Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiers (possible spoilers in the future).

FAN: Discuss various fictional worlds that don't qualify for SF.

Moderator: Steve

Post Reply
User avatar
The Romulan Republic
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 21559
Joined: 2008-10-15 01:37am

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiers (possible spoilers in the future).

Post by The Romulan Republic »

www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36471047
Harry Potter fans have given a new play about JK Rowling's famous wizard an ecstatic reception.
Hundreds of fans stood and cheered as the first part of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came to a dramatic close at London's Palace Theatre.
Throughout the show there had been gasps at the various plot revelations and stage illusions.
As the 1,500 audience members left the show they were given badges asking them to "keep the secrets".
Earlier they had queued around the block - many dressed as witches and wizards - as they waited to clear the strict security in place at the theatre.
ADVERTISEMENT

Scene from Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildImage copyrightMANUEL HARLAN
Image caption
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child recreated Hogwarts
The Cursed Child plot digs deep into the world presented in the Potter novels and involves an artefact from Harry's past.
One minor glitch during the first preview involved an owl flying around the auditorium after it failed to return to its handler.
Excited fans posed for photos outside the theatreImage copyrightLIZO MZIMBA
Image caption
Excited fans posed for photos outside the theatre
Speaking to the BBC after the show, audience members said the first part of the play had surpassed their expectations.
Raam Suresh, a student in London from Singapore, said: "I can't wait for the next one. I'm hoping it's the first of many more."
Katie Bitter, from Washington DC, said: "I was a little worried it wouldn't meet my high expectations but tonight was absolutely amazing. It didn't feel like a preview at all."
Natalie from Ohio said: "I really liked the character of Scorpius Malfoy and seeing Harry, Ron and Hermione grown up. I think they did the magic on stage really well."
Audience member Julia, from Milan, added: "It was really cool. I wish they would do all seven books in the theatre."
Although not an official reviews night, several papers have published their verdict on the first preview.
The Telegraph's Hannah Furness said: "The audience came wanting magic and they got in spades."
The Mirror's Clare Fitzsimons said: "Spells and hexes combined with laughs and drama mean Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be every bit the hit everyone expects."
The New York Times added: "The three main characters remained true to their younger selves... The audience cannot be more thrilled or more appreciative or more ready to be caught up in the spirit of the undertaking."
Jamie Parker, Sam Clemmett and Poppy MillerImage copyrightCHARLIE GRAY
Image caption
Jamie Parker (Harry), Sam Clemmett (Albus) and Poppy Miller (Ginny Potter)
Members of the audience also tweeted their appreciation, describing it as "brilliantly staged" and "potentially the best thing I have ever seen".
Potter fan's reaction: Image copyrightTWITTER
Tuesday night's preview marked the first time a Harry Potter story has been presented on stage.
Part two will get its first outing on Thursday night. The show does not have its official opening until 30 July.
The play, written by Jack Thorne and directed by John Tiffany, is set 19 years after the seventh and final book in the series by JK Rowling.
Picking up from where the Deathly Hallows epilogue left off, it portrays Harry, played by Jamie Parker, as an "over-worked" employee at the Ministry of Magic.
His youngest son Albus (Sam Clemmett) has to deal with the "heavy burden" of the Potter family legacy.
Other characters include Hermione Granger (Noma Dumezweni), Ron Weasley (Paul Thornley), their daughter Rose (Cherrelle Skeete), Ginny Potter (Poppy Miller) and Draco Malfoy (Alex Price).
Earlier, Rowling had tweeted a good luck message to Anthony Boyle, who plays Draco's son, Scorpius.
JK Rowling tweetImage copyrightJK ROWLING
When tickets went on sale last October the first 175,000 sold within 24 hours. The script is already topping bestseller lists, although it will not be published until after the play's official opening on 30 July.
The Harry Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and been adapted into eight films.
So, looks like glowing reviews. :D

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the script (which is being released in book form), and will post more on the plot and any changes to Harry Potter canon once said information is released to the public (I won't be posting leaked spoilers though, out of respect for JK Rowling's wishes).

Wish I could see it. My local movie theatre sometimes shows recorded plays/operas, I believe. Wish they'd do that here.
User avatar
The Romulan Republic
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 21559
Joined: 2008-10-15 01:37am

Re: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiers (possible spoilers in the future).

Post by The Romulan Republic »

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2016/ ... wo-preview
The latest installment in the ever-continuing Harry Potter saga, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part Two, finally debuted Thursday in London. The play has been the source of much anticipation and excitement for Potterheads, and Tuesday’s first preview of Part One set the bar high. Fans seemed to absolutely love the play’s first half—but did its second stick the landing?

If you take Twitter’s word for it, the answer is “definitely.”





After watching Part One, fans flooded Twitter on Tuesday to praise its story, effects, and music. As we’ve all come to expect from J.K. Rowling, they warn that the show is a tear-jerker as well, keeping its foot on the emotional gas pedal. Until the play’s script is published in a few weeks, though, only a privileged few will know whether it’s as gut-wrenching as the series’s seventh book—unless the others scour the Internet for spoilers.

While Twitter has remained a relatively spoiler-free zone following Rowling’s mandate to #KeeptheSecrets, other social networks have not been so obedient. There are threads on Reddit dedicated to discussing spoilers of both Parts One and Two of the play, and a quick Tumblr search for “cursed child spoilers” turns up a wealth of information as well.

Interestingly, fans outside of Twitter seem far less fawning, likening several aspects of the plot to bad fan fiction or soap operas. These judgments should, of course, be taken with a large grain of salt, as most people posting haven’t seen the play firsthand in its entirety; instead, they’re critiquing spoilers they’ve heard out of context. At the very least, it seems those who aren’t interested in waiting to find out what happens from the source have found their outlets.

Speaking of fan service: on Thursday, the play also released a preview photo that seems to hint at Draco Malfoy being a lot chummier with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in the play than he was in the books—which makes sense, given both his ambivalent position when the series ended and dispatches from Pottermore that hint at a kinder Draco—or at least, one that doesn’t share his father’s hatred for “mudbloods.”

Going forward, the play has also decided to nix its use of live owls after one went rogue in Tuesday’s performance. PETA, of course, has praised the decision. The play opens to the public July 31—the same day the script drops.
Best line is at the end:

"Going forward, the play has also decided to nix its use of live owls after one went rogue in Tuesday's performance. PETA, of course, has praised the decision." :lol:
User avatar
The Romulan Republic
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 21559
Joined: 2008-10-15 01:37am

Re: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiers (possible spoilers in the future).

Post by The Romulan Republic »

Okay, so I've read some plot leaks and without going into details... it sounds bad. Really, really shit. At least to me.

But there's an interesting pattern I've noticed: online commentary on the plot seems heavily negative. And reviews/comments from people who've actually seen the show seem largely positive.

And I know from experience that a brilliant work can sound really awful from just a plot summary. Take one of my favourite franchises, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've read plot summaries that made me feel like cringing, but weren't nearly as bad, were maybe even quite good, when I saw the full thing, with all the details, context, acting, visuals, and dialog. Because a plot summary is not the full work. Which is probably part of why they didn't want people leaking spoilers.

Unfortunately, far more people will read the script, or the plot summaries, than will be able to see the show, and given the appalling level of group think I've seen from Harry Potter fans in particular, plus the usual internet nerd hate machine, this play is probably going to get utterly castigated by the fan community regardless of quality. :(

They really should have filmed the play and given it at least a limited theatrical release, just so more people could see the work in its entirety.
Post Reply