Preparing for Harry Potter — Page 2

jpbran said: "Ok, I'll be that guy... why buy tix for one of the most expensive theatrical outings ever -- and a sequel at that --with zero familiarity of the source material?

Since I'm in the same boat (having bought premium tickets and knowing little about HP), I'll offer an answer: (1) I have the disposable income; (2) my 11 yr. old son is a big HP fan and has read all the books; (3) sometimes I'm prone to following the herd instinct; and (4) as far as the books go, there are too many better works of literature on my reading list to ever allow me to get to the HP series (which is not to assert that the HP books aren't good).

I read all the books (Besides the last one... dumb choice) about 4 years ago and now I'm seeing the show, the audio book is an AMAZING idea! Also the movies aren't too good to the plot as the book is, so any form of the book is the best option. Don't read the script, it's really long and isn't as good as seeing it live.

Since I'm in the same boat (having bought premium tickets and knowing little about HP), I'll offer an answer: (1) I have the disposable income; (2) my 11 yr. old son is a big HP fan and has read all the books; (3) sometimes I'm prone to following the herd instinct; and (4) as far as the books go, there are too many better works of literature on my reading list to ever allow me to get to the HP series (which is not to assert that the HP books aren't good).

Those are actually very thoughtful and refreshingly self-aware answers... But in case there was a misconception, I asked only because he thought it was enough of a potential issue to come on a message board and ask for assistance... my questioning was honest and wasn't meant to be bitchy.

perfectlymarvelous said: "They're children's books, and the first three are quite short and can probably be read in a couple of hours each. Read them, or listen to the audiobooks, as the films will not help you understand the show even a little bit. Then you can get mad with the rest of us about how many canonical rules the play breaks."

Stop saying that like it's true. I stand with J.K. Rowling on this. It's a great and welcomed addition for me. I will not discuss supposed breaked rules as to not spoil anyone who don't know the plot, but most fans are just outraged they were forced to read a script and are not able to see the play when they want.

This Times Article might help; it gives a little backstory plus pulls some plot points of the actual play: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/theater/harry-potter-primer-broadway.html

I think watching the movies would be easier than reading the series as some of the books are huge. You could probably watch all of the films in one weekend and you really do need to know these characters and their stories before seeing "Cursed Child". Otherwise, you may not know how time travel works in the Potter world or why Harry's son goes back in time to change a certain event in "Goblet of Fire". And why would anyone be shocked that Harry's son is best friends with the son of Malfoy if you don't know Harry's and Draco's past? And you need to know who Voldemort is other than "the bad guy"; you should know his history as a former pupil at Hogwarts and.....there is just TONS of story that is related to the events in "Cursed Child" and going in without knowing the story will put you at a serious disadvantage. Definitely watch the films.

Thanks for this advice! I just got Sorcerer's Stone on Audible, and I am going to try to get through all seven books by August. If I find I'm falling behind, I'll take your advice about the movies and Goblet of Fire. That sounds doable. I want to get the most of the play that I can!

Wick3 said: "I'm actually glad I read the script before watching the play. Doing so certainly helped me understand the story but it also made me super curious as to how the production would do all those magic tricks, spells, action, etc."

The script doesn't have directions as to how the magic are performed, only what is happening via magic.

SomethingPeculiar said: "Someone here mentioned the audiobooks, and they’re wonderful, if you have a long time to listen to them — and Tony winner Jim Dale narrates them and creates voices for each character!"

I agree Jim Dale is wonderful. My daughter mentioned to me today that there are also English versions of the audiobooks that are read by Stephen Fry. That text is the original British language, which might be fun to listen to also if you're an Anglophile!

Here's the link for book one:



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harry-Potter-Philosophers-Stone-Book/dp/B017V51FEG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519488320&sr=8-1&keywords=Harry+Potter+and+the+philosopher%27s+stone+Stephen+fryt

Updated On: 2/24/18 at 11:03 AM

DrewJoseph said: "Is the ‘Hedwig theme’ written by John Williams featured in the show? In my mind the two are inseparatable.

Apologies if this is the wrong thread to ask this, didn’t want to start another one for this one question :)"

No. All the music is from Imogen Heap. Who mentioned on Twitter a while back a possibly of a soundtrack, which I would love to have! I still have chills from the music of the Part Two opening scene.