I'm not a huge
Harry Potter Fan. I have read all the books and watched all the movies and enjoyed them, it's just not something I go back to, and have forgotten a lot of it. These days, consuming any
Harry Potter content brings up the complicated issue of whether or not we can separate the artist from the art, or should. Since the last book of the
Harry Potter series was published in 2011 and the script for
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was published in book form in 2016, author
J.K. Rowling has made increasingly concerning anti-trans statements, and funded anti-trans organizations and movements. Can we still love
Harry Potter if we find her views on human rights egregious? I don't know the answer to that, but I went to see the Broadway tour of
Cursed Child (
playing at the Orpheum through May 17), which is the product of so very many artists. I received complementary tickets as a member of the press, but I donated the price of the tickets ($290 for two) to nonprofit organizations that support the trans community* in order to counteract any ill effects of my decision. And I'm glad I did see it; I loved the play and found it to be not only an incredible technical achievement in theater, but also such a beautiful message about friendship, family, community, and banding together to fight against evil and injustice. I cannot make it make sense that someone who created such a beautiful and inspirational universe can also spout such hateful things about trans women in the guise of feminism (BTW, it's not feminist to narrowly define "woman" and vilify anyone who doesn't meet that definition). In the interest of not throwing out the baby with the bathwater, maybe we can take in, admire, and emulate the words and actions of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and their kids (as this play features) instead of those of their creator. And use it to inspire us to continue to fight against the very real and scary evils in our world that are continually acting against the most vulnerable and most in need among us. That's what Harry would do!
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Harry (Nick Dillenburg) and his son (Adam Grant Morrison)
(photo by Evan Zimmerman) |
OK enough about that, on with the show! I had read the script/book when it came out, but remember nothing about it. And as mentioned, I am not a Harry Potter expert. This play jumps right into the world without stopping to take a breath, and I was struggling to stay on the train as it barreled through the first couple years as Harry and Ginny's second son Albus Severus (named after Dumbledore and Snape) follows in his parents' footsteps by going to Hogwarts. But I hung on, and was able to follow it fairly well after that. Albus is having a tough time of it, living in the shadow of a father who "saved the wizarding world," and finds his only friend in his father's arch enemy Draco Malfoy's son Scorpius, who is as unlike his father as Albus is. Harry and Hermione now work for the ministry (Ron runs a joke shop, natch), and sense that evil is brewing. They're not wrong - when Harry's scar starts hurting, it's best to listen! To make a three-hour long story short, Albus and Scorpius get their hands on a time-turner, which allows them to travel back in time. They decide to help out an old man by saving his son from dying in the Tri-Wizard tournament (featured in the 4th book in the
Harry Potter series). But as we've learned from every time travel story from
Back to the Future to
Outlander, bad things can happen when you mess with history. In this case, very bad things happen, and these two teenage boys need to save the world, while their frantic parents look for them across time and space to save them and the world.
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which Hogwarts house are you? (don't ask me I have no idea)
(photo by Matthew Murphy) |
This massive ship is helmed by director John Tiffany (who won a Tony for this and for directing
Once, which couldn't be more opposite in scale), keeping all of the many moving pieces impossibly in place. At nearly three hours long, the play flies by with every moment action-packed. It's one of the most impressive technical feats I've seen in theater, with every element of design contributing to create this wizarding world full of magic. Most of it is done practically, with video projections used sparingly for things like an underwater scene. It's a combination of old-fashioned theater tricks, slight of hand, and illusion, and high-tech effects like fire, smoke, and flying. The set easily transforms from King's Cross Station, to Hogwarts, to a forest, simply by changing the lighting and the focus of our eyes. Which seemed to play tricks on me on several occasions, especially when our friends time traveled, and the very air seemed to waver and move, accompanied by an ear-splitting sound. But don't close your eyes for a second, or you might miss the disappearing characters, the people who transform into other people (ironically), and the objects disappearing and then appearing elsewhere. The use of movement and physical theater is also a huge and hugely effective part of the storytelling, with lots of furling of capes, moving in unison, and graceful scene transitions. And the costumes are as elaborate and specific as you would espect from this world. (Movement design by Steven Hoggett, set designed by Christine Jones, costume design by Katrina Lindsay, lighting design by Neil Austin, sound design by Gareth Fry, illusions and magic by Jamie Harrison.)
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Ron and Hermione (Matt Harrington and Rachel Leslie)
are adorable in every reality! (photo by Evan Zimmerman) |
This may be the hardest working ensemble on tour right now, a few dozen people populate the world of Harry Power with such skill and athleticism, many of them playing multiple people (and other creatures). In the title role is Minnesota native Nick Dillenburg, who fully embodies the grown-up Harry Potter, more serious and world-weary, but still the boy we know and love. Rachel Leslie and Matt Harrington are also great as his BFFs, the now-married Hermione and Ron (who was kind of always my favorite, and still is). In a particularly delightful scene, three young people transform into this trio of friends, which is a cool effect, and allows these three adults to act like kids. But this story really belongs to Albus and Scorpius, and Adam Grant Morrison and David Fine fill those roles well, with a beautiful chemistry between them, Adam the angsty and angry Albus, David the squealing and excitable Scorpius. The cast of characters includes many callbacks to the original series, including Professors McGonagall and Umbridge played by Katherine Leask, and Dumbledore, Snape, the grieving father all played by Andy Pogson, both actors creating such distinct characters (in distinct wigs and costumes) that the double- and triple-casting was a surprise upon reading the program. And it was fun to see
former #TCTheater actor Torsten Johnson in the ensemble.
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BFFs (or more?) Scorpius Malfoy (David Fine) and Albus Potter
(Adam Grant Morrison, photo by Evan Zimmerman) |
There's so much of this play that is relatable and resonant in today's world. The difficulties of being a teenager and growing up amidst expectations of parents and society, the love of parents for their children even when they don't know how to help them, the evil lurking around every corner that we have to constantly fight against, and the fact that when we work together, love will win out over evil. When the boys change the past so greatly that they wake up in a world of darkness and evil and lack of individuality - that's kind of how I feel every day waking up in this world. And maybe if we could turn time back to 2016 and change a few things, we'd be living in a different reality. But alas we cannot, the world only spins forward, so we have to use our best wands and spells to defeat evil every day. Teenage Harry taught us that, and grown-up Harry does too.
*Here are the organizations that I donated to. If you see the play, or if you don't see the play, consider making a donation to these or other organizations that support and defend transgender people and/or other communities facing hardship during these challenging times.
