'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Broadway Review: JK Rowling's Wizards in a Father-Son Battle

Photo: Matthew Murphy

The “Gotterdammerung” of children’s theater has finally made it to Broadway. If you’re an adult without kids and have somehow been able to avoid the “Harry Potter” phenomenon in novels, movies and theme parks, the good news is you don’t have to see “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two,” which opened Sunday at the Lyric Theatre. Without prior knowledge of the “Potter” story, you won’t be able to understand what’s happening on stage anyway.

A top Broadway designer sat behind me in the Lyric Theatre, and before Part Two began, he asked to anyone in earshot, “Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on?” A Potter parent in the audience attempted to explain.

Just so we get the credits straight, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. The six-hour, two part was written by Thorne and Tiffany directs.

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Rowling, Thorne and Tiffany have taken the very sophisticated approach of plunging you right into the maelstrom of the wizard phenomenon. Forget about Harry Potter 101. This stage show is for advanced students who know every character, previous plot twist and the difference between Death Eaters, Muggles, Aurors and Dementors, among many other magical creatures.

Despite the show’s reported record-breaking $68 million price tag, Tiffany has wisely chosen to give the “Cursed Child” a low-tech look. As long as parents don’t have to take out a mortgage to purchase the tickets, the two-part play is great children’s theater that in no way attempts to replicate the movies.

The stage versions of “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” dumbed the imagination with their literal interpretations. Tiffany avoids that visual trap by suggesting a train, for example, rather than presenting one on stage. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is little more than two moving staircases, and yet, in one illuminating sequence those steps conjure up dozens of locales in the imagination of any theatergoer, young or old.

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Photo: Manuel Harlan

Just as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” just wants to go home to Kansas, “Cursed Child” wears a troubled heart on its black robes. In both wizard classics, the human emotions, not the special effects, propel the story forward.

Harry Potter (Jamie Parker), now middle-aged, experiences the parental pangs of watching his adolescent son Albus (Sam Clemmett) go off to Hogwarts, his alma mater. Harry is now a bona fide rock star of wizardry, so how can Albus ever measure up? Why, he can’t even raise a broom without using his hands! “Cursed Child” is all about how an ordinary son tries to measure up to a celebrity parent. Along the way, Albus befriends Scorpius Malfoy (Anthony Boyle), the son of Harry’s school nemesis, Draco Malfoy (Alex Price), and nearly brings back the rule of the dreaded Lord Voldemort (Byron Jennings) in the process.

Thorne sometimes goes overboard with the angst-ridden father-son psychobabble: “I’m operating without wires here,” Harry tells Albus. “Most people at least have a dad to base themselves on — and either try to be or try not to be. I’ve got nothing — or very little. So I’m learning, okay? And I’m going to try with everything I’ve got — to be a good dad for you.”

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Photo: Manuel Harlan

It doesn’t take many speeches like that to bog down an already long show. As if to satisfy “Potter” fans, Thorne also takes up time introducing characters important to the novels that don’t serve the plot of “Cursed Child.” Albus Potter’s siblings, for example, figure prominently in the first 30 minutes of the play, only to disappear.

Albus’ need to prove himself involves some disastrous time travel. Here is the one place that Christine Jones’ monumental set design disappoints. “Cursed Child” imagines an alternate world, the result of events being altered by Albus and Scorpius’ travel back through time. “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the “Back to the Future” movies do something similar, but stunningly visualize it. That darker alternate world in “Cursed Child” is indicated through a few fascist design elements and minor changes in costumes (by Katrina Lindsay) and wigs (by Carole Hancock). It’s not enough.

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Photo: Manuel Harlan

Two years ago, Parker and Boyle won Olivier Awards for their acting in the original London version of “Cursed Child,” and were joined in that winners’ circle by Noma Dumezweni, who reprises on Broadway the role of the pompous but brilliant Hogwarts alum Hermoine Granger.

These three actors and others in the production give fine performances, but in a Broadway season replete with great acting it’s difficult to see any of them being singled out come Tony time.

What’s definitely prize-worthy is the fantastic redesign of the Lyric, a modern barn if ever there was one on Broadway. The theater now feels much more intimate, with the balconies and boxes hugging a reduced orchestra section. The décor incorporates “Harry Potter” design elements, but they’re unobtrusive and would accommodate a revival of any new or vintage musical once “Cursed Child” leaves the Lyric a few decades from now.

