Seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The line snaked out of the theater, weaving in and out through barriers as each member of the crowd clutched a copy of his or her ticket.

"Next!" called the man in the suit, waving us along as we had our bags checked and walked into the theater.

From the moment I set foot into the theater, I was completely immersed in the world of the play. At the top of the steps leading down to the seats was a merchandise stand, complete with t-shirts of every Hogwarts house, each with a different design than what had been plastered everywhere since the movies. (My personal favorite was a generic stuffed owl, because I want to remind you, Hedwig, the most important owl in all of Harry Potter, died - so the brown stuffed animal was simply named, "Harry Potter owl.")

Now, despite my feelings on the screenplay, this production blew all my expectations away. It was a visual masterpiece, music transitioning from scene to scene as actors on the stage moved in carefully choreographed movements that only added to the increasing intrigue of the story.

Each set was magnificent, its strength relying in the detail etched into every single piece onstage. Characters would travel to the Ministry of Magic by seemingly disappearing through a telephone booth, lighting effects signaling the travel through time, and objects were continuously flying through the air, seemingly held up by nothing. At one point, the entire theater was illuminated by writing they had painted on every square inch of the wall and ceiling.

The acting was phenomenal, as the characters came to life in front of your eyes, their clashing personalities interspersed with both Scorpius Malfoy's and Ron Weasley's bursts of humor. The play was skillfully cast, as each actor and actress portrayed their characters with a poise and dignity that did the characters of the screenplay justice.

However, the problems I had with the actual plot of the screenplay were still apparent, but considerably less so; what had seemed so ridiculous on the page unfolded seamlessly in real life. This play is truly meant to be seen, not read.

In terms of the play's relationship to the books, I still can't consider the play as the 'eighth book.' To me, the play seems like a spinoff television series, in the sense that the characters bear the same name and appearance, but not completely authentic to the characters we've known to grow and love throughout the course of all seven books. Though, with that being said, Cursed Child still managed to tug on my heartstrings, reliving scenes straight out of the books. 

These characters were their own separate entity; each actor and actress portrayed them flawlessly. Watching each of the characters grow and develop throughout the play was truly an enjoyable experience that kept you on the edge of your seat, whether you were laughing at the dialogue or gasping at the effects each ripple of time had on the Harry Potter history.

After the two shows, it was like I was riding on a high from the entire experience of seeing the entire performance in person. The actors were kind enough to come out and meet fans, and I was lucky enough to meet Paul Thornley (Ron), Sam Clemmett (Albus), Anthony Boyle (Scorpius), Esther Smith (Delphi), and Barry McCarthy (Amos Diggory). They each signed my program (thanks to the help of one of my best friends, Haley, who had gotten us tickets in the first place), and had a short conversation with the both of us.

I know I say this a lot, but this entire experience was really and truly surreal, and I wouldn't have traded seeing this play for anything.