.
And yet, the fact that “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is a play doesn’t excuse numerous plot holes, a heavy reliance on fan service and a relatively tired recycling of previous Harry Potter stories. The script is marketed as the eighth Harry Potter story, but it’s more of a regurgitation of elements from the previous stories. A large number of original characters make an appearance for unnecessary reasons, their presence more of a bonus for fans than an organic aspect of the story. Inconsistencies between the play and the books abound.
Despite the play’s flaws, the Rowling-esque themes of love and friendship are still powerful and impacting. The relationships between Albus, Scorpius and Rose don’t resemble the friendships of original trio Harry, Hermione, and Ron, but are interesting and well-developed. Albus and Scorpius’ dynamics are especially interesting, representing the reconciliation of two families previously estranged in a very beautiful way. The new characters aren’t at all what a reader would expect, which is charming.
The original trio, on the other hand, isn’t at all what a reader would imagine, which has the opposite effect. Their stories continue in obviously forced ways. All of the original characters, making the transition from book to stage, have become mere caricatures. They hardly resemble their book counterparts, their most apparent personality traits magnified for the sake of a stage production. Their motivations and reactions often simply don’t make sense and are clearly produced only so that the plot can develop. Regardless, there are a few poignant moments.
“So I’m supposed to stand and watch?” Harry asks, seeking parenting advice.
“No,” one of the original characters answers. “You’re supposed to teach him how to meet life.”
The script is enjoyable, but only if viewed as a piece of imaginative writing experienced in the wrong format and completely separate from the Harry Potter canon. If you don’t take it too seriously, you may find the addition to the Harry Potter universe a blessing. Otherwise, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is a curse no amount of magic can remedy.
Caption: Nineteen years later, the story continues.
Credit: G. Ducanis
