harry potter cursed child book reviews

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Harry potter and the cursed child: parts one and two.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 7 Reviews
• Kids Say 82 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Engaging time-travel play satisfying for fans.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two is the script of a play performed first in London in 2016. The story takes place 19 years after the big Hogwarts battle in Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows , the concluding Book 7 of the core Potter series. It's hard to…

Why Age 10+?

A student dies from a killing curse, a boy's mother dies from a long illness. So

Adults kiss and flirt.

"Bloody hell" and "damn."

Talk of Ron drunk at his wedding and out drinking Firewhiskies with Neville (bot

Any Positive Content?

Even as only an imprint of his former self in a talking portrait, Dumbledore off

Albus and Scorpius are oddball, outcast friends living in the shadow of their fa

Readers are re-immersed in Harry Potter's world, past and present (19 years afte

Violence & Scariness

A student dies from a killing curse, a boy's mother dies from a long illness. Souls are sucked out of bodies by those nasty black-cloaked Dementors. A curse inflicts pain, an arm is broken and repaired magically, and some magical fighting with wands results in minor injuries. Talk of muggles blown up and tortured and people burned alive. Much talk about the student Cedric Diggory's death from Book 4 and the deaths of Harry's parents from a killing curse.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Talk of Ron drunk at his wedding and out drinking Firewhiskies with Neville (both as adults).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Even as only an imprint of his former self in a talking portrait, Dumbledore offers the best advice, about teaching kids resilience instead of constantly trying to protect them from harm. Professor McGonnagal reminds her charges with her usual candor that "bravery doesn't forgive stupidity." And the lesson in every book about time travel: Don't mess with time travel. The consequences are always dire, no matter the intention.

Positive Role Models

Albus and Scorpius are oddball, outcast friends living in the shadow of their famous parents and some pernicious rumors. Their friendship keeps them grounded most of the time, but Albus' need to be something more than the weird middle child and his impulsive streak cause the pair to make a string of serious mistakes. Both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy grow here and endeavor to parent without their own issues and needs keeping them from understanding their sons' needs.

Educational Value

Readers are re-immersed in Harry Potter's world, past and present (19 years after Book 7 ), thanks to a Time Turner and some flashback dreams. They can think about how well moments remembered from the book series aid in the storytelling here. Also, readers used to Rowling's fat fiction novels full of detail will need to adjust to the play format and imagine the sets and dialogue performed, a challenging transition for some that takes slower, more careful reading.

Parents need to know that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two is the script of a play performed first in London in 2016. The story takes place 19 years after the big Hogwarts battle in Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows , the concluding Book 7 of the core Potter series. It's hard to assign the best age for this play for a few reasons. The play format may be a hard transition for some readers who aren't used to slowing down and imagining characters on a set. Also, with near constant references to the past, readers need to be familiar with the entire Harry Potter series to keep up. We recommend Book 7 for ages 12 and up because of its intense battles and themes. While many of these themes are still present in this play, they get a lighter touch because of this dialogue-heavy format. There's still some violence, however. A student dies from a killing curse, a boy's mother dies from a long illness, Dementors suck out souls, a curse inflicts pain, an arm is broken and repaired magically, and some magical fighting with wands results in minor injuries. Flashes to the past or alternate presents talk of muggles blown up and tortured, and there's much talk of the death of the student Cedric Diggory from Book 4 and the death of Harry's parents at the hands of Voldemort when he was a baby. Despite Harry Potter hogging the title, the main characters here are his son, Albus, and Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius. Their friendship keeps them grounded most of the time, but Albus' need to be something more than the weird middle child and his impulsive streak cause the pair to make a string of serious mistakes. Even as only an imprint of his former self in a talking portrait, Dumbledore offers the best advice to floundering parents Harry and Draco about teaching kids resilience instead of constantly trying to protect them from harm.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say (7)
• Kids say (82)

Based on 7 parent reviews

Parenting- the ultimate HP adventure

How though, what's the story.

IN HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, middle child Albus Potter just doesn't fit in at Hogwarts. For one thing, who could imagine a Potter in Slytherin? And how could anyone imagine his best friend would be a boy named Scorpius, a Malfoy? Albus' dad just doesn't get him and doesn't get what it means to be in the shadow of the famous Harry Potter -- Albus never wanted any of that. The night before the train back to Hogwarts, Albus overhears his father arguing with a now elderly Amos Diggory. Amos heard a rumor that a Time Turner was found and implores that they use it to go back and save his son Cedric, whose murder was ordered by Voldemort decades ago. Harry won't even hear him out or admit that the Time Turner exists. Albus, sure his father is lying, thinks it's unfair and wants to be the one to help. On the train to Hogwarts, Albus and Scorpius make a break for it, intending to find the Time Turner in his Aunt Hermione's office and go back in time to the Triwizard Tournament. If Cedric doesn't win with Harry, he can't be killed and Amos gets his son back. But, of course, with all plans to alter time, even for the right reasons, things can go horribly, horribly wrong. Like, Voldemort-never-died horribly wrong.

Is It Any Good?

Once readers get accustomed to the more sparsely detailed play format, most will come away happy to have spent more time in Harry's world. Reading scripts is a slower business, taking time to imagine how each scene is set before digging into the dialogue; a lot happens with only a few stage directions and scene changes. This story really plays with time, moving forward in Albus' first few years of Hogwarts, exploring Harry Potter's nightmares of the past, and eventually visiting scenes from past books and scary alternate presents. (Voldemort is back? Nooooo!)

Seeing it all come together onstage would be a marvel. Getting to the climax of the story without actors in front of you is still nail-biting. It's always hard to imagine how any time travel screwup can really be fixed, and the stakes are pretty high here. Mix that with a bit of humor (one alternate present isn't so kind to Ron and Hermione) and some poignant parenting lessons (even for Draco!), and there's quite a bit to take away from four acts. Plus there are plenty of "how on earth would they do that on a stage?" moments to ponder until readers get lucky enough to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child performed onstage.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the Harry Potter world in play form. Was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child easy to follow as a play or much harder? Did you feel as engaged as you were with the book format? Did you have to change the way you read the play versus the novels to take it all in?

How have Harry, Ron, Hermione, and even Draco changed as adults? Are you still interested in them as adult characters, or has your focus shifted more to Albus and Scorpius? Parents reading along: Who are your favorite characters?

Does this script make you want to see this play performed onstage? Are there some stage directions in the script that seem too hard to translate to a stage -- such as, say, transfiguration? How do you think they did it in performance?

Book Details

• Authors : J. K. Rowling , John Tiffany , Jack Thorne
• Genre : Fantasy
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Friendship
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Arthur A. Levine
• Publication date : July 31, 2016
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
• Number of pages : 320
• Available on : Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : October 5, 2018

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Book Review (and Discussion): Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

OKAY. It’s finally done. I read it, digested it, and have produced some thoughts about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (AKA the “8th Story, Nineteen Years Later”). There have been so many mixed reviews about this book, I wasn’t exactly sure exactly where I’d fall. I’d say I ended up somewhere in the middle. I’ve divided this post into Spoiler-free and Spoiler-full, so read on for my spoiler-free thoughts on the story!

The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later. 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.

Spoiler-free review: 

Was this book like reading the other Harry Potter novels? HECK NO! Remember that this is a SCRIPT you’ve got. This is supposed  to be experienced as a play, but since us peons in anywhere-but-the-UK don’t get to see the play, we just have to be happy with the script. It’s not going to read the same! But did it serve its purpose? Did it bring us back to the Wizarding world and re-connect us with the characters that we have learned to love so much? Yeah, pretty much.

What I loved:

• Getting to read to about Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all over again. Their banter is the same, and their characters felt  mostly true to the HP novels.
• Seeing a glimpse of what life is like 19+ years later . The book essentially picks up in the exact same place as the epilogue in the  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  We’ve all imagined what the gang’s life would be like years later, and now you get to find out. I would say that for the most part it felt pretty authentic (as far as what jobs they were performing, what life was like, etc.).
• After a while, you get over the fact that you’re reading a script . I thought it was going to be a big hurdle and feel odd, but it really didn’t. I think it’s pretty easy to settle it and read it like a book. The stage directions and the setting description for each scene do a good enough getting your brain where it needs to be.

What I didn’t like so much:

• You could tell JK Rowling had little to do with writing the play as there was very little world expansion. When the gang is referring to things in the past, it’s  always to something that happened during the 7 books. Like nothing happened at all the last 20 years or so. That bothered me, and I think that’s why a lot of people are complaining that this book read like “fan fiction.” It wasn’t very inventive.
• Sometimes Harry’s character was just all wrong . If you’ve read the book or you don’t care about spoilers, you can read more in my spoiler-ful section.

At the end of the day, I would never deter someone from reading this book. I think any good Potterhead should read it themselves and see how they feel about it, because loads of people are loving it. Let’s be honest, we’re all desperate for more Harry Potter, and since this is the closest we’re going to get, we just have to take it!

Spoiler-full thoughts:

There were some things that just struck me as so odd that I felt like I had to talk about them with others who’ve read the script. So please, if you’ve read the book, chime in below so I can discuss with someone finally (none of my friends I see on a daily basis have read it *cries*).

• How in the even heck do Scorpius and Albus escape from the Hogwarts Express when it’s explicitly written that Fred and George have never done it? I just don’t believe that these dorks could manage it if the masters couldn’t.
• I’m sorry but Harry just seems like the worst dad ever to Albus. AND I DON’T BELIEVE IT. On top of that, Harry is  so self-centered with him.  I didn’t have father growing up, Albus, so that’s why it’s all new to me and blah blah blah why I suck at being a dad.  Just shut-up Harry, because Albus is your YOUNGER son, so you’ve already had practice.     You’re sad Albus? Well let me just remind you that I was the chosen one and had to defeat Lord Voldemort.   The Harry Potter I know and love would never say crap like that.
• Or how about when Harry gets in a fight with Dumbledore’s portrait in the fourth act?  “Go. Leave. I don’t want you here, I don’t need you. You were absent every time it really counted. I fought him three times without you. I’ll face him again, if needs be — alone.”  WTF? Harry would NEVER say that. It’s like the script-writers only read  Order of the Phoenix where Harry is all angsty and falsely based his character entirely on that.
• Voldemort and ….. Bellatrix? No. Just no. Nope. No way. Voldemort is NOT HAVING SEX, okay? And he certainly doesn’t have a child. When the writers of this story were coming up with the plot, who thought, “Voldemort should have a kid!” And even worse, WHO AGREED WITH THEM?
• The prophecy was dumb.

What were some of your spoiler-full thoughts on the script? I know I am complaining about a lot here, but did I still enjoy the book? Yes, of course. At the end of the day, it’s still Harry Potter… sort of.

Have you read it yet? If not, do you plan on reading it? Tell me all of your thoughts in the comment section below! 

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.

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17 comments.

I was pretty disappointed by Cursed Child (I gave it two stars). I know it’s a different format and therefore it will have a different overall feeling to it, but then they shouldn’t have marketed it as the “eighth story” if it’s not meant to directly connect with the vibe and characters of the original series. I did really like Scorpius, though 🙂

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Yes, I agree about the marketing as the “8th story.” I think that’s what initially got a lot of us Potterheads to buy the book (so that means it was great for marketing!), but just set us all up for disappointment. I’m surprised by how much JK Rowling backed the story, though. Seemed very unlike her series. :-\

The Voldemort having a child thing was difficult. I’ve recently been rewatching and reading the Half Blood Prince and, especially from the book’s perspective, Tom Riddle is seductive and handsome and charming and popular. That’s the Voldemort I can imagine might have a child but when he becomes Voldemort and creates horcruxes, he really becomes less than human in a way, and his motivations are clearly self-centred. He has no time for friends or relationships or anything approaching that. His sole goal is to make himself immortal which he does but for Harry Potter and Dumbledore’s detective work into horcruxes. That book even references the fact that the Philosopher’s Stone wasn’t enough for him, as he would have to rely on the elixir it produces, rather than on himself. It all comes back to himself and points towards a small margin for sexual thoughts. Good to hear your thoughts!

I 100% agree. Yeah, with Tom Riddle it would have been far more believable, but once he got started with the horcruxes there’s just no way that would have been something he prioritized. It’s just odd that JK Rowling backed this story so much.

Maria Casacalenda (Big City Bookworm)

Ugh. I just left the whole thing about Voldemort having a child out of my review completely. I just needed to push that out of my mind. It just felt so unnecessary and unrealistic. There were a lot of things I really didn’t like about this story, but I was just so happy to be back in this world that I tried to ignore it as much as I could. I agree with literally your entire review haha!

Hahahaha yes! There were a lot of issues BUT it was Harry Potter so I can’t hate it that much 😂

Completely agree with your thoughts about Harry. He was totally unlikable here, and his treatment of Albus was off. It felt forced – like they had to have Harry act a certain way to propel certain plot elements that they wanted to include, regardless of whether or not it truly fit the characters. And really excellent point questioning how Albus & Scorpius were able to get off the Hogwarts Express when Fred & George never could.

I really enjoyed your review, and I agreed with most of what you said. Most disappointing for me was Harry’s character. He just wasn’t very nice any more, which spoilt it a little for me, but other than that, I quite enjoyed it. 🙂

Resh Susan @ The Book Satchel

Nice one! I think it is safe to put a review of Cursed child too. I agree with many of your points on why you didnt like the book. How could they escape? And the prophecy was kind of like wine in new bottle. Before HP was the chosen one. Now from the evil side there is a chosen one. Also how the Polyjuice portion could be made in such a short span of time!!

Hahah, good point about the Polyjuice potion! Us die-hard Potterheads know better than that (;

Cait @ Paper Fury

I can’t buy that whole “Harry never had a dad so he’s a bad dad” thing because what about ALL HIS FATHER-FIGURE MENTORS??? Like he totally had Dumbledore and Hagrid and Lupin and Sirius were there for a while, and what about Mr. Weasley?!??!? Like Harry was totally surrounded by epic father figures, so #no to him being a bad dad because of that. And also why doesn’t anyone ever mention Harry’s older son?😂 I never see him come up in reviews…hahah…is there a reason no one talks about him? omg I’m curious! ANYWAY. I confess I haven’t read this! I’ve read a huge truckload of spoilery reviews though because I’m so curious. But the idea of reading a play doesn’t really do anything for me. 😛

Emily @ Loony Literate

LOL I hated it, but I agree that every Potterhead just has to give it a go – such mixed reviews. VOLDEMORT THOUGH. UGHHHHH. Like…like…who thought it was a good idea to have that? That was probably the worst part of the book for me. Pretty sure my sister thought something was seriously wrong because I screamed and dropped the book. Accurate reaction.

Must be one hell of change, reading a HP script instead of a HP brick of a novel. Glad you managed to find positive things about it since I’ve seen a lot of bashing for this poor fellow. By the way, I haven’t ready any of the HP books yet. I do plan on doing so, I have the whole set (except the 8th book now). But, it will have to wait a little more! 😛 Great review!

– Lashaan

Hah, I can’t believe you’ve never read HP! It shaped so much of my childhood I can’t even imagine what it would be like growing up without it! When you get to it I hope you enjoy it (:

I completely agree!! Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy reading it but it just didn’t feel right to me. I had such high expectations going into it and, if I’m being honest, none of them were really fulfilled. Some of it was just too far fetched for me, like Voldemort having a child, and the trolley lady going full out ninja on the two kids (what was that?). Harry just didn’t seem that much like Harry to me but at least Ron and Hermione were a bit more like themselves.

