HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Previews — Page 7

Judging by social media posts, it is intermission!

I saw Part 1 of the show last night, and (snow permitting...fingers crossed) I'll be seeing Part 2 tonight. I did see the show twice in London (Sept 2016 & Jan 2017), but all of my comparisons are against my memory/impressions of the show, so may not be exact.

I felt like the show still had all of the magic that I saw onstage in London -- and that all of the effects were much tighter. For these shows, I'm in the third row, and even close up the "magic" isn't very evident, with one exception that I don't mind because it's still very fun to watch. In London, the owls (after one preview of trying to use live owls...) were rendered by a lighting effect, but it seemed like a physical prop/puppet whizzing by yesterday, but I'll look much more closely tonight. The scene at the home for elderly wizards seems to have a *lot* more magic in it than I remember seeing in London and was a lot of fun! The audience was very engaged and most of the characters got entrance applause, and most displays of magic did, as well.

My one complaint last night was that sometimes the background or effect sound drowned out the dialogue for me -- I could barely hear Albus&Scorpius in a key scene on the train, and at times the background music seemed intrusive. There was one hold and reset in Act 2 because of what looked like a turntable issue.

The actors are in great form. Anthony Boyle as Scorpius is just a delight and a revelation, and I'm hoping NYC just falls in love with him, as well as Sam Clemmet as Albus. Scorpius really stayed with me after the first time I saw the show, and the second time I saw it in London, the actor had clearly really relaxed in to the role, maybe getting a touch broad at times, but what I saw last night was an extremely tight performance and I really hope a Tony nom is in his future. I adore Jamie Parker as Harry-- I think his performance really allows us to see the impact and lingering effects of his childhood trauma and years as (basically) a teenage soldier, as well as his love for his friends and family, and all his strengths and fallibilities. But it's also so much fun to watch the moments when he's playing a different character, for plot reasons. I find the brief moments of flashbacks to him as a child, pre-Hogwarts, to be so affecting.

Of the new cast, I was only struggling with Delphini-- and nothing to do with the actress' performance, really, but more that, in London, the character read to me as about 22, and last night she read to me as about 30. I think this may have to do with the makeup design on her and they might want to take a look at that. It changed how I felt about the character's interactions with Albus. Curious if anyone else felt the same?

The younger children I saw sitting nearby seemed a bit bored during stretches of the show; I think a little boy was falling asleep during a scene where some of the adult characters sit around a kitchen table and discuss their fears about failing their children as parents, about trying to protect them. It's really emotional content, especially when they talk about how their own childhoods shaped their parenting styles, but not so interesting to a kid.

I was disappointed that the theater lobby wasn't "transformed" after Part 1 the way it was in London, to reflect the events of the play. You do get a "keep the secrets" pin as you leave, but it's lightweight and plastic, not the metal badge like in London.

On the merch front, most of the merch looked the same as London -- there is a separate store for purchasing house merchandise like scarves, pens, bags, etc. The house redesigns for the show are really elegant, in my opinion! There is a t-shirt with the logo that also has "Lyric Theater-Broadway" on the back, and there is a special version of the companion book/illustrated program that's stamped "Broadway Preview Edition" on the front cover and will only be available until opening. The book is largely pictures/content from London, but does have some new content related to NY.

My seat was B-1. The stage is very high, but third row was a good view for me (and I got splashed in one scene). I'm not sure I would have wanted to be in first two rows.

I know this was long, but hope it was helpful! Happy to anwer any questions, and I'll report back on Part 2, assuming the snow allows me to see it!

Updated On: 3/21/18 at 11:41 AM

For the dates I'm looking at, most of the available seats are fairly centrally located in rows A, B, and C, or they're further back (e.g., K) and more off to the sides. Are you glad that you were seated so close? I generally prefer to be close (I hate sitting upstairs for shows, always feels too removed for me), but I'm also wary of high stages. This is of particular concern with Cursed Childbecause it's such a long time commitment. Any neck strain? Would you have preferred to be further back?"

