Cursed Child (San Francisco) Performance Thread

[VotePeron]

Posted: 10/23/19 at 10:57pm

Tonight, 10/23/19 is the first preview for Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at The Curran Theatre in San Francisco! 

To those attending soon, please write back with your experience - would love to hear about the theater environment, performances, and overall thoughts. If you've also seen the show in NY or London, any notable changes would be great to hear as well! (As they just implemented a bunch of changes in March to the NY and UK companies following the AUS premiere, I don't suspect there'll be much, but theater-specific elements may come into play).

Even though the "Keep the Secrets" campaign is over, please use the spoiler box when discussing elements of the show you wouldn't want ruined for yourself prior to seeing. 

Thanks all! Can't wait to hear!

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 10/24/19 at 1:04am

I began a HP San Francisco thread about six weeks ago and was prepared to update it, but it appears to have vanished.  Death Eaters?

[Stellasteve]

Posted: 10/24/19 at 4:37am

I was there.  I won the Hogwarts House Homecoming lottery, so my daughter and I were able to attend the Gryffindor party at Bartlett Hall.  Although the instructions had said "light appetizers," there was quite a decent spread: margherita pizza, calamari, Impossible sliders, kale salad, etc.  Not sure if ATG or Carole threw the parties, but it was much nicer than I expected.  Then at 7pm we were led over to the theater chanting "Go Gryffindor."  Not sure why we were all led there at the same time because then there was a bottleneck to get through security and into the theater only to wait in the hot, crowded lobbies until the auditorium opened at 7:30.  Damn, was it hot in there!  We were seated in the Mezzanine, and it was stifling.  I usually try to dress up a bit for the theater, but I am tempted to go in shorts and a T-shirt tomorrow.  

The carpets have all been changed to a Gryffindor scarlet with "H" emblazoned in a pattern throughout.  Wall paper within the auditorium has also been added with "H" across it.  The ushers are all wearing Gryffindor patches on their uniforms, and in speaking with one at intermission she said rehearsals began Thursday last week and they have all gotten to watch the show.  I didn't make it to the basement bathrooms, but all Carole's post-renovation art/decor has apparently been hidden according to the usher.

The crowd was in high spirits.  This was a group who loves Harry.  I have been a fan for close to 20 years, but these people were die-hards.  We met a couple who flew in from Perth, Australia because "it is cheaper to fly to the States than to Melbourne."  As the lights went out and as the leads came on, there was rapturous applause such that I couldn't hear some of the lines.  And that is probably my biggest complaint: it was sometimes hard to hear lines.  I couldn't tell if the actors were mic'd.  The music was clearly put through the speakers around us, but the dialog all seemed to be coming only from the stage.

This was my first time seeing it, so I can't compare to other companies.  Overall, I was pleased with the cast.  I thought Harry and Hermione were the stand-outs.  Something about Rose's performance wasn't working for me.  It was as if she were acting too much.  Memorized lines were thrown out rather than spoken with feeling.  Perhaps it was first night nerves and she'll settle in.

The special effects are quite impressive and left the audience oohing and awing.  I was not as fond of the modern dance-like elements with the suitcases or the wand dance.  I'm not sure what that was about.  The crowd cheered at the end of the first act as you would for a family member graduating.  The second act dragged toward the middle (maybe it was the heat taking its toll on me...did I mention it was hot?), but then it went out with a bang that had the audience cheering like I've never witnessed before.

Overall, it was a very entertaining evening.  It's not a masterpiece of theater, but it is enjoyable and I think even people who aren't familiar with HP can enjoy the effects.  I hear Part 2 is even better, so I am looking forward to tonight's performance.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/24/19 at 12:54pm

Did they change the marquee outside for the show? Would love pictures! 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 10/24/19 at 11:08pm

RippedMan said: "Did they change the marquee outside for the show? Would love pictures!"

In my previous thread I mentioned that there were no significant marquees erected at the Curran.  The producers received permission from the city of San Francisco to do so, but when faced with the fact that the marquee[s] would cost a cool 1,000,000 dollars to install and maintain (and remove eventually) they demurred.  Sad, but understandable I suppose.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 10/24/19 at 11:14pm

Totally get that! Still cool they changed the inside to make it an experience. Any word on how long it’s suppose to run?

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 10/26/19 at 2:23am

SouthernCakes said: "Totally get that! Still cool they changed the inside to make it an experience. Any word on how long it’s suppose to run?"

Open ended run.  Believe tix are currently on sale thru May 2020.

[Stellasteve]

Posted: 10/26/19 at 2:50am

Brief update on Part 2 last night:

The show seemed to go along smoothly until the scene inside the church in Godric’s Hollow. The scene starts with Ginny standing over Albus sleeping on a pew. She stood there for a long time, and I was beginning to think to myself the director should have trimmed this overlong pensiveness when the Stage Manager or someone announced that there’d be a brief pause due to technical issues.

After 5 minutes or so the scene resumed, but it seemed to throw the cast off because the rest of the scene felt like timing and action seemed slow relative to the intensity of the climactic events.