So glad I’m not the only one who felt that way!!

I suspect that the play doesn’t have allusions to stuff not in the books because to do that you basically have to have a character give a little speech about it, like Shakespeare does at the start of many of his plays. And that’s going to feel awkward and take time away from the main plot, if that other past action isn’t relevant to the current plot. But you’re right. It would have been nice to know a bit more about what happened to the characters in the intervening years.

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HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

The official script book of the original west end production.

by Jack Thorne with J.K. Rowling & John Tiffany ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2016

Rowling’s name on the cover will guarantee mad sales, even for an unadventurous spinoff like this.

The Boy Who Lived may be done with Voldemort, but Voldemort’s not done with him.

Blocked out by all three co-authors but written by Thorne, this play script starts up where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) leaves off, then fast-forwards three years. As the plot involves multiple jaunts into the past to right certain wrongs (with all but the last changing the future in disastrous ways), the last Triwizard Tournament and other already-familiar events and locales figure prominently. Also, many favorite characters, even Dumbledore and Snape, trot back onstage to mingle with the now–school-age offspring of Ron, Harry, and Draco. In a fan-fiction–style stretch, the child of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named also plays a part. In the early going at least, the authors faithfully recapture the series’ lively character interplay, and one scene aboard (and atop) the Hogwarts Express particularly echoes some of the original cast’s heady misadventures. And there are measures of banter, tongue-in-cheek dialogue (“HERMIONE: Who are you calling intense?”), and evocative if skimpy stage directions: “[Harry] feels intense pain in his forehead. In his scar. Around him, Dark Magic moves .” But the spellcasting and dramatic crescendos don’t play as well on the page as they might on the stage; the dozens of short, quick-cut scenes chop up the action for readers rather than building dramatic tension. Moreover, the bonding between classmates Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, two self-described “losers,” and the adult Harry’s labored efforts to connect with his alienated middle child distract from a dark-is-rising-again storyline that already leans on unlikely contrivances as it makes its way to a climactic wizardly duel.

Pub Date: July 31, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-338-09913-3

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2016

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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PERCY JACKSON'S GREEK GODS

by Rick Riordan ; illustrated by John Rocco ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 19, 2014

The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories.

Percy Jackson takes a break from adventuring to serve up the Greek gods like flapjacks at a church breakfast.

Percy is on form as he debriefs readers concerning Chaos, Gaea, Ouranos and Pontus, Dionysus, Ariadne and Persephone, all in his dude’s patter: “He’d forgotten how beautiful Gaea could be when she wasn’t all yelling up in his face.” Here they are, all 12 Olympians, plus many various offspring and associates: the gold standard of dysfunctional families, whom Percy plays like a lute, sometimes lyrically, sometimes with a more sardonic air. Percy’s gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small space—as does Rocco’s artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightning—so readers will also meet Makaria, “goddess of blessed peaceful deaths,” and the Theban Teiresias, who accidentally sees Athena bathing. She blinds him but also gives him the ability to understand the language of birds. The atmosphere crackles and then dissolves, again and again: “He could even send the Furies after living people if they committed a truly horrific crime—like killing a family member, desecrating a temple, or singing Journey songs on karaoke night.”

Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4231-8364-8

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: June 28, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014

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A LONG WALK TO WATER

Based on a true story.

by Linda Sue Park ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 2010

Salva Dut is 11 years old when war raging in the Sudan separates him from his family. To avoid the conflict, he walks for years with other refugees, seeking sanctuary and scarce food and water. Park simply yet convincingly depicts the chaos of war and an unforgiving landscape as they expose Salva to cruelties both natural and man-made. The lessons Salva remembers from his family keep him from despair during harsh times in refugee camps and enable him, as a young man, to begin a new life in America. As Salva’s story unfolds, readers also learn about another Sudanese youth, Nya, and how these two stories connect contributes to the satisfying conclusion. This story is told as fiction, but it is based on real-life experiences of one of the “Lost Boys” of the Sudan. Salva and Nya’s compelling voices lift their narrative out of the “issue” of the Sudanese War, and only occasionally does the explanation of necessary context intrude in the storytelling. Salva’s heroism and the truth that water is a source of both conflict and reconciliation receive equal, crystal-clear emphasis in this heartfelt account. (Fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-547-25127-1

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010

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Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter made a return to the forefront of pop culture at the end of July with the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a screenplay of the new stage play that takes us back to the magical wizarding world. It’s a bold new direction for the story, taking place nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (please note that this review will assume that you have read or, at the very least, watched the final entry in the series), and the world is a very different place for Harry and his friends.

Almost two decades have passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. Since Voldemort’s defeat, our original heroes have attempted to move on with their lives. Harry is a Ministry of Magic official now, head of the Office of Magical Law Enforcement. He’s happily married to Ginny, and father of three children. Hermione is Minister of Magic, and married to Ron, who has taken over operation of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. At the outset of the play, Harry and Ginny’s second child, Albus, is bound for his first year at Hogwarts. While on the train, he meets his fellow first year, Scorpius Malfoy, and despite their fathers’ history, they become fast friends. In short order, the boys arrive at school and are both sorted into Slytherin, much to Albus’s surprise.

The following years pass quickly (we are only shown hints of events during the first three years that Albus and Scorpius are in school), showing the lack of real communication between Albus and his father. Being the son of The Boy Who Lived, it turns out, is not easy. Albus has Scorpius as a friend, but neither of them seem to be the children their fathers hoped they would be. You see, a rumor has been flying about the wizarding world that Draco Malfoy isn’t actually Scorpius’s dad. Gossip is that Malfoy wasn’t able to have a child, and so he illegally used a Time Turner in order for his wife to conceive a son with Lord Voldemort. This rumor is given more credence when the Ministry of Magic confiscates what is believed to be the last Time Turner in existence, one that doesn’t appear to have the one-hour-back limit of previous ones. But if someone could go back more than one hour in time, what would they seek to do with that power?

In their fourth year, Albus and Scorpius learn about the existence of the Time Turner and ask themselves that question. When Amos Diggory arrives at the Ministry to implore Harry to go back and save his son, Cedric from Voldemort, Harry refuses, for fear of what disrupting the past might do. When given the opportunity, though, Albus and Scorpius leap at a chance to change the world in the hopes of finding their place within it. However, the threat of Lord Voldemort doesn’t only linger in the past.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child isn’t a Harry Potter novel. It’s a play based on a story by J.K. Rowling, but the heavy lifting of the writing was done by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. It’s a vastly different sort of read because of that, and we don’t get anywhere near the level of insight into each character. It doesn’t move in quite the same way, but it is no less magical. Cursed Child is to the Harry Potter series what The Force Awakens was to Star Wars: a return to a beloved world that retreads some familiar moments while still laying the groundwork for a younger generation. New perspectives on classic moments left me feeling more connected to the characters than I had since first finishing Deathly Hallows.

Having read through the entirety of the screenplay, I only want one more thing from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I want to see it on stage.

(Note: This review orignally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2016/08/10/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-… )

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‘harry potter and the cursed child’: book review.

The eighth story in the series goes 'Back to the Future' with disappointing results.

By Andy Lewis

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This week saw the release of a new Harry Potter book with midnight parties, fans dressed in costume and pre-orders that already have made it the bestselling book of the year. It all feels so 2007.

But it’s 2016 and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not your ordinary Potter book. For starters, this isn’t a book, but the script of the two-part play that opened in London on July 30 (hours before the book went on sale). Second, this one takes place 19 years later (opening with an extended version of the epilogue  from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on platform 9 3/4). And third, and most important, this one isn’t written by J.K. Rowling herself, making it the first one not written by the original creator. She helped come up with the basic story along with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, but credit for the play script goes to Thorne alone (Tiffany directs).

That the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child evokes so much nostalgia is perfect for a story that depends so heavily on nostalgia, the past and familiarity with the original seven books . A better title might have been Harry Potter and the Back to the Future (or, for those that get the reference,  Harry Potter and the Felicity Season 4B ) for a story that uses time travel to explore what-ifs and alternate futures.

The best parts of The Cursed Child are the beginning and the epilogue . The story focuses on Albus Severus Potter’s arrival at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat (as Albus feared, he’s a Slytherin ) and seeing friendships and alliances reconfigure in a new generation. Particularly interesting is the friendship that develops between Albus and Scorpius Malfoy, each so unlike their fathers, and the character of Rose Granger-Weasley, also so unlike her parents. (For starters, she’s an epically good quidditch player.) It is the most Rowling-esque part of the story and frankly the most fun.

Seeing how the children of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco are both like their parents and also distinct characters is fascinating, and the relationship between Albus and Scorpius feels genuine (though Rowling had a better ear for kid’s dialogue than Thorne). Part of me wished this was book one of Harry Potter: The Next Generation and the story really luxuriated in everyday life at Hogwarts in the same way as the original book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone .

Instead, The Cursed Child becomes a convoluted time-travel adventure that honestly is a bit of a slog. Without giving away too many plot details, Albus and Scorpius travel back in time to save a life and in doing so they set off a domino wave of changes that radically alter the present. As in Back to the Future , further attempts to fix the timeline result in more changes and still more attempts to make it right, even as their parents are rushing to rescue them. Some of the alternate future versions of familiar characters are fun and others don’t quite work. But understanding any of it assumes a pretty deep familiarity with the Potterverse . This isn’t a story accessible to newcomers (in the way the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie appears to be), but one designed to service the existing fan base.

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'harry potter and the cursed child' extends through end of 2017.

J.K. Rowling should be applauded for pushing the boundaries of form. The easiest thing for her to do would have been to just write a new book — or even skip the new book and get right to the movie. Doing a play is a daring creative choice, especially for a multibillion-dollar franchise like Harry Potter . (Imagine if Star Wars: The Force Awakens had started as a play.) This story would definitely be more fun to see performed on stage. Rowling also deserves credit for giving the characters over to someone else to write. The story doesn’t always read like she wrote it, and that gives it an appealing freshness.

But the big problem with The Cursed Child is that it’s less an original story than a remix of the existing Potter mythology. The been there, done that feeling to the whole thing is its greatest weakness. How the sins of the father (and the mother) weigh on their children is an interesting theme, but it would have been better served exploring that idea in a truly original story and not one that rehashed the mythology of the previous seven books.  

Let’s hope that if there’s a ninth story, it leaves the time travel behind. 

J.K. Rowling Hopes 'Harry Potter' Play Will Expand "Wider Than Broadway"

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

By j.k. rowling.

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' is a very interesting and engrossing play for some fans of the Harry Potter universe, but many purists see it as a not so satisfying addition to a much-beloved book series.

Article written by Mohandas Alva

M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.

‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ by J. K. Rowling is a joyride that combines several elements from the Harry Potter book series that readers love with some entirely new stories and consequences that came to be long after Harry Potter defeated Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts. However, as interesting as its plots are with several time-travel attempts and alternate realities, ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ are also considered by many as a not-so-fulfilling play that only tries to live up to the reputation of the Harry Potter books but doesn’t.

‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ is perhaps the only Harry Potter book that has divided its readers and fans as much, yet remains to be a well-received play in both London’s West End Theatre and Broadway.

Echoes from the Past

The story of ‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ delve a lot deeper into the events of the past that occurred in the Harry Potter books than it probably does with its present. While there are only four instances of time travel in this play, most of the material is directly linked to either discussing the past or trying to repair and even uphold the past.

Harry and Albus are constantly in the turmoil of misunderstanding each other and only come to terms and make peace with each other when Harry admits that his legacies and the past should not carve the path for Albus. He himself should. Furthermore, it is evident that it is this realization that actually ends the differences between Scorpius and Draco have, too, in the alternate reality where Draco is too deep into the legacy of his family. It is this relationship that the past has with the present that continues to echo throughout the plot of ‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘

As is evident, most of the story and plot deal with Albus and Scorpius going back in time to prevent Cedric Diggory from dying in the Triwizard Tournament, another event that occurred in the past. The antagonist Delphini, as is revealed later, is solely driven by the need to prevent Voldemort from making the mistakes he did in the past that led to his defeat at the hands of Harry. In its entirety, the fact that there is a time-turner in hand and that there are several legacies to uphold makes ‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ a plot that dwells more on the effects of the past than its present day, which in turn is a lesson in itself.

What most characters in ‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ,’ and especially Harry, realize, in the end, is that they must eventually move on from what happened in the past and live in the present. They must not forget to value their past or pretend it didn’t happen. They should, however, also value their ‘present’ and acknowledge that it is happening.

Primarily, the major conflict in this play is that between Harry Potter and his son Albus. Despite having a lot to do with saving Cedric Diggory, the friendship between Albus and Scorpius, and the possible return of Voldemort, a major part of ‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ solely deals with the difficulties Albus faces with being forced to mold himself to be in par with Harry’s imposing shadow and the difficulties Harry himself faces in understanding and parenting Albus properly due to his lack of experience and first-hand knowledge of what the role of a parent is actually like.

Harry had to struggle a lot in his life due to the lack of parents, and now that he is finally assigned the task of becoming a parent himself, it turns out to be way more daunting than most of his adventures in his early years. But then again, he wasn’t trained for any of his adventures, and he just had to become himself out of necessity. So, he rose up to those occasions and bravely faced every challenge. However, the task of parenting is not so easy for Harry and tends to take a major toll on him.

Similarly, in the alternate reality that is created when Albus and Scorpius prevent Cedric from qualifying in the second Triwizard Tournament task, Draco and Scorpius display similar tensions and have some difficulty in seeing eye to eye. However, the moment Scorpius mentions his mother Astoria, Draco’s demeanor significantly changes, and he remembers how wrong he is to value the legacy of the Malfoy family over his son, which is why Draco accepts his shortcomings and asks Scorpius to do whatever it takes to end the reign of Voldemort.

Is it worth it to read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ?

‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ is definitely the most interesting book from the Harry Potter franchise in how strongly it has divided its readers. Despite many fans of the Harry Potter series claiming it to be not living up to the expectations of the book series, it is totally worth reading as it takes much less tie than any of the other books and has a lot of new and interesting plot details that bring about new and unexplored avenues. It features fan favorites like Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape and also has interesting alternate realities that make the book worth reading.

Is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child canon?

Yes. ‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ is considered canon by J. K. Rowling, and it was marketed when published and premiered as the eighth Harry Potter story. While many Harry Potter fans do not consider ‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ as canon because of how different and underdeveloped it is in comparison to its prequels, it still remains an important addition to the canon of Harry Potter stories told because of how closely related it is to the characters and events of all the previous books.

Why Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is bad?

While ‘ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ‘ is not necessarily bad, it does have a lot of problematic elements in it that make it a mediocre piece of work in comparison to its predecessors. Despite being a play that focuses significantly on how the events of the past affected the present day, it delves way too frequently into the events from the past, causing the play to be lacking its own voice. It uses time travel too much and heavily relies on events and the plots of the previous books to set up a plot of its own. It also disregards several details from the plots of older books and adds details that seem to be inconsistent with that from the previous books.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Review: An Interesting Sequel

Book Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Book Description: 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' set years after the Battle of Hogwarts, explores Harry's challenges balancing ministry work and fatherhood, alongside Albus grappling with his legacy.

