Harry Potter hits the West End
Playwright: Jack Thorne Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany Palace Theatre, London W1 (0330-333 4813) Running time: Part one: 2hrs 45mins Part two: 2hrs 35mins (including intervals)
“It is, quite simply, spellbinding,” said Matt Trueman in Variety. “The Show That Lived Up to Expectations – and Then Some.” Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which has opened to the press after weeks of previews, is “a proper theatrical blockbuster”; and not just at the box office – though it looks set to run for years – but onstage too: a “captivating story given a spectacular staging and a big, big heart”. The narrative is driven by the unlikely friendship of two bullied boys bound together – Harry Potter’s son Albus and Draco Malfoy’s son Scorpius – and it’s “a beautiful, tender thing”. But the show’s real triumph is in its astonishing magical effects. Broomsticks hop into their owners’ hands. Wands spit jets of fire, blasting wizards into the air. “Bodies vanish, balloon and transfigure. Ears shoot steam. Objects levitate.” This is total theatre – and, yes, “it’s magic”.
For once, the so-called “theatrical event of the year” is just that, agreed Henry Hitchings in the London Evening Standard. Presented in two instalments that together weigh in at more than five hours, the Cursed Child is “packed with pathos”, dazzling stagecraft and moments of pure enchantment. On occasion, the need to explain some of the time-travelling plot’s more ticklish details stalls the dramatic momentum. But the characterisation of the first-rate cast is always “richly convincing”. Jamie Parker is a likeable grown-up Harry; Paul Thornley’s Ron has an “effortless goofy appeal”, and Noma Dumezweni brings a “sober authority” to Hermione. The pick of the performances, though, comes from Anthony Boyle – hilarious as Scorpius Malfoy and “surely set to be a fan favourite”.
Never before has Rowling’s world felt so “vividly, gaspingly, joyously real”, said Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out. Director John Tiffany and the whole “world-class team” behind the show have “played a blinder”. Jamie Harrison deserves his own special Olivier for his illusion work, while Neil Austin’s lighting is “stupendous” and Steven Hoggett’s movement direction adds an “intense, ritualistic air that heightens everything”. In sum, this wonderful show will “raise the benchmark for family entertainment for years to come”, said Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph. “Keep the Secret” runs the show’s “fearsome” audience campaign to keep mum about all the surprises. But as for the fact that this show is a glorious triumph: “spread the word, by owl or any other means”.