‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Poppy Miller & Jamie Parker. Photo: Manuel Harlan

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD
A new play by Jack Thorne
Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany
Directed by John Tiffany
Lyric Theatre
214 West 43rd Street
877-250-2929, https://www.harrypottertheplay.com/

Editor’s Note: The following review is of the original two-part show.  The show was condensed into one show in fall 2021.

By Scott Harrah

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two is a Broadway blockbuster of a different type. It is groundbreaking like Hamilton and Book of Mormon, but as a play, not a musical, and an epic two-part show like Angels in America. It will always be known as the theatrical masterpiece that redefined how high-tech special effects should be done for the stage, but it is not merely a tour de force because of a bag of Broadway magic tricks. This is a classic saga of parents and children and the things in life threatening to tear them apart.

The show’s total price tag is a reported $68 million, and one knows no expense was spared from the moment upon arriving at the Lyric Theatre, which has been totally renovated to evoke the Harry Potter experience along with the grandeur of venerable British theaters in London.

Playwright Jack Thorne, director John Tiffany and creative genius J.K. Rowling have beautifully pulled off what might seem like an impossible task. They have taken beloved characters from Ms. Rowling’s popular franchise of books and films and created a stage book that is accessible to everyone, including “Muggles” (like this reviewer) who have never read the books or seen the Hollywood movie adaptations.

One doesn’t need to know anything about Ms. Rowling’s world of wizards and magic to appreciate, savor and enjoy nearly six hours of superlative acting, innovative special effects that never fail to amaze while propelling the story forward, and this touching tale of Harry Potter (Jamie Parker) as a 37-year-old father to Albus (Sam Clemmett). The saga is less about Harry Potter and more about the expectations and problems his son encounters as well as their complicated relationship.

Harry Potter, now nearing middle age, is married to wife Ginny (Poppy Miller) and working for the Ministry of Magic with old friend Hermione Granger (Noma Dumezweni). The story opens in London’s Kings Cross Station as parents bid farewell to their children about to depart on a train to Hogwarts. Also on the train platform is Harry’s old nemesis Draco Malfoy (Alex Price) and his blond-haired lookalike son Scorpius (Anthony Boyle).

As Albus enters his first year at Hogwarts, he’s anxious having to follow in his famous father’s footsteps. The crux of the story is the growing friendship between Harry’s son Albus and Draco’s son Scorpius; particularly tricky and troublesome since their fathers were once archenemies.

To give too much of the plot away would be criminal because the true thrill of both shows is experiencing the myriad surprises, both from the play itself and the mind-blowing special effects. Suffice it to say, movement director Steven Hoggett, set designer Christine Jones, lighting designer Neil Austin, sound designer Gareth Fry, Illusions & Magic designer Jamie Harrison and countless other technical “wizards” transport us through J.K. Rowling’s vivid, imaginative world with characters and creatures that soar through the air with not a wire in sight—and so much more.

Ultimately, however, it’s not the technical spectacle of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child that moves audiences (though it’s all magical and a gorgeous visual feast yet is unobtrusive enough to never overshadow the material). Despite all the blazing fires and wild sets, what is truly timeless here and profoundly touching is the ongoing theme. The saga is about the consequences for children when parents are physically and emotionally absent.

Director John Tiffany (best known on Broadway for the ingenious reimagining of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie in 2013 and his Tony Award-winning direction of Once in 2012) extracts exceptional performances from the entire cast. The standouts: Jamie Parker is consistently engaging as Harry, a father who is distraught about everything his son is experiencing. Noma Dumezweni, as Hermione Granger, is sheer perfection, from her imposing presence to her rapid-fire delivery of dialogue. Eclipsing everyone, however, are the two young actors portraying the prodigal sons. Sam Clemmett as Albus Potter never fails to pack an emotional wallop. Anthony Boyle gives the most richly textured and deeply nuanced performance, and he’s a show-stealer every moment he’s on the stage.

Even without all the visual technical filigree, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is worth the expensive (and hard to get) ticket price alone for the elegant dialogue, the seamless scene set-ups and the consummate performances that drive the action to the finish line with a glorious message about good triumphing over evil and the power of love between parents and their children.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 30, 2018
Reviewed at April 28, 2018 press performance.