Book Author: J.K. Rowling

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: Little, Brown and Company

Date published: July 31, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-338-21666-0

Number Of Pages: 322

• Writing Style
• Lasting effect on the reader

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Review

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is an interesting sequel to the much-loved Harry Potter book series. Written almost 10 years after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , this play, written by Jack Thorne in collaboration with J. K. Rowling and John Tiffany is an interesting take on what happens long after the Battle of Hogwarts. With Harry now working in an important position in the Ministry, he has to make time for his family and has to become a good parent. However, the events from his past continue to haunt him and cause several complications in his life. His son Albus, on the other hand, is grappling with the immense weight of Harry’s legacy and shadow. This in turn makes it a difficult and tense relationship between the two, the major theme that this play delves into. 

• It brings back a lot of characters that readers from the Harry Potter book series love.
• It explores the trope of parenting really well.
• It creates room for interesting alternate realities that make it a fun read.
• It lacks an original voice beyond its plot influenced by the Harry Potter books and time travel.
• It is repetitive at places with similar events occurring frequently, especially during the time travel sequences.
• It doesn’t live up to its prequels and didn’t satisfy a major population of its fan base.

Harry Potter Quiz

Summon your wit and wisdom—our Harry Potter Trivia Quiz awaits you! Do you have the knowledge to claim the title of Master Witch or Wizard? Take the challenge now!

1) Which spell is used to open the Marauder's Map?

2) Who originally owned the Elder Wand before Dumbledore won it?

3) What are the dying words of Severus Snape in both the book and the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"?

4) What is the effect of the Cheering Charm?

5) Which object is NOT one of the Deathly Hallows?

6) What is the name of Harry Potter's pet owl?

7) Which potion did Hermione brew in her second year that allowed her, Ron, and Harry to assume the identities of Slytherins?

8) What is the name of the book Hermione gives to Harry before his first ever Quidditch match?

9) What potion is known as "Liquid Luck"?

10) What does the Mirror of Erised show?

11) What is Dumbledore's full name?

12) In which Harry Potter book does Harry first speak Parseltongue?

13) What is the name of the goblin-made object that is supposed to bring its owner prosperity, but also brings them into conflict with goblins?

14) What is the core ingredient of the wand owned by Harry Potter?

15) What animal represents Hufflepuff house?

16) What does the incantation "Obliviate" do?

17) What form does Hermione Granger's Patronus take?

18) Which character is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange in the Battle of Hogwarts?

19) What is the name of the train that takes students to Hogwarts?

20) What specific type of dragon does Harry face during the Triwizard Tournament?

21) Who teaches Herbology at Hogwarts?

22) In the "Order of the Phoenix," who is NOT a member of the original Order of the Phoenix shown in the old photograph that Moody shows Harry?

23) What creature is Aragog?

24) Who was the Peverell brother that owned the invisibility cloak?

25) Which creature can transform into a person's worst fear?

26) Who is the Half-Blood Prince?

27) What was the last Horcrux to be destroyed?

28) What is the name of the goblin who helps Harry, Ron, and Hermione break into Gringotts?

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About Mohandas Alva

Mohandas is very passionate about deciphering the nature of language and its role as a sole medium of storytelling in literature. His interests sometimes digress from literature to philosophy and the sciences but eventually, the art and craft of narrating a significant story never fail to thrill him.

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The Harry Potter section of Book Analysis analyzes and explorers the Harry Potter series. The characters, names, terminology, and all related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros ©. The content on Book Analysis was created by Harry Potter fans, with the aim of providing a thorough in-depth analysis and commentary to complement and provide an additional perspective to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child book review: How the script compares to the Palace Theatre production

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For every Harry Potter fan, the release of The Cursed Child is a dream come true. Who thought an eighth part to the Boy-Who-Lived’s story would actually materialise so soon after the main series finished? However, it quickly transpired this was going to be no normal book release.

JK Rowling chose to release The Cursed Child as a play, one ‘tailor made for the stage’ as noted in The Independent’ s five-star review of the Palace Theatre production. Critics, including myself, were blown away by the magical performance, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany helping Rowling create something of immense wonder.

So, how does the script, released to the public in book form, compare to the theatre production? Is the magic still there? Already, fans have devoured the story, taking it apart bit by bit, uncovering inconsistencies in the story telling, particularly regarding a certain time-turner paradox. Could it have ever lived up to expectations?

Unfortunately, as fantastic as the production was, racing through the script was never going to compare. Where stage theatrics sparked imaginations, now there are brief lines quickly explaining huge set-ups; everyone knew the script couldn’t compete with the stage production, begging the question, should this have ever been released in this format?

An example of the script being unmeasurable against the production comes in act one, scene four. It starts with the explanation: “And now we enter a world of time changing. And this Scene is all about magic.” In these few pages our hero, Albus Severus Potter, goes from being sorted into a Hogwarts house in his first year to rushing onto the Express in his third. Along the way, we’re treated to a brief Quidditch lesson, Great Hall assembly, and a Potions lesson, but they’re all so brief we hardly get a flavour of what is actually happening.

On stage, it was one of the play’s greatest scenes; fast pace but with vivid imagery. If The Cursed Child was perhaps written as a book this could have been built on but, in these pages, we barely get a taste of these formative years. It’s so quick, so little is said, readers will race through, given little direction as what is happening.

Another example comes when the new generation of wizards drink a Polyjuice Potion. In previous books and on stage, it was utterly hilarious as Rowling’s heroes transformed, yet, as a script, the scene passes by rapidly, the humour and magic lost.

Of course, this is the problem with releasing The Cursed Child as a script, and one we must all be resolute with. For those who are unable to see the stage play, there’s still a lot to enjoy in the script. Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy, is the highlight of the script, funny throughout. Meanwhile, the titular hero, Harry Potter, has evolved into a slightly grumpy father and one who lacks some basic parenting skills. It’s a natural progression for an orphan thrown into the spotlight that is interesting and will no doubt anger some fans.

Without giving too much, the first half is quite innocent, while the second takes a dark turn thanks to a time-twisting plot that - when read at a reasonable pace - can be quite confusing, at times reading like fan-fiction, particularly when cameo when cameo after cameo rolls in.

If you do have the luxury of being able to attend the Palace Theatre production , I highly recommend it. If you’re unable to do so, perhaps wait until the inevitable three-part film series comes.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two: The Official Playscript of the Original West End Production Paperback – July 25, 2017

• Print length 336 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 5 - 6
• Lexile measure 500L
• Dimensions 5.5 x 1.25 x 7.75 inches
• Publisher Arthur A. Levine Books
• Publication date July 25, 2017
• ISBN-10 133821666X
• ISBN-13 978-1338216660
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

About the author.

J.K. Rowling is the author of the enduringly popular Harry Potter books. After the idea for Harry Potter came to her on a delayed train journey in 1990, she plotted out and started writing the series of seven books and the first was published as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the UK in 1997. The series took another ten years to complete, concluding in 2007 with the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows .

To accompany the series, J.K. Rowling wrote three short companion volumes for charity, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , in aid of Comic Relief and Lumos, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard , in aid of Lumos. She also collaborated on the writing of a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , which was published as a script book.

Her other books for children include the fairy tale The Ickabog and The Christmas Pig , which were published in 2020 and 2021 respectively and have also been bestsellers. She is also the author of books for adults, including a bestselling crime fiction series.

J.K. Rowling has received many awards and honors for her writing. She also supports a number of causes through her charitable trust Volant and is the founder of the children’s charity Lumos.

To find out more about J.K. Rowling visit jkrowlingstories.com.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arthur A. Levine Books (July 25, 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 133821666X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1338216660
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10+ years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 500L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 6
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.25 x 7.75 inches
• #100 in Children's Friendship Books
• #124 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books
• #144 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)

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About the authors

J.k. rowling.

J.K. Rowling is the author of the enduringly popular, era-defining Harry Potter book series, as well as several stand-alone novels for adults and children, and a bestselling crime fiction series written under the pen name Robert Galbraith.

The Harry Potter books have now sold over 600 million copies worldwide, been translated into 85 languages and made into eight blockbuster films. They continue to be discovered and loved by new generations of readers.

Alongside the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling also wrote three short companion volumes for charity: Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, in aid of Comic Relief, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in aid of her international children’s charity, Lumos. The companion books and original series are all available as audiobooks.

In 2016, J.K. Rowling collaborated with playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany to continue Harry’s story in a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which opened in London, and is now thrilling audiences on four continents. The script book was published to mark the plays opening in 2016 and instantly topped the bestseller lists.

In the same year, she made her debut as a screenwriter with the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Inspired by the original companion volume, it was the first in a series of new adventures featuring wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander. The second, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was released in 2018 and the third, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was released in 2022.

The screenplays were published to coincide with each film’s release: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - The Original Screenplay (2016), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay (2018) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - The Complete Screenplay (2022).

Fans of Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter can find out more at www.wizardingworld.com.

J.K. Rowling’s fairy tale for younger children, The Ickabog, was serialised for free online for children during the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020 and is now published as a book illustrated by children, with her royalties going to her charitable trust, Volant, to benefit charities helping alleviate social deprivation and assist vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.

Her latest children’s novel The Christmas Pig, published in 2021, is a standalone adventure story about a boy’s love for his most treasured thing and how far he will go to find it.

J.K. Rowling also writes novels for adults. The Casual Vacancy was published in 2012 and adapted for television in 2015. Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, she is the author of the highly acclaimed ‘Strike’ crime series, featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin Ellacott. The first of these, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was published to critical acclaim in 2013, at first without its author’s true identity being known. The Silkworm followed in 2014, Career of Evil in 2015, Lethal White in 2018, Troubled Blood in 2020 and The Ink Black Heart in 2022. The series has also been adapted for television by the BBC and HBO.

J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard Commencement speech was published in 2015 as an illustrated book, Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination, sold in aid of Lumos and university-wide financial aid at Harvard.

As well as receiving an OBE and Companion of Honour for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling has received many other awards and honours, including France’s Legion d’Honneur, Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award and Denmark’s Hans Christian Andersen Award.

J.K. Rowling supports a number of causes through her charitable trust, Volant. She is also the founder and president of Lumos, an international children’s charity fighting for every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world.

www.jkrowling.com

Image: Photography Debra Hurford Brown © J.K. Rowling

Jack Thorne

Jack Thorne writes for theatre, film, television and radio. His theatre credits include "Hope" and "Let The Right One In," both directed by John Tiffany, "The Solid Life of Sugarwater" for the Graeae Theatre Company, "Bunny" for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, "Stacy" for the Trafalgar Studios, " 2nd May 1997" and "When You Cure Me" for the Bush. His adaptations include "The Physicists" for the Donmar Warehouse and "Stuart: A Life Backwards" for Hightide. On film his credits include "War Book," "A Long Way Down" and "The Scouting Book for Boys." For television his credits include "The Last Panthers," "Don t Take My Baby," " This Is England," "The Fades," "Glue" and "Cast-Offs" and the upcoming "National Treasure." In 2012 he won BAFTAs for best series ("The Fades") and best serial ("This Is England 88").

Photo by Martin Godwin Guardian

John Tiffany

John Tiffany directed "Once" for which he was the recipient of multiple awards both in the West End and on Broadway. As Associate Director of the Royal Court, his work includes "The Twits," "Hope" and "The Pass." He was the director of "Let The Right One In" for the National Theatre of Scotland, which transferred to the Royal Court, West End and St. Ann s Warehouse. His other work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes "Macbeth" (also Broadway), "Enquirer," "The Missing," "Peter Pan," "The House of Bernarda Alba," "Transform Caithness: Hunter, Be Near Me," "Nobody Will Ever Forgive Us," The "Bacchae," "Black Watch," for which he won the Olivier and Critics Circle Best Director Awards, "Elizabeth Gordon Quinn" and "Home: Glasgow." Other recent credits include "The Glass Menagerie" at A.R.T. and on Broadway and "The Ambassador" at BAM. Tiffany was Associate Director of the National Theatre of Scotland from 2005 to 2012, and was a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University in the 2010-2011 academic year.

Photo credit: Tony Rinaldo

Customer reviews

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• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 61% 20% 11% 4% 4% 4%

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Customers say

Customers find the story great, interesting, and charming. They describe the book as a worthy addition to the Harry Potter franchise. However, some readers feel the plot is flawed, predictable, and rushed. They also disagree on the readability and character development.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the story great, charming, and well-written. They say the book is entertaining enough for a few hours. Readers also mention the play is magical for Harry Potter fans.

"...; Harry Potter story to build the story, and there is a lot of really good thought that went into this...." Read more

"... I LOVED the story premise , it gathered up loose strings I felt at the end of Deathly Hallows, wondering what might become of our three heroes, what..." Read more

"...how they portrayed all of the characters, but it was entertaining enough for a few hours ...." Read more

"...it compliments the H.P. stories to a T. Thank you again for this amazing saga ." Read more

Customers find the book a worthy addition to the Harry Potter franchise. They say it's an exciting, touching addition to that original series. Readers also say it stays true to the universe.

"...It’s an excellent re-introduction into the world of Harry Potter, as it intentionally goes through past memories, reliving some of them, as well as..." Read more

"...to accept, but for a lot of people it's also a perfectly acceptable addition to the series ...." Read more

"...All events, locations, etc. are accurate to the original books . No changes/liberties taken to "make it work" with a new story.-..." Read more

"...Oh what an utter waste of money.It is absolutely nothing like the originals , even if it was a proper book...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the readability of the book. Some mention it's an easy and adaptable read, while others say it'll be hard to read. They mention the writing isn't earth-shatteringly good and reads like fan-fiction.

"...He's EXTREMELY emotional, and indecisive , which was an odd choice for the author to make considering Harry is now an Auror, an occupation that..." Read more

"...The twists and turns, the breathtaking audacity and philosophical discussions about regret, responsibility, power, heritage, friendship, family,..." Read more

"...(i.e. this isn’t written by Rowling, it reads like fan-fic , it’s not even a book but a screenplay)..." Read more

"...The ambiance created by certain scenes , such as the Dementors and so on. I really wish I could see how these worked in person.-..." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development in the book. Some mention the characters are spot-on, and they get emotionally invested in them. Others say the writing is awful, and the characters seem flat and bland.

"...These characters are not written particularly well ...." Read more

"...and characters by growing them in legitimate ways, it gave me new characters to love (primarily Scorpius <3), and it removed the stereotype..." Read more

"...He was such a lump and a putz with little personality and he was essentially was Hermione’s lesser half...." Read more

"...SO FAR from J.K. Rowling's voice that at times the characters don't even feel like themselves (I'm looking at you, Ron...)...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the ending of the book. Some mention it's wonderful, poetic, and a nice tale about parenthood and childhood. Others say the scenes seem to end abruptly and the time turner is too contrived.

"...The twists and turns, the breathtaking audacity and philosophical discussions about regret , responsibility, power, heritage, friendship, family,..." Read more

"...There was less atmosphere, less dialogue, and less development which obviously you’ll get through the actors of the play and you won’t see in a..." Read more

"...The variation of possibilities was both shocking and horrifying...." Read more

"...This book is an epilogue to the original series , not the start of a new one. There's nothing ground-breaking...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the value for money of the book. Some mention it's well worth the money and more than they imagined. Others say it'd be a waste of money, with little substance and holes.

