HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Previews — Page 5

Agree completely! If there's a single "disappointment" in the entire script (imho), it's that they didn't follow through with ....

Alas -- it's still wonderfully written and an excellent eighth part.

Did anyone sit in the Dress Circle?  I'm in Row J in that section, and given how much I paid for the tickets, the seats had better be good and have leg room.  My seats are 106 and 107 for my friend and I for both parts on Wednesday, Dec. 12.

As a Potter fan growing up (Not so much anymore), this REALLY is the magic of Harry Potter live right in front of you. Memories and warm feelings flooded back to me. The visuals are really stunning and and give you goosebumps. The writing isn’t great — I am a fan of plays that are character based and really make you think. This play is a much more plot-based action-packed show than it is a thematic one. And even the plot seems to blow itself up a few times and then start from scratch. Regardless, it’s a spectacular broadway event that is sure to wow audiences and run for a very very long time.

The actor playing Scorpius (Anthony Boyle) is far and away the best of the bunch. Or at least has the most fun part and most defined character. If he doesn’t get a tony nom i’ll be upset. Not many of the other characters were written to have quite the nuance to challenge an actor and really grab a Tony win.

And as far a seating goes... I think the Dress Circle is the way to go. You get a full stage picture while being up close enoigh to see their faces.

This is a big contender for best play, much how Into the Woods won best book and best score, but Phantom won best musical. Sometimes you just leave a show feeling elated, even if it has its flaws.

EDIT:

Read a few other comments in this thread and wanted to say:

-Friday Forty seats are Row A, Dress Circle.

-The writing is very distinctly Harry Potter, so it does fit the Harry Potter mold. But JK Rowling was never going to win the Nobel Prize, was she?

Updated On: 3/17/18 at 11:48 PM

raddersons said: "As a Potter fan growing up (Not so much anymore), this REALLY is the magic of Harry Potter live right in front of you. Memories and warm feelings flooded back to me. The visuals are really stunning and and give you goosebumps. The writing isn’t great — I am a fan of plays that are character based and really make you think. This play is a much more plot-based action-packed show than it is a thematic one. And even the plot seems to blow itself up a few times and then start from scratch. Regardless, it’s a spectacular broadway event that is sure to wow audiences and run for a very very long time.

The actor playing Scorpius (Anthony Boyle) is far and away the best of the bunch. Or at least has the most fun part and most defined character. If he doesn’t get a tony nom i’ll be upset. Not many of the other characters were written to have quite the nuance to challenge an actor and really grab a Tony win.

And as far a seating goes... I think the Dress Circle is the way to go. You get a full stage picture while being up close enoigh to see their faces.

This is a big contender for best play, much how Into the Woods won best book and best score, but Phantom won best musical. Sometimes you just leave a show feeling elated, even if it has its flaws.

EDIT:

Read a few other comments in this thread and wanted to say:

-Friday Forty seats are Row A, Dress Circle.

-The writing is very distinctly Harry Potter, so it does fit the Harry Potter mold. But JK Rowling was never going to win the Nobel Prize, was she?"

Your experience and thoughts perfectly match what I felt and thought watching the show too (albeit in London). 

I had not read the play before going seeing the previews this weekend and had heard the same negative comments about the script circulating here. Maybe it was only low expectations, but I was blown away by how solid the actual writing was. It's not quality fanfiction, it's not like a sequel to the movies, and it's certainly not an eighth lost novel. In my opinion, however, it's a truly great piece of stage writing that moves beyond simple adaption into something that actual channels the spirit of the books. I actually thought it managed to explore a couple of new characters and a lot of rich themes (isolation, time, father and son relationships) quite well without slowing down the very plot-y story. It's not The Humans or Death of a Salesmen, by any means, but I think it gets the job done as good (or even slightly better) than the books. 

Everything else about this play is equally fantastic, from the acting (mostly) to the direction to the effects to the physical theatre itself.  My only complaint would be a couple of the actors in smaller roles. Also, the number of folks in the audience who seemed intent on performing their "fandom" became distracting over the course of the performances (I'm thinking specifically about the women sitting near me who were carrying on full conversations comparing this to the London production throughout scene transitions and yelling things like "Yes Queen!" when particular characters came on stage). 

adamgreer said: "Speaking of the fandom, are people going to see this in costume? Cosplay and costumes are a big part of this fandom. "

I saw a lot of Gryphindor scarves and HP t-shirts, but no one in full costume.

adamgreer said: "Speaking of the fandom, are people going to see this in costume? Cosplay and costumes are a big part of this fandom."

Many people had Harry Potter-theme t-shirts or scarves. I saw a good number of people with robes. There were also a handful in full costume... There were at least three Newt Scamanders around even if he's not in this storyline at all. LOL.

I would have to agree with Pandarus1. Some people needed to calm down and remember that they're in a theatre and not at ComicCon or something like that. Also, I hope the applause/laughs/gasps dies down a little. It's great excitement and all, but the audience didn't need to react to everything. Like there would be in a middle of a scene and a character says something "profound" & the audience erupts in applause. Or when there's applause after several scenes in a row. I get it but after a while, it becomes superfluous.

That being said, I look forward to when I see it again. I mentioned to Jamie Parker at stage door that I noticed the new lines (since most were his) and he said they're still working on them. So, I wonder if they'll stay/change between now and Opening.

I am no Harry Potter fan, saw it in London, loved the effects An day would say the script serves the Harry Potter past books very well.

rodrigo_ca said: "sorano916 said:

That being said, I look forward to when I see it again. I mentioned to Jamie Parker at stage door that I noticed the new lines (since most were his) and he said they're still working on them. So, I wonder if they'll stay/change between now and Opening."

Do you think Harry's new lines are something substantial or changes the aspects of any of the scenes where they are in? Or it's more like just tightening of the script?"

I thought they were like clarification types of lines. They gave some background to Harry's thought process on why he did somethings that he did which actually kinda came from nowhere in the original script. But it's not substantial enough that if he went back to the original lines that they would change how the scene is played/the outcome of the scene. 

Re: Tony nominations... Because it's them, I can't see how Jamie and Anthony won't be nominated, which Anthony being my pick above Lane for an actual win. Having seen two other actors play Scorpius in London, Anthony brings another level to the character that I actually missed in London and am happy he came along to Broadway.

BTW, have y'all seen the cake? https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgc4BvqHLrw/

Updated On: 3/18/18 at 12:09 PM