Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Review of the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling.
Published by Little, Brown Book Group, 31st July 2016
Cost: £20.00 2016 (On offer £9.00 various UK suppliers)
ISBN:978-0-7515-6535-5 (Hardback Edition - 330 pages)
Book dedications read:
J.K. Rowling: To Jack Thorne who entered my world and did beautiful things there.
John Tiffany: For Joe, Louis, Max, Sonny and Merle … wizards all …
Jack Thorne: To Elliott Thorne, born 7th April 2016. As we rehearsed, he gurgled.
Firstly, I think I should state that this is not a new novel by J.K. Rowling; it is a script in book form, for the play currently running at the Palace Theatre in London.
The play is in two parts; with Act One and Two in Part One and Acts Three and Four in Part Two. There are Nineteen scenes in Act One, Twenty scenes in Act Two, Twenty-one scenes in Act Three and Fifteen scenes in Act Four.
So, from the above, you can get the idea that there is a lot happening in the story, some scenes are very short, but are there to develop the story line, others are flashbacks that help the character understand his or her thoughts.
I do not intend to present any spoilers from the story line, but it would be impossible to discuss the script without some mention of the action that takes place.
If you are thinking that the script will be full of descriptions and give details of the settings then think again, there little or no description of the locations, the characters or atmosphere, everything you need to get your imagination going is from the spoken words of the characters as they act out the tale of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
At the start of the script we are told that Harry is a thirty-seven-year-old man, with him are two boys, James Potter and Albus Potter, on his shoulder is his daughter Lily and his wife Ginny is with them. The boys are off to Hogwarts and this is Albus’ first year; he is worried about being the son of such a famous person and how he will cope at the school of magic. He understands that making friends is very important.
For fans of the Harry Potter series, this tale is one that will have the reader reminiscing about the growing up of Harry Potter and the antics that he got himself into. The reader will rediscover all those familiar places, spells, teachers, and activities that Harry experienced, but can now relive through the eyes of Albus Potter. There are some new places where the action takes place, that were briefly visited in Harry’s time, but as the years have moved on, they need to be ‘spoken of’ in more detail. Remember, this is not a story, it is a script for a play. I have already started to reread the script, but my favourite piece is the bookshelf in the office of The Minister of Magic; it is very visual and it is a scene where the characters are very active so even reading the script it is a scene that presents itself well for the reader.
This is a wonderful script and having read it, I want to go and see the play being performed. Would I have preferred the tale to be another story in the Harry Potter series, yes, there is so much that could be done with the visual descriptions that as in script form must be left up to the reader. I have read and heard that there is a twist in the tale at the end of the script, I disagree, something happens and as an avid Harry Potter fan, I think the particular scene was only to be expected, and I would have been disappointed if it had not.
The story is all about a ‘Cursed Child’ and you will have to decide who that person is, do not think the obvious, even while reading the script. Does this tale give the opportunity for a further tale about Harry Potter, I think it must, that aspect is in J.K. Rowling’s hands?
A must read for all Harry Potter fans. Rating: 5 stars
Dr James Sheppard
2 August 2016
