Thorne’s script misses the charm of Rowling’s series
Based on an original new story by Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling, and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child marks the eighth installment in the Harry Potter franchise. In the original series, Rowling’s ability to adapt the classics and various mythologies and then seamlessly build upon them resulted in creating a timeless fantasy world. Suffice it to say that the Boy Who Lived continues to live in our muggle hearts in undeniably magical ways. This latest installation written for the stage is lacking in all the elements that made Rowling’s world so full of wonder
While I devoured each book in the series as quickly as possible—often filled with strong contradictory feelings of wanting to know how the book ends but never wanting it to end—the play left me feeling indifferent and disappointed. I probably would have left it unfinished if I hadn’t committed to writing this review. Nostalgia and love can make up for many shortcomings, but they failed to work their magic here.
In her books, Rowling created a wizarding world that caught the imaginations of dedicated fans spanning generations, ethnicities, and languages. Her detailed writing and incredibly accessible storytelling engaged her audiences with serious issues such as racial inequality, mass genocide, criticism of class differences, and an exploration of destiny versus free will. The issues in the play are trivial in comparison to what was at stake in Rowling’s books. Rather than being given challenges that must be faced, “the cursed child” creates problems for himself and others.
Very little is offered in terms of character description for the new characters, while the characters we know so well seem flat while reading the script. The passage of time moves far too quickly as well—making everything feel rushed and superficial. These two issues combine to create a noticeable lack of character development, which makes it difficult to feel any empathy for the protagonists. Yes, they are the children of the characters we love, but there’s nothing that makes you really adore them. Moreover, it’s hard to care about characters who seem intent on undoing everything the characters we loved fought for and/or died to achieve.
The play relies entirely too much on knowing Harry’s story incredibly well, which would be fine if knowing that story didn’t make this one pale in comparison. As someone who loves to read plays, the simplistic text is often frustratingly predictable and devoid of any of the meaningful subtext which makes plays so fun to read. There is something to be said, however, about the fact that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a script. Perhaps the sparse stage directions and lack of character development are greatly improved on the stage. It is wholly possible that the magic of theatre may breathe life into all that feelings left incomplete in the written text.
Despite my feelings, most people I’ve spoken to said they really enjoyed reading the script. Maybe I’ll pick it up again in a couple of months (or years) and be able to decipher what others have enjoyed, or maybe I’ll go watch the play someday and it’ll be amazing. Unfortunately, for the time-being, I think you’re better off reading Harry Potter fan fiction or just re-reading the books and imagining what happens next.