Pauline Adamek
Magic and intrigue, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a dazzling stage show that immerses you in the world of Hogwarts and its next-generation characters. With its innovative special effects and magical illusions, the ambitious staging incorporates impressive technical elements designed to make the magic from the books feel alive on stage. These effects have proven to be a major draw for devoted fans of the popular book and film series, showcasing the magic and spectacle of the Wizarding World in an entirely new way.
Wand battles feature vivid jets of flames, magical devices transport the characters through time, sleight-of-hand wizardry delights, and people and objects vanish and re-appear on command. Especially effective is the projection effect where the entire set seems to warp and ripple while the characters move back and forth in the timeline. Superb!
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play written by Jack Thorne from an original story by Thorne, J. K. Rowling, and John Tiffany. It made its premier in 2016 in London’s West End as a five-hour, two part play—each with a runtime of about 2.5 hours. The Broadway touring show has been pared down to a three-hour show. A script of the play was later released in book form, soon after the play’s opening.
Production photos by Matthew Murphy.
The play’s story begins where the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, concluded. Nineteen years have passed and now Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their families are meeting at King’s Cross Station, to send their own children off to Hogwarts. This is where we meet Albus Potter, Harry’s younger son, who is about to board the Hogwarts Express for the first time.
However, unlike the epilogue in the book, which presents a fairly idealized future for the characters, Cursed Child dives deeper into the emotional and personal struggles that follow that hopeful ending.
Once at school, Albus is sorted into Slytherin, much to his father Harry’s disappointment, and the play explores the tension that develops in their relationship as Albus struggles with the weight of living up to his father’s legacy. Harry, now a Ministry worker, is busy and emotionally distant, making the father-son dynamic a central point of conflict in the story.
While the story begins soon after the events of the book series, the focus quickly shifts to Albus and his relationship with Harry—setting the stage for the time-travel plot that unfolds through the play.
Albus feels he’s drowning under the shadow of Harry’s fame and struggling with finding his identity in the wizarding world. Unexpectedly, after he initially clashes with Scorpius Malfoy, Draco’s son, the teens become best buds, and their friendship is honestly one of the more endearing parts of the play.
The plot takes a dramatic turn when Albus and Scorpius discover a Time-Turner, the magical device that lets them mess with time. They decide to go back to save Cedric Diggory from dying in the Triwizard Tournament, believing they can alter the past for a better outcome and make a significant difference.
Of course, things don’t go as they hoped… Instead of saving Cedric, the boys’ meddling with time completely messes up the timeline and events start to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, Harry, Hermione, and Ron—now older and somewhat more resigned to their adult lives—get dragged back into the confusion their kids have created.
Oddly, the storyline feels more like fan fiction than an organic extension of the original book series. The ambiguous portrayal of the friendship between Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy seems to imply a possible romance between the boys, but it feels as if the producers are fearful of controversy and so it’s never fully explored nor resolved. At three hours in duration, including one 20-minute intermission, the show is quite lengthy, yet significantly cut down from the five-hour runtime of versions that have played overseas.
Unfortunately, the performance is marred by some egregiously cringey overacting across the board. Under John Tiffany’s direction, everyone seems to have been instructed to shout their dialogue with an overabundance of emphasis. The enthusiasm from the cast is lively and infectious, however, and is echoed by the strong presence of fans in the audience, who excitedly ooh and ahh and major plot developments.
Overall, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a thrilling and engaging theatrical experience that features some breathtaking visual effects, impressive stage magic and strong if shouty performances from a large and talented cast.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Hollywood Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
February 15 – June 22, 2025
Running time: Three hours, including one 20-minute intermission
Performances:
Tuesdays – Thursdays at 7:30pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm
Sundays at 1pm & 7pm
For performance schedule variations, including holiday week schedules, visit the official website. Hollywood Pantages Box Office – In Person or visit website for opening hours.
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will feature John Skelly as Harry Potter, Emmet Smith as Albus Potter, Aidan Close as Scorpius Malfoy, Ebony Blake as Hermione Granger, Matt Mueler as Ron Weasley, Trish Lindstrom as Ginny Potter, Ben Thys as Draco Malfoy, Naiya Vanessa McCalla as Rose Granger-Weasley, and Julia Nightingale as Delphi Diggory.
Rounding out the company are Chadd Alexander, Julianna Austin, Markcus Blair, Casey Butler, Erin Chupinsky, Reese Sebastian Diaz, David Fine, Simon Gagnon, Alexis Gordon, Caleb Hafen, Lauryn Hayes, Nathan Hosner, Torsten Johnson, Katherine Leask, Markelle Leigh, Page 3 of 3 Mackenzie Lesser-Roy, Evan Maltby, Zach Norton, Travis Patton, Maren Searle, Ayla Stackhouse, Jennifer Thiessen, Timmy Thompson, Rene Thornton Jr., Kristin Yancy, and Larry Yando.