I have pictures of the carpet and wall paper to post, but I haven’t had the time to figure out how to do it. I’ll see if I can find time now that the weekend is here.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 10/26/19 at 10:31am

Love to see the regular marquee too

[Stellasteve]

Posted: 10/28/19 at 2:11am

Here are some photos I took, my daughter's face blacked out for privacy reasons.  Let me know if this link doesn't work for some reason.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/185213734@N02/

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 10/31/19 at 1:42am

Walked by the Curran at lunch today. As Sho-Tunes and Stella noted, the marquee is not enhanced like the Lyric. In fact, it looks rather boring for such a big popular entertainment as HP. But I gotta ask: Have the four little bird/dragon/gargoyle statues always been there? Have I never noticed those before? Or were they added for HP? 

Three Pics Merged: https://ibb.co/zmf0RYr 

[Stellasteve]

Posted: 10/31/19 at 11:27am

Looking at the Curran exterior shot on its Wikipedia page, it seems the normal spot lights have been changed to those gothic creatures you noticed. Nice catch!

Updated On: 10/31/19 at 11:27 AM

[BIG BALONEY]

Posted: 10/31/19 at 12:05pm

Gothic light same in London and New York too. I saw this show three times and always had a good time. Won Friday lottery twice and that's why I went twice again.

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 10/31/19 at 12:35pm

Stellasteve said: "Looking at the Curran exterior shot on itsWikipedia page, it seems the normal spot lights have been changed to those gothic creatures you noticed. Nice catch!"

Yeah! Glad I'm not losing it! I've been going to the Curran since moving to SF 30 years ago, including multiple repeat visits during the long Phantom and Les Mis sit-downs. 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 11/1/19 at 2:33am

It stands to reason that the show as presented in the Curran might feel more intimate than at the Lyric in NYC (I can't compare to the size of the other cities venues, having only seen it in NYC). Can anyone who has seen the SF and NYC productions comment?

My group of 50 will attend 11/14 & 11/15. Center balcony seats.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 1/28/20 at 11:50pm

Apologies if I'm missing another thread.

Looking at getting tickets. Any thoughts on where to sit? Would we do better with Side Orchestra (Looking at Rows J through M, three seats in on the left section), or otherwise sitting at the front center of the Mezz.

Or is it worth the extra $60 per seat to sit in the front Loge?

[tourboi]

Posted: 1/29/20 at 4:51am

Kitsune said: "Apologies if I'm missing another thread.

Looking at getting tickets. Any thoughts on where to sit? Would we do better with Side Orchestra (Looking at Rows J through M, three seats in on the left section), or otherwise sitting at the front center of the Mezz.

Or is it worth the extra $60 per seat to sit in the front Loge?"

The center mezz or loge are the best vantage points for the show at the Curran IMHO. 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 1/29/20 at 1:16pm

I agree with tourboi. The Curran is intimate compared to the Lyric in NYC.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 1/29/20 at 1:21pm

Thanks all!

We ended up going with center front mezz. On Wednesdays, it's only $99 per part for that section (and yet with three of us it still came to $650 including fees)

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/29/20 at 2:49pm

Kitsune said: "Thanks all!

We ended up going with center front mezz. On Wednesdays, it's only $99 per part for that section (and yet with three of us it still came to $650 includingfees)"

When you say "front", do you mean front row, or just front section?

[Kitsune]

Posted: 1/29/20 at 3:07pm

Second row of the front mezz, on the right side of the center block.

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/30/20 at 9:49am

Kitsune said: "Second row of the front mezz, on the right side of the center block."

If this theatre is smaller than the Lyric, you should have a great view of the act one finale effects.

 

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 6:33pm

Resurrecting this old pre-pandemic thread because I just won the Friday Forty for next weekend, and was wondering if anyone has won the lottery and can comment on where their seats were located?  I bought them in a hurry because I never really thought I would ever win, and then I realized that I hadn't done any research on the seating.  My sister sat in the balcony recently and said that she needed binoculars.  Hoping I didn't just waste $80 on two seats that I won't want to sit in because I was so excited to win something!

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 6:44pm

I asked a friend who has been many times and he said they give out front row sometimes fro the Friday Forty. I think it depends on the performance, but I would assume they'd give you the best available? The show hasn't been sold out. Is this your first time seeing the show?

I've written a few posts about the SF production in the 1 Part thread if you're interested. I LOVE the main cast so I think you're in for a real treat if you haven't seen it yet. Also, you'll be seeing one of Angela Reed's (Ginny) final performances with this company. She moves to the Broadway company next month. I think he final performance is the 24th.

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 4/16/22 at 2:24am

Sally Durant Plummer said: "I asked a friend who has been many times and he said they give out front row sometimes fro the Friday Forty. I think it depends on the performance, but I would assume they'd give you the best available? The show hasn't been sold out. Is this your first time seeing the show?

I've written a few posts about the SF production in the 1 Part thread if you're interested. I LOVE the main cast so I think you're in for a real treat if you haven't seen it yet. Also, you'll be seeing one of Angela Reed's (Ginny) final performances with this company. She moves to the Broadway company next month. I think he final performance is the 24th."

 

Thanks for your reply!  The stage looks very high at the Curran, so I hope that we can get best available seats and not the front row, but we shall see.  This will be my husband's first time seeing the show.  I saw the two parts on Broadway when it first opened, but I haven't seen the revised show yet.

I'll have to search for the 1 Part thread to read more about it, thanks!