I have been hearing so many opinions about Harry’s newest adventures in the script for The Cursed Child, and here is mine.
I was beyond excited to have more Harry in my life, so I devoured this easy read in two evenings (quite the feat when you are a new mom). It is so important to remember the format of this “book.” It is a script, it is meant to be acted out on stage, so sometimes it may read flat. It also doesn’t flesh out the world the way we are used to reading with JK. That is because it is meant to be fleshed out on stage, and I’m sure is mindblowing and gorgeous. These are things to keep in mind before reading this “book,” and things that I have seen that are popping up in reviews as strikes against it, which isn’t fair.
With that said, lets get into the SPOILER FILLED review. You have been warned. Do not continue if you have not read the script or do not to be spoiled.
OK, so I loved it. It had its drawbacks, sure. But overall I found it to be very enjoyable.
JK didn’t write this script, so it does not read like other Potter material. Some characters did not sound like themselves, such as Snape (why so sassy?), but I have a feeling they will use the alternate reality device as an excuse. Which leads me to what I disliked the most about the script: the time travel being used as a plot device. It seemed like a cheap trick to me to get all the old characters we know and love back on the playing field. But, at the same time, I also loved this because I missed some of my Hogwarts babies. I much preferred using the portraits of deceased characters to talk to our current crew, especially those emotionally driven Dumbledore chats. To quote the 10th Doctor, “Oh, I cried…” But if we were going to bring back old characters, why not Sirius? Why not Lupin? I WANTED SIRIUS AND LUPIN.
I was really worried that time would get stuck and that the past would be permanently effected, which would NOT have been cool. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. I loved Scorpius, and his fanfic-worthy relationship with Albus (who else was waiting for the kiss?). Delphi seemed a little flat, but again, it may have been due to the format. I loved that she was Voldemort’s long lost child, but I hated that we had to revisit Godric’s Hollow and witness Harry’s parents death…again. It hurt my heart so much as a new mother. Actually, the entire thing really pulled my heart strings in ways that other Potter material had not because I looked at it with new eyes. Mommy eyes. And everything from the blanket (ugly cries), to Harry being a shitty Dad (parenting is hard, man), to those tragic last words spoken to Cedric (“your Dad loves you very much”) had me a total mess. And you know what? That’s what the Potterverse is all about: the characters and their relationships with one another. The strong bonds we, as fans, have with all of them. This beautiful world. And all of that was there in The Cursed Child.
So if you go in expecting a new format that is not written by JK, but still evokes the same emotions, you will be pleased.
I know I am. But I’m also interested in hearing why you disliked it, if that’s where you stand. As I mentioned above, people have been expressing extreme anger with this piece, but haven’t fleshed it out. Tell me why you didn’t like it – and also why you did if you are in my camp. I can’t wait to hear everyone’s opinions!