HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Previews — Page 8

Fosse76 said: "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. "

I 100% agree! That was the one character I thought could have made the jump instead of the OLC.

shanphelia said: "For LOT666:

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That was the part that I missed thanks to rude and late people who don't know how to enter the theater and sit in their seat quietly and unobtrusively, so I was so glad I could see it again and get the entire scene in without interruption. It was beautiful.

sorano916 said: "I noticed that it was mentioned a couple of times but the actress who played McGonagall isn't American, she's Irish."

That’s surprising to me because I thought her accent was a trainwreck. I kept thinking that’s she’s never heard a Scottish accent before in her life. Also her up endings on not just every line but every word were atrocious.

So in your opinion it cannot withstand a cast change. This cast will not be there forever so that means you really do not like the show but are enamoured of the actors. How many times have you seen it to be bored and depressed?

Theatrefan2 said: "So in your opinion it cannot withstand a cast change. This cast will not be there forever so that means you really do not like the show but are enamoured of the actors. How many times have you seen it to be bored and depressed?"

Well, no. I didn't say anything remotely like that. The play is great regardless, but there's no play that won't be lesser for poor actors. I've seen the play a lot. There's a whole community of people in London who go on a regular basis.

I thought it was truly incredible when I saw it last week and haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

I went in completely blind, and there were a couple book scenes (one in particular) that I thought a bit weak, but apart from that I actually really liked the script. There are some really beautiful scenes and it gets deep.

I have since started reading the script and can understand how the people who have read it and not seen it are not overly enthusiastic about it. The script doesn’t capture the production at all.

Having seen the production in London with the original cast last year, I was so excited to return to the shows yesterday on Broadway. It was an equally extraordinary experience, and I had an absolute blast.

As someone who goes to theater every week, I can't remember the last time seeing a show felt like such an event - the energy in that building yesterday was overwhelming. The line formed down to 8th avenue 90 minutes before the show began, filled with adults and kids alike, dressed up, and genuinely thrilled to be there. It felt like a celebration of not only a story and universe we love so much, but also the fact that all these people of all backgrounds were dedicating so much time and money to theatre wasn't lost on me, either.

I have no words for what they've done with the Lyric Theater. To the user above who said they essentially build a theater within the auditorium of the existing Lyric, that's exactly what they've done. I had a blast walking around and exploring. The staff is so friendly, so accommodating, and even the security process, which includes metal detectors, was the fastest of any show I've attended in the past few years. The theater was co-designed by the set designer with an architect, so it seamlessly blends the fourth wall of the stage with the auditorium.

The show itself was as fantastic as I remember. I don't want to say too much as it is so fun to go in not knowing everything, but it's in very good shape, and I can only imagine will get tighter and more efficient as performances progress. The day flew by for me - I truly couldn't believe it was over when it was.

I was seated in the mid orchestra on the far right hand side. I was initially nervous about the view, but it ended up being perfect. I took a tour of the theater, and the only seats I can imagine being a little unfortunate are the rear orchestra, as the overhang of the new extended mezzanine is quite severe.

When thinking about it, the show doesn't need Tonys for it's marquee, and having seen Angels, it is really hard to imagine which will walk away with more. That may become more clear later on. If anything though, I am hoping Steven Hoggett get's a nomination for Best Choreography, as that's actually my personal favorite aspect of the show.

This is a show everyone who loves theater should get to experience. It's theatricality at it's best, in my opinion. I'm so glad so many people will get exposed to this type of storytelling and theatrical language thanks to Harry Potter, of all things. Two favorites that work perfectly. I truly cannot wait to go back.

Updated On: 3/25/18 at 01:18 PM

jayinchelsea said: "Would love to hear from more people who, like me, love theatre but have not read the HP books or seen any of the films. Not seeing the plays until early August, but is it really necessary to read and/or view the earlier works to enjoy this? I know that the assumption is that the majority of the world (and especially those who are plunking down large sums of money to see both plays) is extremely familiar with HP, but is it really not possible to enjoy these plays without previously studying the earlier works?

Would appreciate some comments on this. Is this a sequel or prequel to earlier HP stories, or can it stand on its own, which theatre should be able to do?"



Hard to answer exactly since I am so familiar with the universe, but:

- This is the 8th story, set 19 years after the end of the Harry Potter books, telling the story of his son.

- The playbill has a great summary of what happens in every book, as well as some vocabulary that is used through the show that you may not know if you aren't familiar with the universe (like, Muggle, Mudblood, Quidditch, Hogwarts, etc)

- It can stand on its own, but I think your jab at "theater should be able to" is a bit null here, since this is very clearly advertised as the 8th story in the Harry Potter universe. Will you be able to follow it and have a nice time? Probably. But, by not exposing yourself to the previous 7 stories, you are kind of setting yourself up to be disappointed, which is not the shows fault.

Updated On: 3/25/18 at 01:48 PM

Jimmyb1969 said: "I’m not sure it’s going to win a lot of Tony’s folks. Sets and lighting for sure but not much else pops."

I'm not sure what the standards are for Tonys, but it had eleven Olivier nominations and an at the time record nine Olivier awards in London. Best script, Best Actor, Best supporting actor... It will be interesting to see if it's different in the US.