"...thing I hated was that Harry Potter ends up being somehow stoic and unemotional as well as childish and whiny. I get it...." Read more

"...I try to find books rather than birthday cards. Cards are such a waste of money and are quite expensive for a decent one." Read more

"...Her "no's" and "I don't believe that" are well worth the cheap price of this copy.Definitely a collectors item for all HP fans" Read more

"...At worst, it sounds like a misbegotten cash-grab ...." Read more

Customers find the plot quality of the book to be poor. They mention the time-travel device seems lazy, the narrative is flawed, and predictable. Readers also mention there are many plot holes and they don't enjoy reading the script. They also mention the story lacks logic and is contrived.

"...It's got a flawed plot and I don't agree with how they portrayed all of the characters, but it was entertaining enough for a few hours...." Read more

"...There's not a great deal of logic to how they went from who they were to the people they have become in this story...." Read more

"...So yes, in a sense it is stupid , but you're also reading a series about how a baby was able to defeat a really powerful, ambitious and ruthless super..." Read more

"...up but other times, the references back to the original series was very cheesy or just plain inaccurate...." Read more

Customers find the pacing of the book rushed, jumpy, and far too fast to build tension and emotion. They also say the book is a fast read and leaves more to be desired.

".../Ron kissing and flirting with Hermione was both hilarious and incredibly weird , right? I'm not mad about it, just incredibly uncomfortable...." Read more

"...(hence the reason I gave 3 stars instead of 2), but they do not come across as developed , and considering the original stories gave a relatively..." Read more

"...(too much actually, the pacing was very jumpy and far too fast to build the tension and emotion that the books achieved)..." Read more

"...The pace was much too fast for much more development...." Read more

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Harry Potter and the Curse of Continuation

The newly published script of Jack Thorne’s play is a compelling read but an uncomfortable fit within J.K. Rowling’s series.

( This review contains plot information regarding Harry Potter and the Cursed Child but only very mild spoilers.)

In 2013, J.K. Rowling wrote a short post (since deleted) on Pottermore, the official Harry Potter website, detailing her thoughts about using time travel as a device in literature. In the third book in the Harry Potter series, The Prisoner of Azkaban , Harry’s friend Hermione Granger uses a device called a Time-Turner to attend multiple classes in a single school hour, and the Time-Turner later factors into the plot when Harry and his friends use it to battle Dementors and help Sirius Black escape execution. “I went far too light-heartedly into the subject of time travel in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ,” Rowling wrote. “While I do not regret it … it opened up a vast number of problems for me, because, after all, if wizards could go back and undo problems, where were my future plots?”

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After Azkaban, Time-Turners were eradicated from Rowling’s magical universe. Hermione returned hers to Professor McGonagall, and all remaining instruments were apparently destroyed in a climactic battle in the Department of Mysteries in the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , ruling out any more time travel. Rowling concluded the Harry Potter series with a natural leap forward, showing Harry and his wife, Ginny, saying goodbye to their second child, Albus Severus, on the platform at King’s Cross as they sent him off to his first term at Hogwarts. It seemed as definitive an ending as any, but it’s at that exact moment that the newest installment of Harry’s story picks up.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , the script of a two-part play that recently opened in London’s West End, is a faithful continuation of Rowling’s series that simultaneously breaks many of her rules. Although Rowling was involved in writing the story, the script is written by Jack Thorne, and the plot hinges on time travel in a way that prompts the question of how much Harry’s creator was involved, with wizards seeking to undo problems in a way that inevitably backfires. While almost all the major characters from the series return in some form or another, they’re less compelling than the two young heroes of the play, Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, the sons of Harry and his former rival Draco. As Albus and Scorpius struggle with living under the shadows cast by their fathers, Cursed Child too seems to wrestle with its legacy, borrowing heavily from older stories while simultaneously challenging the confines of their world.

Reading the next Harry Potter story in script form rather than in Rowling’s fluid, vivid prose was always going to be challenging for readers, so what’s most remarkable about Thorne’s work is how smoothly it flows. At its best, it’s as gripping as many of Rowling’s books were, with suspenseful plotting and twists that are just predictable enough to be gratifying. The stage directions are sometimes sparse, sometimes remarkably descriptive. (Here’s one after a Hogwarts student is drafted by the Sorting Hat: “ There’s a silence. A perfect, profound, silence. One that sits low, twists a bit, and has damage within it. ”)

The awkward hero of the first half is Albus Severus, Harry’s middle child, dwarfed by both his cocky, popular older brother, James, and his father’s impossible fame as The Boy Who Lived. The fourth scene of the first act, set in “a never-world of time change,” reveals glimpses of Albus’s increasing unhappiness after he arrives at Hogwarts, shows a disappointing lack of magical fluency, and is shut out by his fellow students. His one friend is Scorpius, a disarmingly sweet boy (in his first greeting with Albus, he literally sings about candy) who’s also an outcast because of outlandish rumors that he’s actually the son of … well, you know who.

It would be impossible to come up with a villain as cruel, malevolent, and outright fascinating as Lord Voldemort for the Cursed Child heroes to battle, so it’s almost poetic that Albus’s biggest enemy instead is his father. Thorne’s Harry Potter, all grown up, features prominently in the play, and the tension between him and his son is one of the most frustrating plot points, born out of dramatic necessity and riddled with cliché and angsty platitudes. “I didn’t choose, you know that?” Albus glowers in one scene. “I didn’t choose to be his son.” Later, Harry echoes the sentiment, saying, “Well, there are times I wish you weren’t ...” Although he immediately apologizes, why he feels this way is never really made clear; readers are left to intuit simply that the relationship is a troubled one.

Without revealing too much, Albus responds to his father’s outburst by conspiring with a mysterious young woman, Delphini, to go back in time and save one soul lost along the path of his father’s story. His motivation is shaky at best, but the decision pulls Albus, Scorpius, and Delphini into a montage of moments from Harry Potter history: The Tri-Wizard Tournament, a caper involving Polyjuice potion, the Forbidden Forest, a fearsome encounter with dementors. It’s familiar and well-worn territory at this point, and it might seem yawningly predictable if not for the shocking revelations that come in part two, many of which seem to destabilize Rowling’s universe rather than expand it.

Cursed Child , for one thing, seems fixated with chance, and the extraordinary power of twists of fate. The Harry Potter series always seemed to be a firm believer in free will—the power to change destiny by making specific and often difficult decisions. In the first book in the series, the Sorting Hat ponders whether Harry belongs in Gryffindor or Slytherin: “Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There’s talent, oh my goodness, yes—and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that’s interesting … So where shall I put you?”

“Not Slytherin,” Harry thinks, gripping his chair. The hat goes along with his request. But Albus, by contrast, is given no such choice. And as his tweaks in the space-time continuum play out, futures are similarly reshaped and lines redrawn in the blink of an eye. Good characters go bad. Terrible characters reemerge. “It feels like we were all tested, and we all—failed,” says Scorpius.

The discombobulating influence of going back in time and making tiny changes is one Potter fans are well aware of by now. For years since the release of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , Rowling has proffered hints and facts and tidbits that range from the remarkable (the beloved Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore was gay) to the banal (Teddy Lupin became a Hufflepuff). “The more Rowling enhances and embellishes her Harry Potter universe,” my colleague David Sims wrote last year , comparing Rowling to George Lucas, “the less room she leaves for readers to fill in the gaps with their own imaginations.”

Cursed Child , by this measure, is an act of overreach that feels mandated not by Rowling’s desire to fill out details but by an entertainment industry intent on reviving and rebooting anything that’s ever made money. Already, Warner Bros. (who produced all eight Harry Potter movies, which grossed more than $7.7 billion) has filed a film trademark for the title. The West End production is reportedly considering a move to Broadway. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I and II is expected to become the bestselling book of 2016: an extraordinary achievement for the published script of a play.

Reading Cursed Child , for all its compelling twists and turns, at many points feels like reading well-crafted fan fiction—the names are the same, and the characters feel familiar, but it’s apparent that they’re imitations nonetheless. It’s entirely possible that seeing the stage play, directed by the monumentally talented John Tiffany ( Black Watch ), is a different experience, and certainly there’s no sign of anything but a furious demand for tickets. But for readers, in agreeing to revisit characters whose stories have already been deftly wrapped up, Rowling risks undermining the powerful legacy she gave them in the first place.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: EW book review

The Potter series has always stretched the imagination, but a narrative mind is charmed to work overtime in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , the new stage play from J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, billed as the eighth Potter story, 19 years later. Released in book form for both posterity and audiences who lack proximity to the current sold-out West End production, Scholastic’s publication of the Cursed Child rehearsal script manages to throw a wild new wrench into the Potter series, unlocking a rarely tapped portal of the reader’s imagination in a way no Potter book has before.

Much of that belongs to the medium of the story: A play which whizzes through locations and tableaus over four disorienting acts. It’s a beast to behold, but Thorne (from a story he conceived with Rowling and Tiffany) writes without limits. The playwright never dares to let the bounds of a proscenium performance limit the magic (or the set pieces) conjured up in the just-enough stage descriptions he includes, and the result is a script that demands to be seen. For perhaps the first time ever, the ceaseless wonders of Rowling’s wizarding world now come accompanied with an indescribable “How?” that cascades over the entire narrative. It’s theatre, plain and simple, and this interrogative purview of Harry’s existence is not a distraction but a gleeful new challenge tasked to readers and their imaginations. (Cynically, it’s also the ultimate marketing tool in getting thee to a box office.)

Heads inflate, bookcases eat, duels detonate in grand fashion, and centaurs and Dementors abound — all the markings of non-restraint on Thorne, Rowling, and Tiffany’s part, and thankfully so. Cursed Child teems with the clever, cerebral thrills we’ve come to demand in a Potter tale, especially one following in the line of succession behind the ur-mature Deathly Hallows . And all this, regardless of the story’s meta medium. Stage directions have been chosen with laser focus, and although the onus to perform the dialogue falls heavy on the reader, the force to think in this classic form does in fact wash away fairly quickly.

On a purely narrative level, this new story introduces captivating arcs and bold theories that immediately place this sequel squarely in Rowling’s world of simmering, slow-burn machinations. Even before the introduction of a byzantine layer of time travel (which admittedly dominates more of this story than is ideal), it’s clear the stakes here have not done much shrinking 19 years after our last encounter with the Potters. If Deathly Hallows offered the series’ most exciting and discombobulating array of back-to-back chapter action, Cursed Child does the same feat with twists and deductions between scenes. Some stick, and others exist perhaps more for shock, but once the (occasionally maddening) time-turning plotline sets in, the story kicks itself free of any assumed direction. By act three, all hell has broken loose, and it’s manic Potter madness. Voldemort may be gone, but all isn’t well — in the most delightful way in which that declaration can be true.

Thrills aside, the emotional core here is a deeply human one, which Rowling should consider a huge achievement decades in the making. As Harry struggles to find his footing as a parent, his youngest son Albus struggles even more to extract his own identity from the shadow of his father. One early, pivotal argument between the two is cutting on its own… and decades of familiarity with our wizened hero only twist the knife deeper.

Such is the case with the other core players. Hermione, now the Minister for Magic, is professionally uneasy but masterfully at home in her new role. Ron, her husband, is more carefree than ever in his freedom from Death Eaters and academia. To Thorne’s credit, his approach to seeing these characters function in the adult world miraculously avoids cynicism and what could have been a jarring leap of faith; they’re grounded here in the gems of familiar personality they get to display (like Hermione checking Harry’s paperwork at the Ministry of Magic). It’s only Draco whose evolution appears the least impactful and believable, owed to an off-stage tragedy that is a key yet unseen impetus for his behavior.

The introduction of primary protagonists Albus and Scorpius is, largely, perfect. Both characters immediately spring from the page and stake their claim as the wizarding world’s greatest new (yes, new) creations. Albus is rebellious, inquisitive, and foolhardy, but lovable despite his Order of the Phoenix levels of angst; Scorpius Malfoy is dryly funny and winningly sanguine, despite having every reason not to be. Rose, the daughter of Hermione and Ron, is underused but finely crafted, and a handful of other new characters are smartly conceived.

Cursed Child bears its flaws openly, but the lightest offenses are excused; forgive it its exposition, and its frequent returns to such language when the plot demands explanation as shock (which is often). Thorne offers some fine tributes to Rowling’s biting humor, but also strays on occasion; most noticeably, he errs in his homages to fallen characters. With such limited stage direction guiding the dialogue, the premise of figuring out emotion falls on the reader more than previous Potter books, but still, some exchanges read as sterile and unnatural. Of no fault to the playwright, that straight-play trope of awarding a meaty monologue to every character doesn’t quite lend itself to every arc in this tale; similarly, a handful of act-four scenes are detrimentally heavy-handed.

As is the nature of this modern age of revivals and reboots, Cursed Child reads — maybe even exists — as a field guide of cameos and surprises. Each one bears delights and induces smiles, but the play’s story device and its ability to summon up familiar faces feels like the likely reason Rowling and company felt the piece could and should in fact work now, here, in 2016. On that note, Cursed Child is also the series’ least standalone entry. It’s almost akin to Rowling’s complement works ( Quidditch Through the Ages , Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , etc.), serving more as an experiment in hypothetical world development than in definitive measure. The punch of its revelations about the happenings at Hogwarts would no doubt have hit harder had Rowling not continued the story to such lengths on Pottermore or through her social media unveilings of character details.

Admittedly, it’s tempting to write off the work as Rowling-approved fan-fiction, rather than her own defining mythos. Certainly with time, fans will accept the story as canon, but some of the Cursed Child finality feels presently dubious — not insomuch as where characters have ended up, but in why their fates have almost been perfunctorily defined. It’s almost the Potter series’ response to the nostalgia-mania that’s defined this generation of regeneration — a condition Potter surprisingly subscribed to just nine years after its purported end. On one hand, the reprise helps uncover important new layers that only serve the greater, grander story; but on the other, certain moments in the series have been untied and hastily re-packaged here. (Coyly: Some portraits are best left silent.)

One wonders what Rowling would have done had Cursed Child manifested itself in her home medium, with her inimitable mode of description guiding readers rather than leaving them to fill in the acting blanks in their vision of how this piece operates on a stage (which, to be sure, is an adventure that Rowling, Thorne, Tiffany, and rights-holders Warner Bros. should be commended for embarking upon). But then, we have essentially already read these scenes in Rowling’s prose, and Cursed Child is all about ingenious experiments in the unseen. Here, the reader dares to enact a stretch of logic, imagination, and ethos, borne from Harry’s arrival in both the real world and the “real world.” This is Harry Potter like you’ve never experienced it before. Welcome to the theatre, where participants are asked to fall deeply into the hypnosis of a narrative while also being made wholly aware that they’re watching from the outside. It’s a dastardly strange, magical beast, but it’s one Rowling’s readers have been known — trained, even — to conquer. A

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Book Review

Harry potter and the cursed child.

• Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne; a new play by Jack Thorne
• Adventure , Fantasy , Play

Readability Age Range

• Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
• Goodreads Choice Award, 2016; Holden-Crowther Award Nominee, 2016

Year Published

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine . It is the eighth “Harry Potter” book, but first play, and comes after the seven books in the “Harry Potter” series.

Plot Summary

Nineteen years have passed since the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Harry is now a grown man and an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic. He’s married to Ginny Weasley, and their children are James, Albus and Lily. As the story begins, the Potter family is taking the nervous Albus to catch the train for his first year at Hogwarts.

The school’s students are divided into four houses, and Albus fears he may be chosen for the Slytherin house. Represented by a snake, Slytherin is known as a house of Dark Magic. Albus doesn’t believe it is a fitting place for brave wizards. At the train station, the Potters run into Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who are now married and have two children. Hermione is the Minister of Magic. Their daughter, Rose Weasley-Granger, is also attending Hogwarts for the first time.

