Review Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (by Someone Who Never Read the Harry Potter Books!)
I will begin this review with a horrifying testimony: I have not read any of the Harry Potter books. I was never a fan of the wizarding world. I did not know anything about Hogwarts or Gryffindor. I decided to read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child mainly because I am a fan of drama, and I was attracted by the idea that this was a play and not a novel.
Did it make any sense without having read the books? The answer was yes.
The play, does, indeed, exist as its own entity. Furthermore, it is captivating, thrilling, fascinating and all the superlative adjectives I can think of tiered together with a cherry on top. One of the main reasons Harry Potter was not on my reading list as a teenager was that I generally disliked (and still am not a great fan of) fantasy. Spells, flying brooms, witchcraft and all that were things that I could not identify with.
So, if I liked Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, does that mean the play lacks the fantastic elements? Not at all. They are all there. But the plot and the way in which fantasy weaves through it makes everything... magical.
Harry Potter is the dad of Albus Severus Potter and Head of the Ministry of Magic. I have not met Harry as a child. I know nothing about his journey along to becoming a wizard. But I do know a thing or two about his struggles with becoming a father. Because Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is mainly about this. About Harry being worried that he isn't a good enough father and about Albus feeling overwhelmed by his father's name and fearing that he will never be able to compare.
The play deals with various themes, ranging from typical teenage issues to the value of true friendship, the meaning of love and the importance of being part of a family. And when you get all these wrapped up in a number of spells, dark wizards and spooky time turners, it definitely becomes captivating.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is about a father who learns to love his son and a son who learns to accept himself and love his father. And that's magical in itself. Even without the novels behind it. And even for a non Harry Potter fan.
(Recenzie scrisă de Răzvan Anton, a apărut inițial pe Teoriile unui blogger).
Before getting my hands on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I did ask some of my Potterhead friends if the play would stand on its own.
Did it make any sense without having read the books? The answer was yes.
The play, does, indeed, exist as its own entity. Furthermore, it is captivating, thrilling, fascinating and all the superlative adjectives I can think of tiered together with a cherry on top. One of the main reasons Harry Potter was not on my reading list as a teenager was that I generally disliked (and still am not a great fan of) fantasy. Spells, flying brooms, witchcraft and all that were things that I could not identify with.
So, if I liked Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, does that mean the play lacks the fantastic elements? Not at all. They are all there. But the plot and the way in which fantasy weaves through it makes everything... magical.
Harry Potter is the dad of Albus Severus Potter and Head of the Ministry of Magic. I have not met Harry as a child. I know nothing about his journey along to becoming a wizard. But I do know a thing or two about his struggles with becoming a father. Because Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is mainly about this. About Harry being worried that he isn't a good enough father and about Albus feeling overwhelmed by his father's name and fearing that he will never be able to compare.
Harry loved Hogwarts. Albus doesn't. Harry was Gryffindor. Albus is Slytherin. A Potter in Slytherin?
The psychological portraits of the two collide until they perfectly fit. Harry Potter had killed Voldemort nineteen years before, thus saving the Wizarding World from the lord of Dark Magic. Cedric Diggory was the 'Spare' that had to die in the process, Harry's 'mistake' along the way. Albus Potter wants to right this wrong and change the course of history using a time-turner. This is where things get interesting, mainly because the play has numerous plot-twists. As a matter of fact, there are so many plot-twists that you never know what is going to happen next. This is, probably, part of the magic.
The play deals with various themes, ranging from typical teenage issues to the value of true friendship, the meaning of love and the importance of being part of a family. And when you get all these wrapped up in a number of spells, dark wizards and spooky time turners, it definitely becomes captivating.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is about a father who learns to love his son and a son who learns to accept himself and love his father. And that's magical in itself. Even without the novels behind it. And even for a non Harry Potter fan.
(Recenzie scrisă de Răzvan Anton, a apărut inițial pe Teoriile unui blogger).