First, let’s establish my Potter bonafides. Some of you may remember between one and two decades ago (yes that’s how old the Potter series is!), as they released each book, there would be a long line of kids at book stores on the Friday nights when the books were being released at midnight. Scattered amongst the anxious 14 and 15 year old kids dressed in Hogwarts robes, you’d see a few creepy looking old guys waiting along with them. Well, at least for the last three or for books, that was me. For at least the last three, we’d be at our place in Colorado; the books would be released at midnight and by dinner time the next day, I’d have finished all 900 pages. In other words, I’m a big fan of Harry, Ron and Hermione and think Voldemort, the Death Eaters and the Dementors are some of the best villains around. (Plus I believe the series created an entire generation of readers – always a good thing!).
So my expectations were pretty high when Carolyn got our tickets to see the new to Broadway play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2. This wasn’t quite the commitment of Angels in America, who’s two parts totaled almost 8 hours of theater but still, with part 1 clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes and, after a dinner break, part 2 taking 2 hours and 30 minutes, this was a lot of theater for one day. With this commitment, I really, really wanted to love this production. It didn’t totally disappoint but definitely wasn’t worth the time or the money.
First, the good — special effects like I’ve never seen on a stage before. Magic fights, character transformation, really cool time travel effects and lots of flying. The dementors flying around the theater and breathing in souls alone were worth seeing. (If you don’t know what dementors are, read the books!). They supposedly spent $33M overhauling the theater (on top of the $35.5 capitalization) for this production and, surprisingly, it shows. Everything is brand spanking new and the entire theater becomes part of the special effects.
The acting was solid across the board with the possible exception of a brief appearance by a cheesy looking Voldemort. I don’t think Jamie Parker, as Harry Potter, has much of a shot at a Tony because of a really strong field but Anthony Boyle as Scorpius Malfoy was good enough to beat out a so-so Featured Actor field. He was definitely better than Nathan Lane, who’ll probably win.
The storyline was pretty complicated. The advertising says you don’t need to be well versed in Pottermania. Don’t believe it. If you haven’t read the books or seen the movies, you’re going to get pretty lost and some of the strong audience reaction will go straight over your head. I spent every break trying to bring Carolyn up to speed on who everybody was and what was going on.
The real problem here was that there were times in the play when things really dragged. The play has gotten a Best Choreography nomination but, frankly, the dancing felt like filler or a cover for set changes. There were several staircases being dragged around the stage that was interesting the first time or two but, at some point, you just wanted them to get on with things. I sympathize with the creative team because the complex story really wasn’t going to fit in to a standard length play but there just isn’t enough story to fill over five hours. Don’t know whether the jump to two parts was an artistic or financial decision (the show is selling like crazy and, with a two parter, you only have to find half as many buyers) but I think this would have been a lot better as a single (long) three act play – maybe 3 1/2 hours total.
Between the special effects and some interesting plot twists that Potter fans will appreciate, there’s so much potential for spoilers that, as you leave, you’re handed a button that says “Keep the Secrets”!
There was definitely a whole lot merchandise being sold! The 35ish woman in front of us came back for Part 2 with a big back of stuff and kept waving her wand during the play. The post-show buzz around us was pretty positive so I guess it does appeal to diehards.
I’m glad I saw it if for nothing other than the stagecraft but I’ve really got a hard time recommending this to anybody but maybe Potter fans even though it’ll probably win the Best New Play Tony. Once again, I’m out of line with most of the professional critics who have raved about the show but I’ll push this up to a 7 just because of the special effects.
Categories: He Said
