Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Blends Action, Magic, and Heart into a Potent Potion

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child North American Tour. Photo by Evan Zimmerman.

Since the first Harry Potter book was released in 1997, the title character and his group of wizarding friends have been ubiquitous parts of pop culture. Multiple books spawned multiple films and, in 2016, a new Harry Potter story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, made its way to the stage. Originally a two-part play, the story has since been condensed, with the full-length version only running in the West End. This shorter version, onstage now at the Durham Performing Arts Center, hits the sweet spot in terms of runtime. It’s not long enough to make younger viewers restless, yet still delivers a fulfilling, unforgettable theatrical experience.

The play, written by Jack Thorne and based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, the series’ original author, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, drops viewers into a world where their favorite young witches and wizards are all grown up and sending their own children off to school at the magical Hogwarts. Harry (Nick Dillenburg) is now the Head of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, and Hermione Granger (Rachel Leslie), now married to Ron Weasley (Matt Harrington), is the Minister of Magic. These classic characters, however, are not the story’s main focus. Instead, Harry’s son, Albus (Adam Grant Morrison), and the unlikely friendship he forms with Scorpius Malfoy (David Fine), the son of Harry’s one-time enemy, Draco Malfoy (Ryan Hallahan), are the real driving forces behind all the action that unfolds.

The plot is a complex one and is best left as unspoiled as possible. Without giving too much away, it involves a lot of time travel and a lot of mistakes and missteps along the way. Albus and Scorpius are going back in time to try and save the long-lost Cedric (Josh Bates) from perishing, at least ostensibly. While their intentions seem and even are noble, the multi-layered script reveals that a lot of other things are at play here. Albus struggles with living in his father’s shadow, and their strained relationship, as well as Albus’ desire to be his own person, acts as impetus. Likewise, Scorpius also has some mixed rationale for traveling through time. He’s lost his mother, has to put up with bullying and vicious rumors, and desperately wants the love and approval of Albus. Just as the original books take classic young adult themes and make them magical, the play effortlessly blends the relatable and the fantastical into an irresistible potion. In fact, its very human themes, cloaked in magic, are among its greatest strengths.

The show also wins in terms of its spectacular, attention-grabbing stagecraft. John Tiffany’s precise direction and Jamie Harrison’s unbelievable illusions and magic combine to create a theatrical feat like no other. Characters take on the appearance of other characters in the blink of an eye, space and time visibly bend and ripple, and people and objects appear and float like magic. The illusions run the gamut from funny and lighthearted to scary and mind-bendingly impossible.

Somehow, the cast manages to keep up with all the magic, character shifting, and dense dialogue the story demands. Dillenburg is wonderfully tender as the grown-up, world-on-his-shoulders Harry Potter, particularly in some of the story’s later and most heartbreaking scenes. He shares an easy chemistry with Erica Sweany’s subtle Ginny Potter and Leslie’s perfectly no-nonsense Hermione. Harrington’s bumbling, instantly likeable Ron Weasley is a real treat, and it’s a blast to watch him trade quips and insults with Hallahan’s complexly characterized Draco. 
On the younger side of the cast, Morrison and Fine serve up childlike exuberance, teenage angst, and the beginnings of adult understanding, all in the course of one show. Morrison plays his part with a quiet, brooding intensity, while Fine perfectly balances humor and vulnerability. Together, they make these imperfect characters sympathetic and allow the nuanced writing to shine. Other standouts include Mackenzie Lesser-Roy’s hilarious, contorting take on Moaning Myrtle and Julia Nightingale’s unpredictable portrayal of the blue-haired, sweet-voiced Delphi Diggory. 

The cast carries out the fast-paced, action-packed tale with what looks like ease but that can only be the result of impeccable direction and the most careful attention to timing and detail. There are also some quieter, tender moments, like moving staircases to signify a changing friendship, that work well here, and Christine Jones’ chameleon-like set makes every moment, from the wildest to the most gentle, possible. 

What is most unique here however, is the “feel” of the production. It’s not a musical, and yet the shifting scenes and flowing movements make it feel like one. It is a stageplay, and yet, somehow, it feels more like watching the most astonishing, special-effects-laden movie play out in real time. It’s truly a new kind of theatrical experience, one that often feels and looks like something it isn’t, but then, magic can do that.

Magical. Spellbinding. Different. Daring. These are all apt words to describe an other-worldly production with a very simple, human core. Die-hard Harry Potter fans and newcoming Muggles alike will find something to love here. Just make sure to keep your eyes open at all times; there’s always something to see and a new enchantment to enjoy.

-Susie Potter