On the train ride, Rose lectures Albus about the importance of falling in with the right people at school. She’s distraught when Albus immediately befriends Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius is the son of Harry’s Hogwarts rival, Draco. Rumor has it that Scorpius may be the biological son of Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed Harry’s parents and tried to kill Harry.

Some suggest Draco and his wife couldn’t have children, so they used a Time-Turner to send Scorpius’ mother back to Voldemort’s time. They supposedly did this to provide a powerful heir to the Malfoy line. At Hogwarts, the sorting hat chooses both Scorpius and Albus to be in the Slytherin house.

The next few years are only briefly depicted. Albus continues to dislike Hogwarts, where he repeatedly fails to live up to his famous father’s legacy. The relationship between Harry and Albus grows increasingly tense. When a man with an illegal Time-Turner is arrested, Harry and Hermione secretly ponder how to handle the situation. Hermione hides the time travel device in her office.

One evening, an elderly Amos Diggery comes to visit Harry at home. Nearly two decades earlier, Voldemort killed Diggory’s son, Cedric, simply because Cedric was with Harry. Amos plays on Harry’s guilt by mentioning he’s heard the ministry has seized a Time-Turner. He asks Harry to allow him to use it and get his son back. Harry denies the Time-Turner rumors. Albus overhears the conversation. As he eavesdrops, he meets Amos’ niece, Delphi, who is also listening.

As Albus starts packing to return to school, Harry gives him a small blanket. It is the last thing Harry has from his mother. Albus complains that it’s a useless gift. In anger, Harry and Albus tell each other they sometimes wish they weren’t related. Albus runs from the room as Harry pleads for him to come back. Harry begins having bad dreams, and his scar begins to ache again.

On the way back to school, Scorpius tells Albus about the Triwizard Tournament, which hasn’t taken place in two decades. Scorpius says during the last one, Harry and Cedric Diggory were transported to Voldemort. Voldemort called Cedric a spare , or a useless extra person in the situation, and killed him. Albus grows indignant, convinced his father lied to Amos about the Time-Turner. He decides he will help right one of the wrongs of the past by saving Cedric. Albus and Scorpius sneak off the train and make their way to St. Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards. They find Delphi and Amos and vow to get Cedric back.

Delphi makes a potion of Polyjuice for herself and the boys. After drinking it, she looks just like Hermione. Albus looks like Ron, and Scorpius is the spitting image of Harry. They enter Hermione’s office to search for the Time-Turner. They’re almost caught by the real Harry and Hermione, who are discussing what to do about Hogwarts’ message that Albus and Scorpius are missing. Albus (as Ron) keeps them from discovering their look-alikes. Then the kids rifle through Hermione’s magical bookshelf until they find the Time-Turner.

Based on a dream of Harry’s, the adults head toward the Forbidden Forest to search for the boys. There, Harry runs into a centaur with whom he fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. The centaur tells Harry there is a black cloud around Albus that could endanger everyone.

The boys use the Time-Turner to go into the past. There, they begin to watch the 1995 tournament. They have just managed to disarm Cedric when they are sent back to their normal time. They discover the Time-Turner only allows them to spend a few minutes in the past. They find themselves back in the present with their parents. Albus, who has broken his arm, collapses.

In the next scene, Albus sleeps in a hospital bed with Harry at his side. Professor Dumbledore’s image visits Harry, and Harry asks for advice about how to protect his son. Dumbledore urges him to discover what is wounding Albus. When Albus wakes, he lies to Harry about where he had gone. Harry tells Albus what he’s heard from the centaur. He vows to set measures in place to monitor Albus’ movements. He also says Albus may no longer associate with Scorpius.

As Albus becomes indignant, Ron enters. Albus discovers he and Scorpius have somehow changed the past. In this timeline, Ron isn’t married to Hermione, and Rose was never born. Albus also learns he is now part of the house of Gryffindor.

Harry makes good on his vow to keep Albus under surveillance. A sad Albus and a hurt Scorpius continue to pass each other at school. Delphi convinces Scorpius to talk to Albus and restore their friendship. Together, the boys make another trip to the tournament in 1995 to save Cedric. Scorpius returns to the present, but Albus isn’t with him. Scorpius learns that, because of their actions in their latest time travel, Harry died years ago. Albus does not exist, and Voldemort rules.

In part two, Scorpius tries to get his bearings in his current reality. He learns his father, Draco, has been involved in torturing and killing Mudbloods. He finds out Severus Snape is still alive in this reality, so Scorpius visits him. Snape takes Scorpius to Hermione and Ron, who are members of an underground rebellion. They piece together the reasons the most recent time travel went awry. Snape, Hermione and Ron travel back in time with Scorpius. Dementors appear, and Ron and Hermione distract the creatures so Snape and Scorpius can finish their mission.

The dementors suck out Ron’s and Hermione’s souls. A little later, dementors kill Snape as he helps Scorpius escape. As Scorpius emerges back into the present, Albus is with him once again. Scorpius says the Time-Turner is gone. The headmistress lectures the boys for breaking so many rules and chides Hermione for keeping the Time-Turner in the first place. Scorpius later tells Albus that he still has the Time-Turner. As the boys are deciding how to destroy the device, Delphi appears. They learn she is Voldemort’s daughter. She breaks their wands and steals the Time-Turner.

Harry and Draco visit Amos Diggery and learn Delphi was not his niece as she had said. Meanwhile, Delphi kills one of the boys’ classmates and takes Albus and Scorpius back in time with her. She informs them that she wants the rebirth of the Dark in the form of Voldemort’s return. She wants them to help her humiliate Cedric so that he will become evil and pave the way for Voldemort’s victory. They thwart Delphi’s plans, so she destroys the Time-Turner and traps the boys in 1995.

The adults, having discovered Delphi’s plan to resurrect Voldemort, try to determine what’s happened to the boys. Draco confesses to Harry that his father had a Time-Turner built. They talk about using it, but they realize it won’t do any good since they don’t know where or when to find their sons.

Albus and Scorpius decide they must get a message to their fathers in the future. They leave a magical note on the blanket Harry’s mother gave him, telling Harry where to meet them in the past. Harry discovers Albus’ message. He, Ginny, Ron, Draco and Hermione travel back to the time at which Voldemort killed Harry’s parents.

There, they meet the boys. They believe Delphi will try to meet her father there and change the course of history for the worse. To draw her out, Harry takes on the form of Voldemort. They battle, and he captures Delphi with the help of his friends. Harry must decide whether to change the course of history by stopping Voldemort from killing his parents.

Ultimately he decides to let history play out as it did originally so he and his friends and family can go home. It’s painful for him to watch. Back in the present, Harry and Albus begin to mend their relationship. Harry also starts to deal with some of his crippling memories involving Voldemort.

Christian Beliefs

Other belief systems.

The Harry Potter stories take place in a magical world where people frequently cast spells, transform into other things or people and perform magic. They learn these things in their classes at Hogwarts. Hermione’s bookshelf includes some banned and cursed books. Scorpius is surprised to find books on Divination because he knows Hermione hates Divination.

In an alternate timeline, Hermione is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. In class, she talks about a magical charm called Patronus, which takes the shape of an animal. A person can conjure one to protect him or herself from the world. On several occasions, characters spar using incantations and wands. Harry is transfigured into the form of Voldemort.

Authority Roles

Harry and Ginny are loving parents, though Harry struggles to connect with his son. Draco cares deeply about his son but sometimes has difficulty expressing himself. Harry often has dreams about his Aunt Petunia. In one dream, she mocks Harry for wetting the bed at night.

Profanity & Violence

The words d–n , h— and frigging appear a time or two.

Sexual Content

Ron kisses Hermione once.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Stealing: Albus steals an invisibility cloak from his brother, James. The boys steal the Time-Turner from Hermione’s office.

Alcohol: Ron says he would like to marry Hermione again because he was too drunk to remember much of their original wedding. He says he’d like the opportunity to be sober and tell others how much he loves her.

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected] .

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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Review: ‘Cursed Child’ script-book is almost ‘Harry Potter’ enough

There’s a moment in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child -- the new play resurrecting Harry and friends onstage in London , and published as a script-book -- when Harry and his old rival Draco Malfoy are discussing their relationships with their respective sons.

“We've been so busy trying to rewrite our own pasts, we've blighted their present," a 40 year-old Harry Potter says gravely.

It’s a line Harry might have been saying to his creator, J.K. Rowling, who crafted the Cursed Child story with writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany. The author has encountered  her fair share of criticism for being stuck in the past, constantly tweaking and expanding the Potter universe she created, to the point where some fans and critics would simply like Rowling to move on .

Cursed Child is, in many ways, a direct response to that criticism, taking readers back to the great moments of the series while also spinning the Potterverse forward. In critiquing and potentially changing Harry’s past, the play justifies its own portrayal of his future.

And while reading the script (three out of four stars) is an incomplete experience -- noticeably lacking the richness that acting and staging would add to a realized production and the familiar Rowling prose a novel would have contained -- it may capture just enough of the old Potter magic to please even the most skeptical fans.

The script follows Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, two young wizards trying to find their place in Hogwarts and the world the way their fathers, Harry and Draco, did before them. A new villain, the resurrection of the time-turner device and several poor choices take the boys back to Harry’s past, allowing Rowling to rewrite her own stories, which she has seemed so keen to do since the seventh book, Deathly Hallows , was published in 2007. Dead characters return, if only temporarily. Past decisions are scrutinized. Established relationships are tested.

Curtain's up on 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'

But Cursed Child is less about actually rewriting the past and more about how that past affects the future. It examines the bond of father and son, and what makes that bond more than perfunctory. What kind of expectations did Harry saddle poor Albus Severus Potter with by giving him those three names?

As a script only, it takes a little too long for Cursed Child to draw the reader in. The stage directions, though cheeky and fun at points, are vague, leaving much to be desired in descriptions of setting and action scenes. Without actors behind them, unestablished characters feel flat and underdeveloped. The familiar pace of the seven Potter novels -- each of which took place over the course of a single school year -- is gone, replaced with a narrative that spans years and then lingers on a few days. At 356 pages, it is a considerably faster read than many of the later Potter tomes.

Parts of the story, especially to a Potter devotee, may seem so perfect that they read like fanfiction: alternate timelines that satisfy the curiosities of hungry fans, relationships too much like established “ships,” and twists too outlandish to feel real. But Harry Potter is so ubiquitous in our culture, so universal in its acclaim, that any new detail or twist was conceivably already thought of.

Rowling manages, however, to include this apparent fan-service without making it cheap or insincere. Just like you, the play argues, she wonders what would have happened if Voldemort had won or if one character survived or another died. Very quickly, even while just reading the script of Cursed Child , you remember that Rowling loves these stories and characters as much as you do, and it becomes easier and more enjoyable to read the script. After all, love, as Voldemort never understood, is the strongest magic of all.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Broadway Reviews

Critics' Reviews

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ review: Wild about two-part Broadway epic

As with any story, it's all in the telling. What's so wondrous is how low-tech stagecraft brings such high-definition delight as the action unfolds on the Christine Jones' arch-filled set filled with glow and gloom by Neil Austin. Suitcases turn into train cars; bookcases come alive; mobile staircases whirl as if in a living Escher print. Music by Imogen Heap and movement by Steven Hoggett create their own pinch-me moments.

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' review: A magical mystery tour de force

The stagecraft on display is unlike anything I've seen, with magical moments taking your breath away at every turn. Brooms and suitcases and people fly about with abandon on Christine Jones' inventive set, fire flashes across the stage, a lake materializes, then a forest. Time travels and everything is a blur. Oh, please, could we have instant replay?

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' on Broadway is just about the coolest thing ever

I can't speak for non-fans of all things 'Harry Potter' (poor souls), but for those of us who treasure J.K. Rowling's masterful series of young adult novels, the new Broadway mega-production 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two' is a magnificent treat - both an ingenious continuation of the Potter saga and a complete reinvention of it for an entirely new form. I sat through this two-part, five-and-a-half-hour effort alternately awestruck and giddy, much as - come to think of it - I felt first reading Rowling's books. By the end, I would have been perfectly content to watch it carry on for five-and-a-half hours more.

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ on Broadway Is a Stunning, Magical Tour de Force

Harry Potter is on Broadway! As a Potter newbie, I was wondering how much I would 'get,' and how much I wouldn't. But you can really go to this as not a fan and still have a very enjoyable time at the theatre. Of course, being a fan means you get all the 'greatest hits' of returning characters and plot points and references only a fan would know. Well, whoever you are, you get around five hours of really astonishing on-stage magic-overseen by Jamie Harrison-alongside some well-drawn paternally-themed and past-tragedy drama. The Cursed Child is split into two parts: You can watch both on one day, as we did, or break the two parts up however you choose.

The charms of Harry Potter work on Broadway — but read the books first

This elaborate two-part, 5½ -hour stage sequel to J.K Rowling's canonical series is like a witchy worship service for the countless consumers of every magical segue and subplot of the seven books and eight Harry Potter movies from which it draws inspiration. During the full day of performances I attended in the Lyric Theatre - refurbished as part of the production's reported $68 million, pre-opening budget - roars and applause broke out for the entrances not of star actors, but of familiar supporting characters like Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape and Dolores Umbridge. If that is any indication of a devotional intensity waiting to be tapped, this deft homage will be inducing swoons in Times Square for years to come.

Theater Review: Harry Potter and the Broadway Spectacle

But the additional-and perhaps the most powerful-enchantment of this particular trip to the theater is actually on our side of the footlights. Looking around me, I saw Hogwarts house colors, black robes, and wands filling the seats. When Jamie Parker made his first entrance as Harry Potter, and when Noma Dumezweni and Paul Thornley first appeared as Hermione and Ron, the already crackling energy in the dark auditorium erupted. (Later, I heard a woman actually scream in delight when a silhouette resembling that of Severus Snape began to glide forward, back to us, on the set's big central turntable.) This isn't normal entrance applause: The audience is cheering not for celebrities but for characters. Not that the actors aren't doing cheer-worthy work. On the contrary, they're turning in effective, endearing performances, from Parker's stubborn, struggling, still emotionally stunted Harry, to Thornley's dad-jokey Ron, to Dumezweni's restrained (but comically adept) Hermione and Poppy Miller's patient, not-to-be-messed-with Ginny.

Could this become the longest-running play on Broadway? – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Lyric Theatre, New York, review

The play - whose story is credited to Rowling, playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany - has an emotional honesty that, like the books, never sinks into sentimentality and guarantees its endurance. At its essence is a story about parents and children, specifically fathers and sons, struggling to connect with a loved one they can't understand.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child review – thrilling Broadway transfer is magic

As Cursed Child is one of the most plot-heavy texts to appear on Broadway since melodrama became déclassé and suspense is the spell that keeps it whooshing along, it would be unsporting to say much more. Still, fans of the source texts (who cheered and gasped their way through a recent, all-day performance, were treated to some familiar faces. And maybe some faceless faces, too. Cynics not already ensorcelled will wonder if Harry Potter belongs on Broadway at all and some of that wondering is valid. Like Frozen and Mean Girls and Escape to Margaritaville it's another show capitalizing on a known and already popular quantity. It is in dialogue with its fans (how else to explain the screams of delight when Moaning Myrtle appears?) and will deeply perplex anyone who hasn't read the delightful books or seen the so-so movies.

‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’ Review: Broadway’s Perfectly Enchanted Evening (Or Two)

The production's magic is hardly limited to well-choreographed transitions, though, with illusions ranging from the seemingly high-tech - lightning streams of flame, or a dreamlike effect that has the entire set shimmering with every jump in time - to age-old stage trickery modernized and perfected (unseen hands in black tote levitating actors, while some bat-wing swirls of Hogwarts cloaks all but demand a voila!). In theory, a visit from the wraithlike Dementors - relax, I'm not saying when, how or why - owes a nod to a hoary old Roger Corman gimmick, but the similarity ends with intent: The execution here is genuinely thrilling.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD: BROADWAY’S ENCHANTED KINGDOM

And mind you, the show is all special effects. But while there is a good deal of machinery and a greater deal of millions behind it all, the specialest effect that shines through-and, truly, makes Cursed Child what it is-is high-grade theatrical imagination. We can easily list the admirable production staff: Christine Jones (sets), Katrina Lindsay (costumes), Neil Austin (lighting), Finn Ross and Ash Woodward (video), Gareth Fry (sound), Jamie Harrison (illusions and magic), Carole Hancock (hair, wigs and make-up) and Imogen Heap (composer and arranger). It is not quite so easy, though, to separate their accomplishments: everything blends in to create this wizardrous mélange. Prime among Tiffany's team is 'movement director' Steven Hoggett, of both Once and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Cursed Child is a true collaboration between Tiffany and Hoggett, and quite something to see.

Review: ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ Raises the Bar for Broadway Magic

For this slyly manipulative production knows exactly how, and how hard, to push the tenderest spots of most people's emotional makeups. By that I mean the ever-fraught relationships between parents and children, connections that persist, often unresolved, beyond death. Time-bending, it turns out, has its own special tools of catharsis in this regard. In the multiple worlds summoned here, it is possible for kids to instantly become their grown-up mentors, and for a son to encounter his forbidding father when dad was still a vulnerable sapling. 'I am paint and memory,' a talking portrait of the long-dead wizard Dumbledore (Edward James Hyland) says to his former star pupil, Harry. Well, that's art, isn't it? Substitute theatrical showmanship for paint, and you have this remarkable production's elemental recipe for all-consuming enchantment.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child conjures the impossible on Broadway: EW review

The show, for its many twisty turns, belongs squarely to its most consistent leads, its equally cursed children: Boyle and Clemmett, two fine English actors who, at 23 and 24, are as exceptional a leading pair as those Mormon boys or Wicked girls. Reprising their West End roles, both young men are formidable individually but meteoric together, specifically in their happy seizure of the central theme of this and Rowling's saga in general: friendship. Good friendship. The kind of friendship that trounces ostracization, that vanquishes evil, that draws power from the triumph of an inside joke as much as a shared tragedy. Boyle plays Scorpius, ostensibly Hogwarts' biggest outcast, with a ferocious nerve and mischievous wit; he's funny and heartbreaking and applies a vexing if effective quantity of outbursts to service his character's epiphanic moments. Clemmett, on the opposite hand, is an understated wonder; as the embittered but well-intentioned Albus, he has the less showy and perhaps more prohibitive role, but with a boyish charm Clemmett adroitly dodges pratfalls of teenage anguish and 'Ugh, dad!' resentment to remain hugely likable and empathetic even as he creates disaster after disaster for himself. The sparks the two actors create together are so dynamic, their occasional absence onstage does not go unnoticed.

Review: 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' opens on Broadway, the J.K. Rowling magic telling us we're not safe

And all the things that make 'Cursed Child' so theatrically remarkable are only intensified now. The list begins with how Tiffany, Hoggett and the designer Christine Jones carved out a theatrical playing space for the storytelling, something that interacts with what you have in your head and does not compete with the images of the movies. That is, Snape still looks like Snape, Dolores Umbridge like Dolores Umbridge, but when Albus and Scorpius stare out at the intimidating sight of Hogwarts, all Tiffany and his lighting designer, Neil Austin, choose to do is turn on the houselights.

Broadway Review: ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

Once you get past the sensory (and commercial) blandishments and the show begins, it's clear that director John Tiffany and his wizard designers have answered the big question: What can the theater do for the story of Harry Potter that the books and movie treatments haven't done? In a word, the theater has brought its own brand of wizardry to the material. Visually and aurally, the show presents a panorama of dazzling effects that draw audible gasps from the audience.

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

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.

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child': Theater Review

Is it strictly for Potterheads? Not at all, though anyone going in cold, with no prior knowledge of the stories, will miss much of the clever cross-referencing of characters and events from throughout the series. A detailed recap starting with the key prophecy that propelled the entire saga and continuing with a breakdown of each of the seven novels is provided in the program and will be helpful to the uninitiated. But there's also a universal dimension to the human drama here - the challenges of parenting, the conflict between fathers and teenage sons burdened by intimidating legacies, the sustaining force of love and friendship, the eternal grip of the past - that will prove poignant and meaningful even to audiences unversed in the wizarding wars. I'm by no means a Potter obsessive but I was amazed, watching the plays, at how vividly these characters are embedded in our cultural consciousness. You can feel the electric charge in the theater even before the action begins, and it's highly infectious, whatever your prior exposure.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is haunted by death and pain; it is often suspenseful and sometimes downright frightening. Yet amid the cinematic tumult and dazzle of the densely action-packed plot, Thorne and Tiffany carve out quiet scenes of intimacy and tenderness. Great care has gone into creating each moment of this state-of-the-art adventure. It leaves its audience awestruck, spellbound and deeply satisfied.

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ review: Wizarding spectacle a must-see

Aside from being able to easily grasp the numerous references in the dialogue, a theatergoer with no prior 'wizarding' experience should still be able to have a great time - and may even find the show more enthralling than would a longtime fan who already knows the 'Harry Potter' universe inside and out.

BWW Review: A Complete Neophyte's Guide To HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

From row P of the orchestra section of the cavernous Lyric Theatre, one might feel a bit disconnected from the characters and plot, especially with designer Christopher Jones' skeletal set adding to the hollowness, but admittedly, that might just be the result of my unfamiliarity with the play's backstory. Surely, judging from the enthusiastic responses throughout the two-parter, fans of the books and films were having a blast.

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Review: ‘Harry Potter’ Back Onstage, Streamlined and Still Magical

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” returned to Broadway, now in one part instead of two. It may feel smaller, but is no less dazzling.

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By Alexis Soloski

Like a lot of children, Harry Potter grew bigger as he got older. J.K. Rowling’s later novels in the series came in twice as thick, or more, as the first. The lengths of the film versions peaked with the adaptation of that final volume, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” split into two parts running a combined four and a half hours. In 2018, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” — an original play by Jack Thorne, based on a story by Thorne, Rowling and John Tiffany — opened on Broadway at the lavishly remodeled Lyric Theater. Also split in two, the total experience clocked in at more than five hours.

But now Harry seems to have shrunk. After a pandemic closure (and reported problems with production costs ), “Cursed Child” has returned, shorter and more streamlined, its two parts collapsed into a single one and its length reduced by a third. The creators have kept quiet on the mechanics of this revision; call it “Harry Potter and the Mysterious Abridgment.” I assume someone pointed a wand at the published script and shouted, “Brevioso!”

The new version, which opened on Tuesday , does feel smaller — its themes starker, its concession to fandom more blatant. But as directed by Tiffany and choreographed by Steven Hoggett, with an essential score from Imogen Heap, it remains diamond-sharp in its staging and dazzling in its visual imagination, as magical as any spell or potion.

The essence of the plot hasn’t changed. “Cursed Child” still opens where the epilogue of “Deathly Hallows” leaves off, 19 years after the book’s climactic Battle of Hogwarts. On their way to that school of witchcraft and wizardry are Albus Potter (James Romney) — the second son of Harry Potter (Steve Haggard, in for James Snyder at the performance I attended) and Ginny Potter (Diane Davis) — and Rose Granger-Weasley (Nadia Brown), the daughter of Hermione Granger (Jenny Jules) and Ron Weasley (David Abeles).

Aboard the Hogwarts Express, Albus meets Scorpius Malfoy (Brady Dalton Richards), the son of Harry’s former nemesis Draco Malfoy (Aaron Bartz), who offers him sweets. Albus and Scorpius’s burgeoning friendship upsets both of their fathers, complicating already fraught relationships and imperiling the entire wizarding world. Because what is Harry Potter without a threatened apocalypse and the occasional chocolate frog?

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The Boy Who Lived lives on in a wizardly spectacle.

Time Out says

Broadway review by Adam Feldman 

Reducio! After 18 months, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has returned to Broadway in a dramatically new form. As though it had cast a Shrinking Charm on itself, the formerly two-part epic is now a single show, albeit a long one: Almost three and a half hours of stage wizardry, set 20 years after the end of J.K. Rowling’s seven-part book series and tied to a complicated time-travel plot about the sons of Harry Potter and his childhood foe Draco Malfoy. (See below for a full review of the 2018 production.) Audiences who were put off by the previous version’s tricky schedule and double price should catch the magic now. 

Despite its shrinking, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has kept most of its charm. The spectacular set pieces of John Tiffany’s production remain—the staircase ballet, the underwater swimming scene, the gorgeous flying wraiths—but about a third of the former text has been excised. Some of the changes are surgical trims, and others are more substantial. The older characters take the brunt of the cuts (Harry’s flashback nightmares, for example, are completely gone); there is less texture to the conflicts between the fathers and sons, and the plotting sometimes feels more rushed than before.

But the changes have the salutary effect of focusing the story on its most interesting new creations: the resentful Albus Potter (James Romney) and the unpopular Scorpius Malfoy (Brady Dalton Richards), whose bond has been reconceived in a significant way. The original play hinted that their relationship might be more than just a friendship, but cloaked it in imply-and-deny evasion; in the revised version, it’s a more or less explicit romance. Aparecium! Lumos! What once was hidden has come to light, and the show shines brighter for it.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . Lyric Theatre ( Broadway ). By Jack Thorne. Directed by John Tiffany. With ensemble cast. Running time: 3hrs 25mins. One intermission.

___________________

Broadway review by Adam Feldman (April 22, 2018)

The world of   Harry Potter has arrived on Broadway, Hogwarts and all, and it is a triumph of theatrical magic. Set two decades after the final chapters of J.K. Rowling’s world-shaking kid-lit heptalogy, the two-part epic   Harry Potter and the Cursed Child combines grand storytelling with stagecraft on a scale heretofore unimagined. Richly elaborated by director John Tiffany, the show looks like a million bucks (or, in this case, a reported $68 million); the Lyric Theatre has been transfigured from top to bottom to immerse us in the narrative. It works: The experience is transporting.

Jack Thorne’s play, based on a story he wrote with Rowling and Tiffany, extends the Potter narrative while remaining true to its core concerns. Love and friendship and kindness are its central values, but they don’t come easily: They are bound up in guilt, loneliness and fear. Harry (Jamie Parker) is weighted with trauma dating back to his childhood, which hinders his ability to communicate with his troubled middle son, Albus (Sam Clemmett); it doesn’t help that Albus’s only friend is the bookish outcast Scorpius Malfoy (the exceptional Anthony Boyle), son of Harry’s erstwhile enemy, Draco (Alex Price).

Despite the best intentions of Harry’s solid wife, Ginny (Poppy Miller), and his friends Hermione (Noma Dumezweni) and Ron (Paul Thornley), things turn dark very fast. Set designer Christine Jones and lighting designer Neil Austin keep much of the stage shrouded in mystery, the better to accommodate a continual stream of thrilling illusions and effects. Flames surge, wands flash, diaphanous Dementors hover ravishingly in the air; when characters travel through time, the entire stage seems to quiver—and the audience with it.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child   is haunted by death and pain; it is often suspenseful and sometimes downright frightening. Yet amid the cinematic tumult and dazzle of the densely action-packed plot, Thorne and Tiffany carve out quiet scenes of intimacy and tenderness. Great care has gone into creating each moment of this state-of-the-art adventure. It leaves its audience awestruck, spellbound and deeply satisfied.

Lyric Theatre ( Broadway ). By Jack Thorne. Directed by John Tiffany. With ensemble cast. Running time: 2hrs 40mins per half. One intermission per half.

RECOMMENDED: A complete guide to the Harry Potter ticket lottery

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Dates and times

Fri, Sep 13, 2024 Lyric Theatre 7:00 PM $79–$199

Sat, Sep 14, 2024 Lyric Theatre 1:00 PM $79–$199

Sat, Sep 14, 2024 Lyric Theatre 7:00 PM $79–$199

Sun, Sep 15, 2024 Lyric Theatre 2:00 PM $79–$199

Tue, Sep 17, 2024 Lyric Theatre 7:00 PM $79–$199

Wed, Sep 18, 2024 Lyric Theatre 1:00 PM $79–$199

Wed, Sep 18, 2024 Lyric Theatre 7:00 PM $79–$199

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West End Review: ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’

By Matt Trueman

Matt Trueman

• London Theater Review: ‘A Very Expensive Poison’ 5 years ago
• West End Review: ‘The Night of the Iguana’ With Clive Owen 5 years ago
• U.K. Theater Review: ‘Invisible Cities’ 5 years ago

It is, quite simply, spellbinding: The Show That Lived Up to Expectations — and Then Some. Three years after J. K. Rowling announced her boy wizard would hit the stage, “ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ” — no mere rehash, but a whole new chapter — proves a proper theatrical blockbuster. Not just at the box office, but onstage as well: a captivating story given a spectacular staging and — Rowling’s specialty — a big, big heart. Twenty years ago, Harry Potter turned a generation onto reading. “The Cursed Child” could do the same for theater.

Its secret is simple: Rowling’s fantastical world is realized not with high-tech wizardry, but through the rough magic of theater. Broomsticks hop into their owners’ hands. Wands spit green jets of fire, blasting wizards ten feet into the air. Bodies vanish, balloon and transfigure. Ears shoot steam. Objects levitate.

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Director John Tiffany ’s staging is full of tiny impossibilities, but it’s big on imagination too. Suitcases spring into shape as the Hogwarts Express, and two shifting staircases make a maze of school corridors. Huge iron arches, the ribs of the roof at Kings Cross station, slide in to become the Forbidden Forest. Even scenes changes proceed with the swish of a cloak. The whole thing seems motored by magic.

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Rowling’s sequel picks up where the books left off, with that coda at Kings Cross, 19 years on, as Harry sees his second son, Albus Severus Potter, off to Hogwarts for the first time. He is, as the book suggests, an anxious kid, nervous about leaving home, uncomfortable with attention and scared of being sorted into Slytherin.

If the originals showed one side of adolescence, “The Cursed Child” presents another — not the golden boy fighting for good, but the misfit battling with himself. Sam Clemmett’s Albus is a meek young thing, forever in his father’s shadow and preferring Hogwarts’ dark corners to its limelight. He finds an unlikely friend in Scorpius Malfoy, Draco’s son: geeky, gawky and, in Anthony Boyle’s hands, all fingers and thumbs. The more the pair try to ingratiate themselves with their peers, the more they end up isolated.

It’s the friendship of two bullied boys bound together, and it’s a beautiful, tender thing. The script by Jack Thorne (“Skins,” “Shameless”) recognizes that rejection breeds resentment, and outsiders stew into outcasts. No one’s born a villain, nor sees themselves as such, and where the books gave us stock baddies, “Cursed Child” fleshes them out. Albus and Scorpius only ever try to make good, but their efforts tend to lead to bad.

