Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a stage play. If you are expecting it to read like a book, then you need to readjust your thinking. The play tells the story of Harry Potter (as an adult) and his youngest son, Albus. While Harry is dealing with problems at his job at the Ministry of Magic, Albus is struggling with his first year at Hogwarts, and the pressure of a family legacy.

What I liked: the characters are all fabulous. The originals (Harry, Hermione, and Ron) are adults now and act accordingly, not like they think they’re still teenagers. They behave as real adults would. The new characters of Albus and Scorpius are interesting and unique, and you find yourself rooting for their friendship. I also loved the time-travel element. So much fun. The father/son tension is also endearing. You feel bad for both of them.

What I didn’t like: I missed some of the old characters. I know that it’s unrealistic for a stage play to have so many characters, but I was left wondering what happened to some of the people (like why is Ron running the Joke Shop and not George?) The beginning is a little slow, it took me a little while to get into it. But, then I did enjoy it. It is a fast read.

4 out of 5 stars