Harry Potter: 15 Magical Facts About JK Rowling's Beloved Boy Wizard Franchise (Photos)

J.K. Rowling launched Pottermania on June 26, 1997 with the publication of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (retitled "Sorcerer's Stone" in the U.S.) and four years later a film version began a decade-long franchise that was just as successful. TheWrap teamed up with IMDb to give you these 15 facts you may not have known about the film series.
WB
The roots of the Potter films begin in 1997 with David Heyman, the man who has produced every installment of the series including "Fantastic Beasts." Heyman was looking for a young adult book series to pitch to the major studios, and received a copy of "Sorcerer's Stone" from his assistant. Two years later, Rowling sold the rights to her books to Warner Bros. for $2 million, on the condition that only British actors be cast.
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One major exception to this was Dumbledore's original actor, the Irish-born Richard Harris. He repeatedly turned down the role because he did not want to commit to filming several sequels, but eventually relented for his Potter-loving granddaughter. Sadly, Harris passed away in 2002 after filming "Chamber of Secrets," and was replaced by Michael Gambon.
WB
Part of the appeal of the Potter films has been watching Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint grow up with their characters, but that almost didn't happen. While looking for a director, WB considered Steven Spielberg, who wanted to do the films as an animated series that combined the books together. WB president Alan Horn vetoed the idea insisting the films be live-action.
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Having only written four of the books at the time filming started, Rowling was brought on as a creative consultant to make sure the movie did not contradict her plans for the remainder of the series. To this end, she revealed plot elements she had not yet written to Alan Rickman, whom Rowling had hand-picked to play Snape. This included the reveal of Snape's love for Lily Evans from the climax of "Deathly Hallows."
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Fans might remember protests against Pottermania from conservative Christian groups who claimed the franchise promoted pagan witchcraft. These had an impact on the filming of "Sorcerer's Stone," as requests to shoot at Canterbury Cathedral were blocked. Instead, the Dean of Gloucester welcomed the crew to film at his cathedral, saying that he was a big fan of the series.
Creative Commons/Mattana
Director Chris Columbus aimed to film as much of "Sorcerer's Stone" on-location as he could. While later films used more studio shooting, it was shot at major sites in England including King's Cross, Durham Cathedral and Alnwick Castle. The major exceptions were the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall, which were filmed in-studio.
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In both the books and the film, Platform 9 3/4 isn't really between platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross. Platforms 9 and 10 are suburban platforms located in a rather mundane-looking part of the station, while the grander area seen in the film and depicted in the books is the inter-city area located on platforms 4 and 5. Still, if you go to King's Cross and find the real platform 10, you'll find nearby a sign for platform 9 3/4, featuring a luggage cart disappearing into the wall.
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When casting for The Boy Who Lived, Columbus was bent on getting Daniel Radcliffe for the role after seeing him in the 1999 BBC adaptation of "David Copperfield." It almost didn't happen, though, as Radcliffe's parents were afraid that he would be overwhelmed by the media attention. After a long talk with Columbus and Heyman, they eventually agreed.
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Rupert Grint's audition was completely different. To get the role of Ron Weasley, he sent in a videotape of him rapping about why he should be in the movie. In 2011, during a panel for "Deathly Hallows," he performed a part of his rap for a crowd of Potter fans.
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Even today, the differences between Radcliffe and Grint are striking. While he's racked up over $95 million from his time playing Harry, Radcliffe admitted in a 2016 interview with The Telegraph that he's barely spent any of it. Grint, meanwhile, spent his money on fulfilling his childhood dream of owning an ice cream truck.
TheWrap
As for Emma Watson, she was reluctant at first to audition for Hermione, but was convinced to do so by her Oxford theatre teacher. She got the part after Heyman and Rowling were impressed by her confidence during screen tests.
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In an attempt to remain as faithful to the books as possible, Watson was originally given fake teeth to match Hermione's buck-toothed smile from Rowling's descriptions. They were scrapped after Watson struggled to speak with them.
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J.K. Rowling herself was offered a cameo in the film as Harry's mother, Lily, who appears in the Mirror of Erised. Rowling declined, and the role was given to Geraldine Somerville.
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The floating candles in the Great Hall were created with a special effects rig that moved the candles up and down in special holders that created the illusion that they were floating. That rig was scrapped in the sequels after one of the wires snapped and dropped a candle. No one was injured, but it was decided that the candles would be entirely computer generated in later films.
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While most movies are not filmed in chronological order, Columbus decided to film most of "Sorcerer's Stone" starting from the beginning to help Radcliffe, Watson and Grint come together as a group. One of the few exceptions to this was the Quidditch match, which was filmed last due to the high amounts of special and visual effects. Go to IMDb for more trivia, goofs and quotes.
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Here’s some trivia you may not have known about how J.K. Rowling’s beloved books became a film franchise

J.K. Rowling launched Pottermania on June 26, 1997 with the publication of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (retitled "Sorcerer's Stone" in the U.S.) and four years later a film version began a decade-long franchise that was just as successful. TheWrap teamed up with IMDb to give you these 15 facts you may not have known about the film series.

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BIO Robert Hofler

Robert Hofler, TheWrap's lead theater critic, has worked as an editor at Life, Us Weekly and Variety. His books include "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson," "Party Animals," and "Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to A Clockwork Orange, How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke All the Taboos." His latest book, "Money, Murder, and Dominick Dunne," is now in paperback.

Harry Potter: 15 Magical Facts About JK Rowling's Beloved Boy Wizard Franchise (Photos)

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