I also love being close, and I was fine last night. I think I would have had some neck strain in row A, and definitely in row AA. One great thing about seat B-1 (and the one across aisle from me -- B-2 I think) is that I didn't have a seat in front of me, so I had an entirely clear view of the stage.

Updated On: 3/21/18 at 12:37 PM

Does anyone know how the view is near the back of the orchestra? I'm seat 27, Row X in the left orchestra. Hoping my view isn't terrible...

TenuousBond said: "I saw a post last weeksaying the show got out pretty late; can anyone tell me how it's been lately? I'm seeing the show next Thur and Fri, and I'm trying to decide if I want to get a hotel or not haha."

I was out just around 11 for Part one and out ~1045 for both Part 2s.

Megsamegatron said: "I was back again last night! Just a magical as the first preview and in London (yes judge me it's my third time in two months).

Last night it was tighter than the first preview, even with the small technical glitch. The magic is beautiful and captivating for me no matter where I seat. The British accents of the non-Brits has gotten significantly better and I'm sure by opening will be perfect.

My only problem was the rude individual two seats away from me taking pictures in the Act 1. I politely asked twice to stop then threatened to get the usher to remove him. He stopped and hopefully he doesn't try it tonight.

Overall beautiful magic is happening at the Lyric!"

Really-I was up in the balcony and they were super strict about camera. A woman next to me still had hers out when lights went off and the usher was very stern telling her to turn it off. In fact for a minute I thought he was talking to me and double checked to make sure mine was off.

I saw Part 2 on Wednesday night (it was worth the snow!) and it blew me away. It gets very emotional, and I for one was crying quite a bit in both act 1 and act 2. Jamie Parker is just amazing as Harry; he has to be pouring all of his physical and emotional energy into this character -- he definitely deserved the Olivier and should be a lock for a Tony nom.

Also really enjoyed & appreciated Paul Thornley's Ron a lot more -- he has a quieter but very necessary supporting role to play, and the bits of humor he brings to the scenes are well paced and delivered. In one scene, I liked the small detail of him and Poppy Miller as Ginny holding hands in a difficult moment. Poppy is also great in a more supporting role, bringing more depth to Ginny than the books ever did -- especially around her own past trauma and experiences with Voldemort.

Part 2 is quite dark in places and very emotionally complex, with a lot of focus on the adults' relationships to each other as well as to their kids. I really wouldn't recommend this for young children. But the play looks beautiful and is really a wonder. Additional comments in spoilers.

Updated On: 3/23/18 at 01:26 PM

For LOT666:

I was able to see part 1 last night, and was just as awed as I was when I saw it in London. The Lyric's renovations are even more impressive in person, as it manages to feel intimate despite being a large space. A helpful hint: I noticed that the 42nd Street side is less crowded, so when making purchases from the shop or bar, head over to that side. As others have mentioned, the merchandise is largely unchanged rom London, and they surprisingly re-purposed the London souvenir program as a Broadway Previews program, with some added Broadway rehearsal pictures and nformation on the Lyric's renovations.

I saw the replacement cast in London, and the performances are pretty much night and day when compared with the original cast. I definitely prefer the original cast (now that I've seen them), with the exception of maybe Paul Thornley. I think his London replacement manages to express Ron's humor better. But to be honest, I don't know which I prefer. Anthony Boyle and Sam Clemmett do manage to express the relationship between Scorpius and Albus as a pure friendship without overplaying the gay subtext implicit in the script (their London replacements often hint there's more than just a feeling of friendship). They are the true leads of the show.

As someone else mentioned, Delphi reads in her 30s in the script, when she should be about 21-23. I had a hard time believing that Albus would have a crush on her. I also did not care for the actress portraying Professor McGonagall. Aside from reading too young, her accent was all over the place. And unfortunately for anyone in the role, it's impossible to live up to Maggie Smith's portrayal from the films.

The magic seems to be amped up a bit more here than in London. There are definitely added effects. I was underwhelmed with the Part 1 closing effect here, but I think that may have to do more with the size of the theater and my seat location in the orchestra, and the effect being directed more for the dress circle and balcony.

Looking forward to part 2 tonight.