This is, however, still Harry’s story as much as his son’s, and if, 20 years ago, Rowling shepherded a generation through their teenage years, now she provides parenting lessons. An orphan abused by his foster family, Jamie Parker’s Harry struggles with his son. Their conversations always come back to him; their relationship is stern and serious, never playful or affectionate. The Boy That Lived has become The Man That Frowns — his hero complex is a burden and his childhood a barrier to letting others in. Parker’s superb. When he folds his arms, he seems to hug himself. His own frustrations rebound on his son.

Rowling has found a neat way to revisit her original, allowing for both novelty and nostalgia. Without giving those secrets away, her plot has shades of fan-fiction to it, revealing the past anew and prodding at its possibilities. It’s built for aficionados, of course, and while flashbacks and (clunky) exposition fill in the key plot points, you do need a knowledge of the world itself, from floo networks to Dementors’ Kisses.

Where it retreads old ground, the “Cursed Child” sometimes stutters. Familiar faces make welcome returns, but they’re pale imitations of their old selves. Theater butts up against its limitations too: the evils that seemed so vivid in your head or on screen stray into high camp on stage. That holds back Part Two of this five-hour-plus epic. When plot kicks in, it doesn’t yield the same wonder as the world that’s pulled together in Part One.

The show is far better when it moves things on. As adults, Ron and Hermione are the same as ever. Noma Dumezweni adds a cool authority to the latter’s racing mind, and Paul Thornley finds humor in the old Weasley haplessness. It’s Boyle, though, who really stands out, and his Scorpius is bound to be a new fan favorite, a lovable geek with wits as quick as his voice is screechy.

Beneath the surface, “Cursed Child” is absolutely contemporary. It shows a generation that has known only peace and certainty on the cusp of chaos; its villain isn’t an overlord with an army at hand, but a lone terrorist acting in and out of isolation. Even run by good people, the Ministry of Magic makes mistakes, and the Marauder’s Map, once a mischief maker’s friend, has become a surveillance tool. The answer this time is not solo heroics but collective action.

That’s true of the show itself. Its every element pulls together. Christine Jones’s shapeshifting space, all oak paneling and wrought iron, seems to ripple with Finn Ross’s projections. Jamie Harrison’s illusions, sleight of hand and misdirection would be nothing without Neil Austin’s exquisite lighting. Steven Hoggett’s movement makes the most of Katrina Lindsay’s costumes. It’s total theater. And, yep, it’s magic.

Palace Theater, London; 1,400 seats; £65 (£130 for both parts), $85 ($170) top. Reviewed July 23rd, 2016. Running time: 5 HOURS, 15 MIN.

• Production: A Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender production of two play in two acts by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne.
• Crew: Original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany; Script by Jack Thorne; Directed by John Tiffany; Set design, Christine Jones; costume design, Katrina Lindsay; Composer, Imogen Heap; lighting, Neil Austin; sound, Gareth Fry; Special Effects, Jeremy Chernick; Illusions and Magic, Jamie Harrison; Musical Supervisor, Martin Lowe; Casting, Julia Horan.
• Cast: Nicola Alexis, Jeremy Ang Jones, Helen Aluko, Rosemary Annabella, Annabel Baldwin, Jack Bennett, Paul Bentall, Anthony Boyle, Zoe Brough, Sam Clemmett, Morag Cross, Noma Dumezweni, Christina Fray, Claudia Grant, James Howard, Christiana Hutchings, Lowri James, Martin Johnston, Chris Jarman, Alfred Jones, Chipo Kureya, James Le Lacheur, Helena Lymbery, Tom Mackley, Barry McCarthy, Sandy McDade, Andrew McDoanld, Adam McNamara, Poppy Miller, Tom Milligan, Jack North, Jamie Parker, Alex Price, Stuart Ramsay, Ewan Rutherford, Nuno Silva, Cherrelle Skeete, Esther Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Dylan Standen, Paul Thornley, Joshua Wyatt.

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Collierville High selected as first school in Tennessee to produce 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'

Hopefully, Collierville High School students know how to pronounce the spell “wingardium leviosa” correctly. Because 31 high schools have been selected to produce the official high school version of the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," and Collierville High was one of the winners.

According to a press release, the suburban school and 30 other thirty recipients are slated to be the first high schools in their states or U.S. territory to put on the show, which serves as a sequel to the Harry Potter book series. The original West End production of the play premiered at the Palace Theatre in London in 2016, and it was followed by a Broadway production in 2018. Written by Jack Thorne, it was based on a story by Thorne, John Tiffany, and J.K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter.

How Collierville got selected to produce Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

But how did Collierville High get selected to produce the high school version?

In November, Broadway Licensing Global announced a competition called “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child High School Edition: Wands at the Ready.” High schools could apply to become the first in their states or U.S. territories to premiere the high school edition of the play, by submitting a video that demonstrated their passion for the arts, as well as student inclusion and diversity. In other words, schools had to explain why their theatre programs were "magical" enough to produce the show.

Collierville High left it to its students to create the video submission, which was posted on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHS Draco Playhouse (@chs.dracoplayhouse)

"There was a video submission contest to share why your school was the most magical school to produce this show and we gave our students the task of showcasing the theater program," said Chris Luter, the director of Theatre at Collierville High School, in a statement. "I commend them for their work during the selection process and cannot wait to share this production with our community in November.”

The competition ran from Nov. 17 to Dec. 15, 2023, and over 70 schools submitted applications. The winners – representing 31 states and Puerto Rico – were announced this month, and they’re expected to produce the play between Oct. 15 and Nov. 10 of this year. Collierville High's production is slated to run from Nov. 7-10.

It’s the latest victory for the Draco Playhouse, the esteemed theatre program at Collierville High School, which has received significant recognition in the past. Performing in the 1,000-seat Pickler Auditorium on the school’s campus, it runs a four-show season. And according to its website , it’s the only high school theatre program to have won three Best Overall Production awards at the Orpheum Theatre's High School Musical Theatre Awards.

What to know about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Now, it’s poised to tackle the follow-up to one of the most famous book series of all-time.

Set 19 years after the events of the last novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the play follows Albus Severus Potter, Harry’s son, as he arrives at Hogwarts. While Potters have traditionally been sorted into the Gryffindor house, Albus is sorted into Slytherin, where he befriends the son of Harry’s old foe, Draco Malfoy.

The play also features many Harry Potter mainstays. Harry, of course, plays a prominent role, as do Draco, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

For the high school version of the show, Broadway Licensing Global is adapting the original script, giving it a shorter runtime and providing creative techniques that cater to schools with large or small budgets. This is being done in collaboration with the show’s original creative team, including playwright Jack Thorne.

Producing the adapted version, however, isn’t free. Even Collierville and the other schools selected as winners must pay any required royalties and production package fees to license the show.

Theater | ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ opens soon…

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Theater | ‘harry potter and the cursed child’ opens soon in chicago, a third and final version of the epic sequel.

In the theater, success typically is associated with expansion, with going bigger, broader, grander. And yet with the theatrical sequel to J.K. Rowling’s stunningly successful series of novels about a bespectacled boy-wizard and his dramatic school friends, the British director John Tiffany has, at first glance, gone in precisely the opposite direction as he has journeyed from London to Chicago. An all-new and radically shorter version of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opens at the Nederlander Theatre on Sept. 26.

When “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opened in London in 2016, it came in two parts, needing a pair of separate tickets and lasting the best part of six hours, all said and done. It was not a problem. Potter mania was still at a peak, audiences embraced the festival-like ethos that had been in Tiffany’s head, the plot revelations of the new, yet-to-be-published play devised by Jack Thorne, Tiffany and Rowling herself were enough to elicit audible screams of surprise and, from the moment when young Albus Potter articulated his worry that he might hate his father’s beloved Hogwarts, or that the Sorting Hat might put him not in his dad’s beloved Gryffindor but in Slytherin, the hours flew by. Audiences were amazed to be watching not just a sequel about a second generation of wizards but a play that actually unlocked some of the remaining mysteries of the novels themselves.

Anyone there saw that those first audiences easily intuited the main theme: It’s not easy living up to your parents. Especially when your dad was the famous Harry Potter, someone had to learn how to be a father without ever having parents of his own.

All the faithful had to do to know that this show was in sync with their world was to hear Rowling refer to it as the eighth (and final) “Harry Potter” story and, once at the theater, listen to the on-stage portrait painting of Dumbledore when it spoke its truth: “Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic. In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again.”

“You are not safe and must live your life accordingly” is the core of the Potter message throughout all of seven of the books; fans of the show were happy to “keep the secrets,” exactly as the buttons being handed out in the lobby of the Palace Theatre in the West End demanded. And most of the muggles who walked through the theater’s door soon found out that the category no longer applied to them.

Then came  Broadway in 2018 . The show was every bit as good but the ticket prices were higher, the people more stressed. Donald Trump was in the White House, Slytherin appeared ascendent and Obama-era critical thinking was on the wane. Phones had wreaked more havoc on attention spans.

Then the pandemic closed everything down. Even the son of Harry Potter had no spell for that.

When “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” returned on Broadway in 2021, the two shows had been scrunched into one: 3 hours and 30 minutes meant a faster trajectory and Tiffany and his team were faced with cutting as much as creating. But he wanted the show to thrive as a single-ticket attraction. And the switcheroo proved a savvy Stateside bet. The one-show version is still running on Broadway and doing well.

Now, Tiffany and his choreographer are about to create a third and, he says, likely final version of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” with a Chicago opening night on Sept. 26. Tiffany has not given any interviews about “Harry Potter” for more than two years, feeling he had nothing left to say. But he agreed to let a visitor into rehearsal and to talk at length. And length is on his mind: the goal for the new national touring production, he says, is to come in at under three hours .

Although the run in Chicago will last through Feb. 1, this is to become the template for all national and international touring versions. For anyone who has seen the previous versions of “Cursed Child,” which features a bevy of magic tricks and a technical rig that can send scary Dementors all the way up to the balcony, the challenges of creating a version of the show that can expeditiously move by truck will be self-evident.

Matt Mueller, Ebony Blake and John Skelley in rehearsals in New York City for the North American tour of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." (Andy Anderson)

A moment in rehearsals in New York City for the North American tour of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." (Andy Anderson)

John Skelley, Benjamin Thys, Ayla Stackhouse, Conner Wilson, John Tiffany, Reese Sebastian Diaz and Lauryn Hayes in rehearsals in New York City for the North American tour of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." (Andy Anderson)

Matt Mueller, Ebony Blake and John Skelley in rehearsals in New York City for the North American tour of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." (Andy Anderson)

But that’s Tiffany himself, not an assistant, sitting in the theater for a late August technical rehearsal at the Nederlander Theatre, And by his side is the revered choreographer (and high-school classmate) Steven Hoggett. Both men, who live in London, are massively in demand for new projects and have plenty of access to associates and assistants.  Why are they both in Chicago for weeks on end?

“One of the inspirations for the original two-parter was the incredible experience you’d have at festivals, watching a full day of ‘The Oresteia’ or ‘The Mahābhārata,'” Tiffany says over lunch. “I always thought there was something almost religious about that. The idea was we would recreate that in the West End. We had a very strong idea about how we would end Part One and that became where we focused our energy and it worked.”

The “it” (and that would be a spoiler) still works in London where, as Tiffany points out, “You can still see both shows for 30 quid.” But as time and geography changed, there has been a reality check. So what was it like coming up with something not much more than half the length of the original staging?

“Not easy at first,” Tiffany says. “It was a strange thing for me to do, wasn’t it? After I had got a whole team excited about this big event. But we also understood the practicalities of it. Ultimately, we want the work to be seen by as many people as possible. Each time, it has taken a second for me to realize that I do have the energy to do this, that I do have another version inside of me.”

The two-shows-to-one change on Broadway, though, was done somewhat under duress, within the context of the pandemic. In Chicago, Tiffany and his team have in someways started again from scratch but the environment has been much freer.

“This is the first time since the very first production I have been involved in the process from day one to opening night and it has been an incredible artistic challenge,” Tiffany says. “This is a company of actors who have not worked together before and it has been an absolute delight from start to finish. It’s also meant that we have had to reinvent all the production elements because much of what we have in London and New York cannot tour.”

Tiffany grew up in Northern England and, as a young person, saw his theater in the provinces. “This is the version that I would have seen,” he says. “It would have had to tour to me if I was ever going to see it. I’m massively behind this because of all the kids that we will be able to reach now and who would never have otherwise been able to see this show. That has become far more important to me that being precious about any particular element of my original production.”

Hoggett, watching a rehearsal that afternoon, makes the same populist argument in a slightly different way. “The literacy rate among boys in rural America went up massively when the Harry Potter books first came out,” he says. “This is about access .  It’s about taking the show to an audience that can’t necessarily go to Broadway and pay all that money there to see it.”

“And just look at this theater,” Tiffany says, clocking how well the show likely will sit in the fantastical former Oriental Theatre auditorium.

Aidan Close and Emmet Smith in the North American tour of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." (Matthew Murphy)

Julia Nightingale, Aidan Close and Emmet Smith in the North American tour of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." (Matthew Murphy)

The cast of the North American tour of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." (Matthew Murphy)

Aidan Close and Emmet Smith in the North American tour of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child." (Matthew Murphy)

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” has been singularly slow to roll out its tour. Attention was focused first on international productions in Australia and Japan, given the books’ global appeal, mostly put together by associates. San Francisco was chosen as the first U.S. city outside New York to get the show, despite Broadway in Chicago’s best efforts to persuade the producers otherwise. (“Hamilton,” by contrast, chose Chicago and moved far more quickly.)

But “Cursed Child,” it was clear from the start in London, had a huge Asian following and San Francisco was perceived as geographically closer to those markets and, of course, also was filled with members of that demographic. But even a decade on from its bow, huge swaths of the country never has seen the show — before Tuesday night’s first preview in Chicago, there only had ever been two U.S. cities to host the show.

“It’s still the full Harry Potter experience,” Tiffany says. “Ninety-five percent of the illusions are still in there and when it comes to the other five percent, we have found new and sometimes better ways of doing them. I think we have created something every bit as powerful and effective and dramatic as the the three-and-a-half hour version but that is a bit more user-friendly for families. People have time to have dinner now. Three and a half hours was just a very big ask.”

He pauses for a moment.

“This has taken 10 years of my life, almost full time” he says. “But I just couldn’t bear for this not to be done well in Chicago. And the best chance it has got is with the original creative team. I’m incredibly proud of it.”

In terms of theater technology, 2016 was the dark ages compared to 2024. But whatever digital temptations might now exist have been resisted. Rather, a visit to a technical rehearsal suggests, the process has been about finding new ways to execute the illusions when every stage floor and every theater is different. Trapdoors can no longer be relied upon to be in the same place, if they are present at all.

Have people moved on from Harry Potter?  Rowling, of course, has become a controversial Twitter activist in the area of gender identity, to the chagrin of some of her fans even though others have come to her defense. (“I understand you are a journalist and you have to ask but I just don’t talk about it,” Tiffany says. “It is not something that feels part of the show at all.”) And, of course, there are now no new movies to be released each year, although a TV series is planned, themed around the existing stories. One more piece of evidence of waning Pottermania was the decision of Britain’s Network Rail to this month end its long-standing, back-to-school tradition this year of a live announcement of the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9¾ at London’s King’s Cross Station.  But that decision was greeted with howls of dismay.

