Your favorite characters from the Harry Potter universe are back in a brand-new play that chronicles a misguided adventure of Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy – an adventure rife with implications potentially ruinous to the entire Wizarding World.
19 years have passed since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, and as such, 19 years have passed in the Harry Potter universe for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the gang. It’s nice to see some more life breathed into this beloved franchise, though, admittedly, the initial advertising for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child didn’t seem too enticing.
With the play reportedly featuring Harry as an over-worked employee of the Ministry of Magic and father of three who must grapple with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, the premise just seemed too much like a boring slice of life that it was of almost no interest.
But take a few minutes to read the story synopsis on Wikipedia and realize just how wrong of a notion that is!
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child brings all of the thrilling excitement and wondrous intrigue, along with J. K. Rowling’s unique and inspiring insight into the human condition, that made the Harry Potter books so insanely popular in the first place. The Cursed Child delves into the expansive history of the Harry Potter books to culminate in an experience that’s rewarding both for the characters in the story and the audience who watches / reads it.
With mainly the only other media from the Harry Potter universe to come out since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 being Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which doesn’t even involve Harry Potter at all, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a nice addition to the universe. Indeed, it succeeds in fulfilling some of the fans’ wanton lust for more Harry Potter fiction, but ultimately serves to act as more of a speed bump on Harry Potter’s road of life rather than a continuation of his story.
But maybe that’s all we need as Harry Potter fans – at least from J. K. Rowling, that is. Who’s to say that more Harry Potter stories detailing the mundanity of wizarding life outside of Hogwarts would even be worth a read? Let the fanfiction writers churn that stuff out and save the important Harry Potter stories for J. K. Rowling.
The Harry Potter books end not only with the conclusion of Harry Potter’s tenure at Hogwarts, but also with Voldemort’s last chance to take over the Wizarding World. Isn’t it fitting, then, that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child gives us a glimpse into Harry’s life at a time when the events of Harry Potter books one through seven get brought suddenly and painfully into the forefront, risking the fate of the whole Wizarding World?
I think so.
