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Saturday, December 3, 2016

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II
Author: Jack Thorne (and J.K. Rowling and John Tiffany)
Page Count: 308
Rating: C
Keywords: Magic, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Parent-Child Relationships, Fate, Prophecy
Genre: Screenplay
Younger Readers: I do not recall any profound usage of adult language, content, or substance abuse.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.


My Review:

I am so torn about this play! Still sick, I finally caved and picked it up to read between stacks of readings for homework. My feelings fluctuated between extreme disappointment and actual enjoyment. I'll do my best to explain this.

I am not a person that typically enjoys reading plays/screenplays. Typically I will only read them for school, such as copious amounts of Shakespeare in high school and then Ibsen as an undergrad. Usually I could see the merit of the stories but I was just never able to get into reading them. Then my only experience watching plays is when a friend happened to be in one at school and asked me to come along to watch, clearly producing biased results. In short, plays are not really my thing.

Part One was my biggest issue. Recently I watched the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls and was somewhat heartbroken to see my favorite characters acting in ways I never would have expected nor could I condone. This heartbreak was repeated for me in watching the actions of Harry during the first part of the play. He struggled with the issues of his childhood and the constant danger filled tasks of the original series as a teen. Now that he is a husband and father, these issues have not disappeared and he repeatedly takes them out on his son. The scene where he tells Albus that he wishes he wasn't his son? I actually found myself repulsed by my beloved Harry Potter of my own childhood.

Then there was just a lack of connection with the other characters as I continued reading. It was just off, as if they were outlines of their original forms in the seven books. Their children and the interactions with them are forced. I seriously considered stopping reading, but something kept bothering me every time I went to put the book down. Curiosity got the best of me.

Part Two redeemed the screenplay for me. It was far more reminiscent of the original series in style and character actions. I found myself smiling while I was reading, flipping pages faster and faster to see what would happen next. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all present. Watching them work together gave a stronger feel of the golden trio we had in the original series. I loved this part, when it moved away from the kids.

No spoilers, but the character Delphi was just strange. Once you finish reading the play it will make sense why she was around. However, while I was reading she felt like she was just added in at random moments and did not quite fit.

It wrapped up nicely. There were no cliffhangers and I felt a great sense of closure. What needed to happen did, along with quite a bit of unnecessary shenanigans. Characters that needed to, redeemed themselves thoroughly. It was a fun peek into the next generation.

If you are or were a Harry Potter fan growing up then I would say go ahead and pick it up. It is not a completely necessary read for the series but it was entertaining enough. As a 308 page screenplay, it won't take more than a couple of hours of reading to get through. Emotions are tested in this one, from frustration in the beginning to sadness by the end. Enjoy the rollercoaster.

Slight Spoiler Section:

1) Before reading this I had read quite a few posts on Twitter and memes on Pinterest of readers wholeheartedly shipping Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. Initially, I did not understand the mania with which people shipped the two boys.

For the first 75% of this play I can absolutely see what people were referring to. The potential for a relationship between the two boys seems like something that could or would naturally occur as they grew older, maybe just not realized fully yet. I was surprised since these ships usually seem like a bit of stretch.

At the very end, when it is revealed that Scorpius wants to go out with Rose, Hermione and Ron's daughter, it feels strained. This definitely was not what I was expecting.

2) We get to see Snape again! This made me unbelievably happy and he was just as noble as one would expect.

3) There is no denying that Ron and Hermione just aren't right when they don't end up together.

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