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Brian Abraham & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Brian Abraham. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: The company. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Jamie Parker. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Sam Clemmett, Brian Abraham & Anthony Boyle. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Jamie Parker & Alex Price. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Jamie Parker & Sam Clemmett. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Edward James Hyland, Sam Clemmett & Anthony Boyle. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Jamie Parker. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: The cast. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: The company. Photo: Manuel Harlan

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD’: Noma Dumezweni & David St. Louis. Photo: Manuel Harlan

The post ‘Harry Potter & the Cursed Child’: Epic magic appeared first on StageZine.

WE ARE SIAMESE: Ryan Silverman, Emily Padgett & Erin Davie in ‘Side Show.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

SIDE SHOW
Music by Henry Krieger
Book & lyrics by Bill Russell
Choreography by Anthony Van Laast
Directed by Bill Condon
St. James Theatre
246 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200), www.SideShowBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Side Show is an odyssey, a journey, an adult musical, and I mean that in the best sense. This journey is not only for the characters of the show but for the audience as well. This journey is a compelling one; it’s all about going out into the world and finding out who you are and how you fit in it, a self discovery; it touches the heart and the mind. I can’t say it is a flawless musical; it has faults, but when you consider the subject matter and what its creators had to go through to create a show where it not only has to entertain but also explain another world full of misfits and side show freaks; a daunting task indeed.

One might ask what would possess anyone to revive such a show that originally flopped in 1997. Belief in the material and tenacity are a good start. This revival is a labor of love by its creators. It has a haunting and an underappreciated score, thanks to Bill Russell and Henry Krieger. However, the book by Mr. Russell, and additional material by director Bill Condon, all get mired in the first half of the second act. As wonderful and compelling as the first act is, it misses the mark in the second. Thanks to Erin Davie (Violet Hilton) and Emily Padgett (Daisy Hilton), the conjoined twins of this tale always manage to bring the show back on track when the story is about them and the carnival misfits.

The show travels full circle with the haunting and lilting opening song “Come Look at the Freaks,” and is used again in the finale in which the Hilton Sisters end up where they started, sadder, wiser and wearier. The finale is mesmerizing; they are beckoned to Hollywood only to end up where they started at M.G.M. in Tod Browning’s movie Freaks. The finale is a chilling, eerie and one of the most memorable ones, and if you are familiar with the movie Freaks it will overwhelm the emotions.

The Hilton Sisters did not have an easy life; they were conjoined twins that were born in England and sold by their mother because she knew she could make money off of them. They eventually came to New York, with an unscrupulous guardian by the name of Sir (Robert Joy) who abused them, overworked them and paid them nothing. Daisy is the feisty flirt and longs to be on the stage and adored, while Violet would be content to be married and have children. They are twins who are conjoined together but each has her own dreams and desires. Until one day, two hucksters promising them fame and adventure come and convince them to leave the Side Show. Naturally, once they leave the show, that’s when their complications begin. Romance, feelings, entanglements in the outside world only causes the sisters more dilemmas. As they become more successful, their needs become greater. Love and companionship play a large part in trying to have the sisters separate by an operation and lead normal lives, but that could also mean losing their lives.

I told you the storyline is riveting, but the book runs with no steam in the beginning of the second act. There is one consolation, the exquisitely sung “Private Conversation” by Daisy’s suitor, Terry Connor (Ryan Silverman). To say that Miss Davie and Miss Padgett are divine is an understatement. Their harmonizing is in sync as one; from their opening number “Like Everyone Else” it’s angelic, but their “I Will Never Leave You” in the end, though sincere, is a tad mawkish. Their journey is our journey; the bumps in the road, the misfortunes of life, the short- term happiness, the discoveries that are made, ultimately face all of us. Bill Condon has put his own stamp on this show, showing us the seamy side of life. By using the Hilton Sisters as his muses, he transports us from elation to misery with his deft and insightful direction.

When you see Side Show, and I really hope you do, remember three things: it’s a labor of love, a journey of choices we all have to make in life, and since it is an adult show, bring an open heart and mind to be able to see how life always comes full circle.

I’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU: Emily Padgett & Erin Davie in ‘Side Show.’ Photo: Andrew Eccles

NOT JUST ‘FREAKS’: The cast of ‘Side Show.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE LADIES IN RED: Emily Padgett & Erin Davie in ‘Side Show.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 20, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on November 19, 2014

The post ‘Side Show’: Saga of the Original Hilton Sisters appeared first on StageZine.