Author: J.K.Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany
Published Date: July 31, 2016
Genre: Fantasy, Drama & Adventure
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Summary: 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
Harry Potter is the beloved franchise of millions of fans all over the world. This phenomenon of a collection has become ingrained in pop culture for foreseeable future. After the release of the ‘Death Hallows Part 2’, J.K Rowling promised to not release any more Potter novels. She has, however, continued writing about the Potter universe on Pottermore.com, her personal website dedicated to the Harry Potter universe. Having said that, a play based on the Potter lore was released this year in London. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” debuted in late July to favourable reviews, so much so that it’s sold out all through to mid-2017.
Today we bring you a review of that play: “Cursed Child” is stated to be the apparent eighth story in the Potter saga nineteen years after the end of Death Hallows.” The play is based on an original story written by Rowling, playwright Jack Thorne and the play’s director, John Tiffany.
The play beginnings no surprisingly at King’s Cross Station: Harry is now 37 and is waiting with his wife and two sons, Albus Severus, who is named after two famous Hogwarts headmasters, and James Sirius. It is while waiting at the station for the train to arrive, that they see their old friends, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. Ron and Hermione have their daughter Rose with them while Draco is with his son, Scorpius (catchy name I know).
If you were expecting action and magic spells galore…don’t. This addition to the Potter universe is more about drama and the relationships between fathers and their children. Harry may be the “Cursed Child” the title is referring to- the trauma of losing his parents still weighs heavily on his heart, and it plays out often in this play. Harry worries about his son and his worry is driven by his fear that some danger may come to his son because of his past. Lines such as “I wish you were not my dad” said by Albus, and Harry’s dry response of “I wish you were not my son,” really drives home how tense and broken the relationship between Harry and his son is.
The constant question throughout this play, is who exactly is the cursed child- it could be Harry because of the above mentioned reasons or it could be Albus. Even Scorpius feels as though he is cursed since he lost his mother before the events of the play. The vicious rumours of his family’s past haunt him constantly. All the characters in the script are driven by their fears of past events, and future trials.
The cynical among us would call this Harry Potter and The Flashbacks, for this script relies heavily on characters reminiscing on past events, using them as catalysts to trigger important scenes in the present.
Albus wants to forge his own path at Hogwarts, and escape out of the shadows that his father caused, atleast in his eyes. He resents his father for being so famous, the “boy who lived”. Harry on the other hand feels the constant sense of danger as his scar starts to drill him with pain. Hermione is now Minister of Magic (no surprises there) and has to face constant attacks from Voldemort’s allies and sympathizers. All of these events lead to these characters together with Draco, who has now befriended them, to take on these new adversaries in order to keep their children safe from this new dark power.
So who is this for? I would say for the hardcore fans and not casual readers. To me the entire Harry Potter arc ended with Deathly Hallows- at the end of that movie I felt satisfied after witnessing Harry’s journey from a kid, to a semi-powerful wizard (Hermione can still kick his ass any day). So do you need to read this? If you are a deep Harry potter fan I will say yes, bare in mind this is a script for a play, and not written like a typical novel. If you do choose to read it though, you will find the story heart warming, and deepen your love for the characters you already love.
