Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The exhilarating HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD opens on Broadway, and there’s real magic in it

• By drediman
• April 23, 2018
• No Comments

A scene from “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at the Lyric Theatre.

Last night, one of the most hotly anticipated shows in many a Broadway season opened at the significantly re-designed Lyric Theater. Yep, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 has arrived, and I dare say the Great White Way will never be the same again. At a price tag of more than $60 million, it’s one of the one of the most expensive shows in theater history and certainly the most pricey straight production of a straight play (i.e., non-musical); ironically, it’s playing at the same venue where the equally expensive musical Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark had its much-maligned run. But lucky for us, lightning most certainly has not strick twice – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the most exhilarating, purely entertaining show to open on Broadway in recent memory.

There’s real magic in The Cursed Child. Jack Thorne’s two-part play was written with the full blessing and support of J.K. Rowling, and it’s a masterful mix of old and new. In it, we meet Harry Potter as an adult and the father of two sons, both of whom are attending Hogwarts. The younger son, Albus, is a troubled boy, and his angst and impulsive nature lead him into some rather precarious situations and far-reaching adventures, very much like his famous dad. Much to the delight of Potter fans, Mr. Thorne has skillfully woven familiar characters we all know and love from the books into a story that pushes the franchise into richer territory.

Director John Tiffany has artfully staged the ambitious epic with breathless propulsion. What’s exemplary about Mr. Tiffany’s utterly brilliant staging is his understanding of what makes theater tick. Although The Cursed Child is filled to the brim with spectacular, head-scratching stage magic, the production is basically performed on a bare playing space, paying as much attention to the intimate confrontations that fuel the plot as it does the awe-inspiring crescendos. Mr. Tiffany asks us to jump into this empty space armed only with our imaginations, and we do. That we’re seduced so easily to suspend our disbelief for more than five hours of cumulative running time is the real magic of the production. The cast, most of whom originated their roles in the London production, is practically perfect. I won’t go into detail about particular performances, but rest assured that, with this bunch, you are in the best hands possible.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child lives up to the hype, and then some.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, PARTS 1 & 2
Broadway, Play
Lyric Theatre
Approximately 5 hours (with two intermissions and a break between shows)
Open run