“The books are no less popular now,” Tiffany says. “New generations seem to be as taken with the books as when we were much younger. And we were always much closer to the books than the movies. We didn’t take any of the music from the films or even any visual reference whatsoever, really.”

Indeed not. When Albus Potter and his second-gen schoolmates gets their first glimpse of Hogwarts, they see a theater, not a historic building repurposed for cinematic use.

Tiffany, who also directed “Once,” is well known for his affection for Chicago actors, several of whom are in the show, including Larry Yando as Albus Dumbledore, Amos Diggory and Severus Snape. (Some were in the Broadway production, too.) “There is such a dedication in actors here,” Tiffany says, eyes lighting up. “Such craft and also a sense of humor.”

“What theater can do, especially with an adult Harry, even more than the books, is take an audience to a really dark place,” he goes on. “Harry can tell Albus he wishes he was not his son and Albus hears he wishes he had never been born. Imagine what that does to a 15-year-old boy. That was a bit too much for some of the Harry fans who didn’t think that Harry ever would say that. But we have a journey to go on here and what I love about fantasy is that it’s exciting and theatrical, but also that it gets to the heart of the human experience even more than realism. Harry can say the unsayable to Albus, his son . And Albus almost destroys the world because of the chaos in his mind. Because he does not feel safe .”

One begins to see why Tiffany is still here, still directing another version of the same story. Even now, it’s hard to find another that compares. “I’ve done a lot of new plays in my career,” he says. “No one is ever interested in a new play before it opens,” he says. “With this one, everyone knew the characters. And everyone cared .”

He spoke about what qualities he looks for in actors who audition for the adult Harry. “Experience with Shakespeare really helps,” he says, simply enough. “The ‘Harry Potter’ world is very similar.”

Tiffany heads off into rehearsal.

“You have to remember Harry is the savior,” he says before he goes, his voice underpinned with emotion. “So, for Albus, it’s like being the son of Nelson Mandela. And the question for us was, what would it like to be that son if you don’t thrive within that circumstance? And if you’re the famous Harry Potter, and you think you have finally achieved a stable family, what would it be like not to understand why it all goes wrong?”

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opens Sept. 26 and runs through Feb.1, 2025, at the Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.; www.broadwayinchicago.com

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

[email protected]

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Hogwarts From the Heartland: Chicago Actors Matt Mueller and Larry Yando on Their Roles in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”

by Mary Wisniewski | September 9, 2024

The New York cast of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”/Photo: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

Larry Yando, who played Scrooge in The Goodman Theatre’s “The Christmas Carol” for sixteen years, is such a big Harry Potter fan that he waited in line at bookstores when the J.K. Rowling novels were coming out.

Now the actor known for playing complicated, dark characters will take on the prickly Severus Snape in the national tour of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” opening at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre September 10.

Yando says that he often plays “those people you love to hate. I love finding the goodness in people, in characters that most people think are not good.”

Still another local Harry Potter fan, Matt Mueller, will reprise his role as Ron Weasley in the production. Mueller had played Harry’s red-headed friend in a Broadway version of the show until the pandemic finished that yearlong run in March of 2020.

The new production runs here through February 1 before going to Los Angeles and Washington D.C. The play, by Jack Thorne, was originally produced as a two-parter, which could be viewed over two sessions. But this version will be a shorter, one-part version.

“It feels good to be revisiting it again… It really does feel like we’re working on a new play,” Mueller says. “There’s some things we’re tightening up to get to the essence of the story.”

Based on a story by Thorne, Rowling and John Tiffany, the play picks up where the Harry Potter series left off—nineteen years after Harry, Ron and Hermione save the world from the evil wizard Voldemort. Now the three have kids of their own at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The characters face challenges to their relationships and new troubles when attempts to change the past go awry.

Larry Yando

Besides Scrooge, Yando’s catalogue of problematic characters includes Roy Cohn in “Angels in America,” Scar in “The Lion King,” Malvolio in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and the title role of “King Lear.”

Yando sees parallels between Scrooge and Snape. Both characters are shaped by trauma—both also have good hearts that they have hardened in order to protect themselves.

“There’s a darkness that seems impenetrable and it’s very real and it’s very personal and it’s very deep,” Yando says. “We may not know exactly why but we know it’s there. We see other characters trying to get through and not being able to do it… Then, through a series of encounters and events with good people and real people, that wall gets broken down. The journey is always because they’re confronted with kindness and love and innocence and virtue. It becomes undeniable and finally the wall kind of cracks.”

He admits that he will “absolutely” miss Scrooge, but he’s been so busy with “Harry Potter” that he hasn’t had a second to let the loss of it sink in. “I couldn’t have let go of Scrooge for anything other than this,” Yando says. The production feels like a “gift,” and “something I needed to do.”

Matt Mueller as Ron Weasley in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in New York/Photo: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

Just as Ron Weasley is part of a big, magical family, Mueller is part of a big theatrical family. His siblings are Abby (his twin), Jessie and Andrew Mueller—all musical theater stars. Jessie won a 2014 Tony for “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” Their parents are longtime Evanston actors Jill Shellabarger and Roger Mueller, whose credits include playing Abigail and John Adams in “1776.”

Mueller describes growing up in a theatrical family as both fun and helpful. He and his siblings went to a lot of theater growing up, and found their way into the business in separate ways. “It’s always been cool to talk shop… To have people around you that understand what it requires and what it takes, that support system is really lovely,” says Mueller. His family members know that theater is a real job.

“I have been fortunate to know from a young age that this is something you can do if you want to,” Mueller says. “It doesn’t mean it can’t be incredibly difficult. It takes time and dedication.” But he knew it was possible, because he saw it in his own house.

Mueller views Ron as a big-hearted character who does the brave things that have to be done, but also tries to lighten the mood and make sure everyone is ok. “He has a feel on how people are doing,” Mueller says. “I love that about him… He’s a caretaker in a lot of ways.”

Mueller was a little later than Yando to reading Harry Potter—his younger brother Andrew was “right in the age pocket” of reading the books as they came out and Matt then picked up on them. He said he was happy to be called back to read “Ron” scenes for the Broadway show, since he’s a “cool, fun character.”

“I’ve been known to be a little goofy, crack a joke or two, keep things light when they need it,” says Mueller. He says he also knows it’s important to check in on people, as Ron does.

Yando says one thing he loves about the Harry Potter books is that the changes the characters go through are difficult, like it isn’t easy for Scrooge to give up his miserly ways.

“It costs you something,” Yando says. “That’s why they’re important and why they resonate, because you’ll never be the same again and change is hard. I don’t believe it’s easy to open up your heart. And that’s what makes it all the more powerful.”

Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Snape is iconic, but Yando says he’s not worried about the late actor getting into his head. Yando hadn’t seen the movies in a long time and the play stands on its own.“I went into this play like I do with any play—I look at the words on the page, what did the playwright write, and I figure out what I’m supposed to do by what I’ve been given, he says. “It becomes specific to now, and to the people in the rehearsal room with me, so other things don’t bleed in.”

(Two other Chicago actors in the cast are Emmet Smith in the role of Harry and Ginny’s son Albus Potter, and Nathan Hosner.)

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 West Randolph, opens September 10.

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Hbo's harry potter tv show: updates & everything we know.

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Hbo's harry potter show latest news, hbo's harry potter show is confirmed, what daniel radcliffe has said about the harry potter tv series, the harry potter show has some recast challenges, j.k. rowling is involved in hbo harry potter tv show, harry potter hbo show story details.

• Harry Potter TV Show: Further News & Info

The first-ever Harry Potter TV show was announced to be coming to HBO, and every detail about the wizard's return is hotly anticipated. Harry Potter is the seven-book series by J.K. Rowling that has grown into an entertainment juggernaut. The story is well-known to people of all ages, and while the magical world of Harry Potter has expanded beyond the core texts, nothing has surpassed the enthralling tales from the novels. Harry Potter follows the titular young wizard as he explores discovers a world of magic he never knew existed and battles the evil wizard, Voldemort.

Harry Potter was already adapted into the smash-hit, eight-film series from Warner Bros., and Rowling's magical tale came to define early 2000s blockbuster cinema. However, like all book-to-movie adaptations, there are always scenes and characters that are excised. The HBO Max Harry Potter TV show gives the series the length required to fully capture the breadth of the novels. Their track record of adaptations makes Max an excellent landing spot for the beloved series, and every announcement about the upcoming Harry Potter HBO show is welcome news.

Casting Begins For The Big Three

As work continues behind the scenes, the latest news confirms that the Harry Potter TV series has begun casting for the big three . Perhaps the most important roles for the series, HBO is now aiming to land the perfect actors to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger . According to the official Harry Potter franchise Instagram page, Warner Bros. is looking for young actors from the UK who will be 9-11 as of April 2025 (presumably when production is slated to start). The casting call also features a note about diversity, though that isn't unusual in modern casting.

HBO Is Tackling The Wizarding World

A tweet posted by HBO Max on April 12, 2023, served as the official confirmation that the Harry Potter TV show was in development. In the short video, the magical floating candles that illuminate Hogwarts' Great Hall in the movies appear and move around to spell out “ Harry Potter ” in the memorable lightning-like font of the series, and the iconic magical school appears in the background with the Max Original logo above the title.

In the year since the announcement, several key updates have been revealed, including that the show is currently aiming for a 2026 release window . In June 2024, crucial behind the scenes crew members were hired, including showrunner Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, who will be directing several episodes of the upcoming season. Casting began in September 2024, though no names are attached quite yet.

HBO's Harry Potter series is no longer a Max Original but will instead be considered an HBO Original. However, it will still stream on Max after airing on HBO.

The Original Star Won't Be Returning

Though the show is a complete reboot and unrelated to the blockbuster movie franchise, many in the Harry Potter fandom still want to see Daniel Radcliffe return. His most recent comments regarding the Harry Potter TV show were while speaking with Access alongside his Miracle Workers co-star Geraldine Viswanathan. Radcliffe gave a definitive no about returning but stated that he was very excited to see what the new Harry Potter TV show cast would be doing. His full comment can be read below:

“I certainly haven’t. I mean, I don’t, I think it’s very much like they’re going for a new series and it would be, there would be somebody else playing Harry. So I think it would be very weird for me to show up. I’m very, you know, I’m very excited to see what other people do with that. And I think the thing, you know, the comparison I’ve made is like to a story like ‘Sherlock Holmes.’ You know, it was always gonna, I think the Potter series of books was always going to be bigger than like one interpretation or one franchise. So it’ll be cool to like, see the, the torch get passed on,”

Radcliffe has also addressed the possibility of having a cameo in the Harry Potter TV show . Unfortunately, the odds don't look good as Radcliffe mentioned, " I don’t think so, no. " However, Radcliffe's statements are from the mindset that the show is unrelated to the movies he starred in, as he added, " Certainly from everything that I’ve read about the series, they’re starting fresh and would probably be weird to have me pop in… "

In a July 2023 interview with Variety about his Emmy nomination for portraying Weird Al in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story , Radcliffe stated that he hoped the Harry Potter TV show would satiate fans who were disappointed with the movies . The actor said that he was happy to be a viewer this time around, and he recognized that there were things cut from the films that angered audiences. His full quote can be read below:

I’m excited for it as a viewer. I’ll be able to enjoy it with everyone else possibly, with a slightly different perspective. It’s a nice thing that a whole new generation is going to get introduced to the stories in a new way. They’ll see it as a TV series, so they’ll probably have time to go into all the things. So for the people that were angry about things that were cut from the film, hopefully, they will finally be able to see the full version they wanted.

HBO does indeed have an obligation to expand on the plot for the Harry Potter TV show. While many cuts were made for time, some of these cuts reduced the impact of key reveals and robbed side characters of triumphant arcs . Peeves the poltergeist was omitted entirely, Voldemort and Dumbledore's full backstories weren't included, and the idea that Neville Longbottom could've been the Chosen One was never even brought up. The Dursleys' presences were also muted, and Dudley's redemption scene was deleted.

HBO's Harry Potter Remake Can Finally End One Of The Fandom's Most Heated Debates

It's been said that there is no good reason for HBO to remake the Harry Potter series, but ending this decades-old debate would be entirely worth it.

Fans Have Lofty Expectations For The Show's Cast

Bringing new actors to the Harry Potter TV show will prove to be difficult regardless, since they will have to live up to both the original character and audiences' expectations based on the movies.

While the advent of the new Harry Potter TV show is an exciting prospect, there's no question that the HBO Harry Potter recast challenge is probably one of the series' greatest. Some of the hardest characters for HBO to recast in the Harry Potter TV show are first and foremost the golden trio themselves. Helping to introduce the characters to the world, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were made famous by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson.

Recasting iconic adult characters that were played by actors who have passed on is another challenge , and the late Robbie Coltrane was the perfect double of Hagrid, along with Alan Rickman's iconic Snape performance. Likewise, Dumbledore will prove to be another difficult casting, though some character details weren't brought to the film series that are worth exploring. Bringing new actors to the Harry Potter TV show will prove to be difficult regardless, since they will have to live up to both the original character and audiences' expectations based on the movies .

The Author Is Mired In Controversy

The J.K. Rowling anti-trans controversy could be one of the key obstacles facing the upcoming HBO Harry Potter TV show.

A controversy around HBO's Harry Potter TV show has been whether author J.K. Rowling will be involved in the project. It has been confirmed that HBO is working with J.K. Rowling on their Harry Potter reboot. Rowling is serving as an executive producer and a statement released on J.K. Rowling's website confirmed she would be working on the project alongside Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts.

J.K. Rowling has become a controversial figure in recent years thanks to her outspoken views on trans people . The J.K. Rowling anti-trans controversy could be one of the key obstacles facing the upcoming HBO Harry Potter TV show. J.K. Rowling's involvement in other Harry Potter projects like the game Hogwarts Legacy has even led to fan boycotts. Only time will tell if the Harry Potter HBO show will face the same issue, though the healthy sales of Hogwarts Legacy likely mean that Warner Bros. is confident the series can still be a hit even with Rowling's involvement.

How Will HBO Adapt The Books?

The Harry Potter HBO television show can offer much more time to explore supporting characters, flesh out the main ones, and depict fan-favorite scenes from the books that could not be shown in the films. The Harry Potter TV show will have the chance to fix some mistakes of the Harry Potter movies . For the films to have an appropriate run-time, some characters were cut out completely, arcs were shortened, and the day-to-day life of living in Hogwarts, a necessary theme of the books, was weakened.

HBO has shown itself to be diligent in respectfully adapting source material, so the story from the Harry Potter books should remain the same. Harry’s journey from a lonely orphan into the hero who saves the world from Voldemort will be the core of the show , but it’s the small moments of magic and wonder that will make the Harry Potter TV show so special. Those moments of Harry and his friends discovering something truly amazing and giving the audience a unique experience is what the HBO show will be able to put on screen better than anyone has before.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is HBO's remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling's popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did. Upon the announcement of the Harry Potter TV show, the series received harsh criticism for the involvement of Rowling and for many thinking a reboot was unnecessary.

Harry Potter TV Show: Further News & Info

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• Harry Potter TV Reboot Gets Release Window Update From WB CEO
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• Daniel Radcliffe Reveals Which Book He's Most Excited For Harry Potter TV Show To Adapt
• Harry Potter TV Reboot: Ginny Star Addresses Potential Return To The Wizarding Franchise
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