Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Touring Reviews

This is a production built to move on tour, and that means some limitations of spectacle in a show originally conceived to be this huge; the Dementors, those nasties who chomp on human happiness, will not here pursue you all the way in the balcony. T...

This is a production built to move on tour, and that means some limitations of spectacle in a show originally conceived to be this huge; the Dementors, those nasties who chomp on human happiness, will not here pursue you all the way in the balcony. The show stays behind the proscenium and there are not as many secret traps to facilitate Jamie Harrison’s singular illusions, not that you will notice. And, in all honesty, I miss much of the text shorn from the original two-part version, as written by Jack Thorne, Rowling and Tiffany. That’s especially true at the beginning as Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Draco (Benjamin Thys) send their kids off to Hogwarts, a familiar bittersweet experience for those of us who’ve sent kids off to school or college. The even shorter tour version is a little frenetic in places but then again (as Tiffany has said), the tour makes the show more accessible to more people. Incontrovertibly true. Incontrovertibly a good thing.

It wouldn’t be a HARRY POTTER play without magic...and CURSED CHILD really delivers. The three hours fly by because the show is so packed with stage wonders. Notably, director Tiffany and illusions and magic designer Jamie Harrison have preserved t...

It wouldn’t be a HARRY POTTER play without magic...and CURSED CHILD really delivers. The three hours fly by because the show is so packed with stage wonders. Notably, director Tiffany and illusions and magic designer Jamie Harrison have preserved the key magical moments from the original, two-part Broadway production. While the magic elements no longer encompass the entire theater — as they do on Broadway — the action within the proscenium remains plenty magnificent. Among other tricks, I was especially dazzled by the Polyjuice Potion transformations, transfiguration, and, of course, Harry’s iconic invisibility cloak. Harrison’s illusions work beautifully with Christine Jones’s sprawling, gothic set, Katrina Lindsay’s costumes, and Steven Hoggett’s movement patterns. Finn Ross and Ash J. Woodward’s video designs also play a pivotal role in the show’s depiction of the Time-Turner’s powers. 

If you have read the books and /or seen the films, you will catch on a lot faster than this old guy did, but with the creativity of the production and the solid performances, no matter what, you will have a great time and probably want to go back for...

If you have read the books and /or seen the films, you will catch on a lot faster than this old guy did, but with the creativity of the production and the solid performances, no matter what, you will have a great time and probably want to go back for more. As I said at the very start, I was very limited in my knowledge, and I was able to follow the story and see who each character was and how they related to the others. The story evolves easily and I am going back for sure!

The spectacle on stage is nonstop, worthy of a world beyond the universe of muggles. Jamie Harrison’s illusions — which include, but are not limited to, wand battles, levitation, flying, telekinesis, shape-shifting and conjuring/throwing fire so ...

The spectacle on stage is nonstop, worthy of a world beyond the universe of muggles. Jamie Harrison’s illusions — which include, but are not limited to, wand battles, levitation, flying, telekinesis, shape-shifting and conjuring/throwing fire so intense you can feel the flames’ heat in the audience — are a stunning display of just how far theater technology has come. That falling chandelier that had everyone gobsmacked back when “The Phantom of the Opera” first landed here way back in 1990? It seems like a Home Depot can lamp by comparison.

But what the next nearly-three hour performance showed us, anything must be possible on stage because the audience were treated to one hell of a visual spectacle. With a dozen mind-boggling magical and mystical scenes pulled off during this incredibl...

But what the next nearly-three hour performance showed us, anything must be possible on stage because the audience were treated to one hell of a visual spectacle. With a dozen mind-boggling magical and mystical scenes pulled off during this incredible performance, just about everyone in the audience must have thought quietly to themselves, How did they pull THAT off? Yes, you'll be thinking it often...

There are individual scenes which work well. I enjoyed Larry Yando, doing double duty as Harry’s beloved mentor and father figure, Dumbledore. Yando also amusingly channels the late Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Snape’s sardonic demeanor and t...

There are individual scenes which work well. I enjoyed Larry Yando, doing double duty as Harry’s beloved mentor and father figure, Dumbledore. Yando also amusingly channels the late Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Snape’s sardonic demeanor and the way he interacts with Harry and Ron is delightful. Nick Dillenburg is charming and likeable as the adult Harry. There’s a sweet and funny scene with Harry and Albus at the train station. Overall, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will be a must-see for hardcore Harry Potter fans. For others, I recommend sticking with the books.

The astonishments start early, with a how-the-hell-did-they-do-that costume change into black academic cloaks near the top of Act One. Before long we witness astounding transformations from one person to another within a very confined space, complete...

The astonishments start early, with a how-the-hell-did-they-do-that costume change into black academic cloaks near the top of Act One. Before long we witness astounding transformations from one person to another within a very confined space, complete with the crunching of bones. Later on, spectral wraiths billow high above the stage at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, so chilling they make Marley’s Ghost look like Santa Claus.

Standouts among the scores of supporting characters include Mackenzie Lesser-Roy as Moaning Myrtle, and especially Larry Yando as both Dumbledore and the deliciously droll Snape, who instantly evoke their iconic characters without imitating their cin...

Standouts among the scores of supporting characters include Mackenzie Lesser-Roy as Moaning Myrtle, and especially Larry Yando as both Dumbledore and the deliciously droll Snape, who instantly evoke their iconic characters without imitating their cinematic forebears. Ultimately, however, despite a dreary series of 11th-hour scenes attempting to tug on audience’s heartstrings, the fundamental failure of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’s father-son story to connect emotionally makes all its stagecraft sorcery disappear in a puff of smoke.