What would you expect if your child, coming from an all-Gryffindor family, was sorted into Slytherin? Are they going to open the Chamber of Secrets? Are they going to fulfill a prophecy? Are they evil? Or are they just kids trying to survive?
This story follows Albus Severus Potter’s (son of Harry and Ginny Potter) adventures through his first four years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with Scorpius Malfoy (son of Draco and Astoria Malfoy) in the Slytherin house.
Now there is no question that in the Harry Potter universe, Gryffindor is the favorite house and Slytherin is the favorite house to hate. However, The Cursed Child actually portrays Slytherin as who they really are: not just Voldemort following death eaters and backstabbing snakes, but as the ambitious and confident natural leaders they are.
The Cursed Child also shows Harry Potter as a “normal person” with flaws. While in the Harry Potter series, Harry is portrayed as being perfect, which he is far from, especially in The Cursed Child. One of his biggest failures is assuming that Scorpius Malfoy is the one bringing evil toward his son when he hears that something bad is close. Instead of being an impartial judge, he judges Scorpius by the rumor that Scorpius is the biological child of Lord Voldemort. In doing this, he ended Scorpius and Albus’ relationship, leaving both lonely and depressed.
Albus and Scorpius may not be the most popular students at Hogwarts, but they don’t need others. This story made the main characters, Albus and Scorpius, have a slight romance, but it was definitely not a romance story. Instead, it just made the romance happen along with the plot, unlike many other stories that try to make same-sex relationships the character’s entire personality trait.
This story successfully reminds the audience that messing with the past is almost never good. While the death of Cedric Diggory was heart-wrenching, it was necessary for the “good side” to win in the battle of Hogwarts, as shown when Scorpius gets stuck in the past, fulfilling orders for Dolores Umbridge.
I would say that while I don’t dislike Albus’ character, Scorpius’ character has a special place in my heart. He is the perfect example of Slytherins not being their stereotype while also bringing comic relief to the plot. In Harry Potter it is clear that different characters can have personality traits similar to houses that are not their own. Scorpius shows this through his almost Hufflepuff-like personality.
The Cursed Child also plays out the fan theory that Draco is not actually evil, but instead is “the boy who had no choice.” Not only does Scorpius’ personality show that his parents are not evil nor dark, but the way that Draco takes care of Scorpius in the second act shows that he has an affectionate side.
One of the most jaw-dropping experiences from this show wasn’t the acting, choreography, or plot, but instead the special effects. As someone who’s been doing high school theater for years, broadway special effects have always amazed me. The way that the producers used lighting effects, rigs, and moving platforms to recreate all the magic that Harry Potter entails was, quite literally, magical.
Overall this is probably one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time! However, if you don’t know anything about Harry Potter, I’d definitely do some research before watching this. While the brochure they will give you does tell you who is who and certain words you need to understand the plot, you should get into Harry Potter beforehand. As coming from a 10+ year Harry Potter fan, I loved the sheer amount of references, but I also know that this can confuse newer fans.
