Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD at the Eccles Theater is Staggeringly Awe-Inspiring

The national tour of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, currently playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, is awe-inspiring with a gripping story, beautiful relationship-building, elegant design, and staggering magical effects that will make you want to see it again and again. 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD by Jack Thorne (based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany) begins 19 years after the close of J.K. Rowling’s bestselling HARRY POTTER book series as Harry drops his son Albus off at the Hogwarts Express for the first time.  Albus and Draco Malfoy’s son Scorpius, who build a tight bond straightaway, learn about a time turner that can be used to correct the course of wizarding history, but their misguided attempts threaten to destroy the world as they know it. 

The final cast in the Equity tour (closing in Salt Lake City before going out non-Equity next year) is pristine in its ability to conjure the characters and settle into the emotional weight of the ordeals they are navigating. 

Adam Grant Morrison as Albus Potter and David Fine as Scorpius Malfoy bring youthful angst and profound connection.   Nick Dillenburg as Harry Potter and Abbi Hawk as Ginny Potter bring depth to their parental relationships. And Rachel Leslie as Hermione Granger, Matt Harrington as Ron Weasley, Ryan Hallahan as Draco Malfoy join them in persistent care.

Additional strength in the cast comes from Emily Schultheis as Delphi Diggory, Larry Yando as Amos Diggory and more, Katherine Leask as Professor McGonagall and more, Nadia Brown as Rose Granger-Weasley and more, Mackenzie Lesser-Roy as Moaning Myrtle and more, and LEGALLY BLONDE: THE SEARCH FOR ELLE WOODS finalist Lauren Zakrin as the Trolley Witch. 

The direction by John Tiffany is unassailable, and the movement by Steven Hoggett carries you away in both delightful whimsy and crushing emotion, establishing setting and tone in a theatrical whirlwind.  The magnificent illusions by Jamie Harrison are completely magical by any definition with astonishing practical effects that are seemingly impossible to achieve on constant display throughout the never dull three-hour runtime. 

The physical production is a miracle, especially for a national tour.  With only minimal downsizing from the London and New York production, it is beyond stunning in its shadowy complexity. From the deceptively simple set by Christine Jones and nearly imperceptible video design by Finn Ross and Ash J. Woodward, to the layered costumes by Katrina Lindsay and hair/wig/makeup by Carole Hancock and truly exquisite lighting by Neil Austin, it allows the audience to sit and soak in the wizarding world from scene to glorious scene. 

If you have ever read a HARRY POTTER book or seen one of the films, you owe it to yourself to experience this one-of-a-kind staged phenomenon at least once.  At least. 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD plays the Eccles Theater for a limited engagement through Sunday, October 11, 2026. For tickets, call ArtTix at 801-355-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artsaltlake.org.

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