Cursed Child - My Thoughts

*Originally posted on WordPress on 6 March 2017*

"We've come here tonight to bring you some joy, some happiness, inspiration, and some positive vibrations! We want to leave you with enough to last you for maybe the next six months."

— Mavis Staples

I wrote a blog post on my thoughts on Cursed Child a little while ago, but it was messy and I thought it a tad incoherent. So here goes...

The above quote summarises what experiencing Cursed Child was like for me. I discovered the quote when I found Hamilton and decided to watch any and every YouTube clip of Lin-Manuel Miranda. In one video, Emma Watson interviews Lin and she uses the quote to describe what seeing Hamilton was like for her. I've yet to see Hamilton (March 2018!), but I thought it pretty apt to describe my feelings on Cursed Child.

Taken March 2016. Before the iconic 'Nest' was fitted!

As I've already established in previous blog posts, I've been a massive fan of all things Harry Potter since I was 7-years-old. Now aged 22, I think I'm even more obsessed than I was then.

I can certainly remember being excited when the play was announced. The official eight story? There was absolutely no way I was going to miss out on that. Along with Harry Potter, theatre has been another of my passions and loves from a young age.

It must have crossed my mind the sheer enormity of the show, but I can't remember any specific thoughts on it. All the magic and effects - how on earth were they going to achieve that? I've seen Wicked a few times, and the magic and trickery displayed in that show is seamless, so I wondered if it was going to be similar at all. The theatre is an incredibly clever place, so I knew it would be spectacular.

As I knew JK Rowling was at the helm, I knew the play would essentially be character-based and driven at its core, just as all seven novels had been. The magic and sorcery would just be a sideshow.

I signed up for Priority Booking as soon as I was able. On 28 October 2015 I entered the online queue, where I stayed for some hours, with little tantalising figure-Harry Potter barely moving a centimetre in all that time. Thousands of people were ahead of me in the queue, and I sent regular updates to my friends and family as to how close I was. Eventually I got through. I booked tickets for 3 August 2016 - the first performance following previews and the gala performance.

The queue was already wrapped around the theatre when we arrived. There were people walking around brandishing wands, wearing full wizard robes, with Deathly Hallows symbols hanging from their necks. I had found my people.

In the auditorium they play a tannoy announcing King's Cross train times, which is incredible and something I've never seen done in a theatre before. From the minute you enter the Palace Theatre, you become immersed in the Wizarding World.

As I sat down in my seat, I suddenly became a little anxious. It was the first time I had felt any qualms or worries about the play. What if I didn't like it? After all, I was entering the theatre completely blind in regards to plot and storyline, and I didn't like that feeling at all. With the Harry Potter films I knew what I was going to see. I had read the book sometimes years in advance. I'd know if they had deviated from the plot in any way, removed parts or characters, or added others.

Then the play started, and my anxiety lifted at once. #KeepTheSecrets and all that, so I won't spoil the play at all, but it was incredible.

After seeing both parts I felt lighter somehow. Changed. My heart had been broken and reassembled in a matter of seconds. It genuinely was a life-changing experience.

Harry Potter characters are beloved and sacred to so many people, and the Cursed Child added yet more.

It was so cathartic for me. Harry Potter is ultimately an underdog story, and the reason I believe it is loved the world over is because everyone has experienced or felt odd, out of place, strange or alone at some point in their life.

Hermione was always my favourite in the Golden Trio line-up. She was studious, a bookworm, a swot, and an "insufferable know-it-all." At that young age, I was often described like that too.

When Luna Lovegood came along, I felt the closest affinity to her. She was odd, full of useless information, but ultimately she didn't care what anyone thought of her. I found comfort and inspiration in her loner mentality. She was dependant on no one; just as happy with friends as she was in her own solitude.

A few weeks ago at the BAFTAs, the great Viola Davis said something in her acceptance speech which really resonated with me.

She spoke of her daughter "... who every time I tell her a story at night says the most important phrase, which is, "Mommy, please put me in the story," and I do."

Representation matters. I'm not stupid enough to assume Viola meant me, personally, and know her speech was directed at others, people of colour in particular. It is such a much broad issue, but I think we need greater representation and diversity across all platforms.

When I had read Harry Potter all those years ago, I fell in love with certain characters for their different qualities, but I had never felt such a bond towards two characters like I do with Albus and Scorpius - I pretty much am Scorpius, or have been at some points in my life. All credit to Sam Clemmett and Anthony Boyle, who play Albus and Scorpius, respectively. They are amazing actors with bright futures ahead of them, and I can't wait to see what opportunities are now open to them both.

Albus feels completely out of place in his own family. He desperately wants to fit in, but at the same time there's a quiet pride in being different to everyone else. He's hot-headed and full of angst, but ultimately discovers that he's more like his famous father than he thought.

Scorpius is gangly, completely uncomfortable and awkward in his own skin. He tries too hard, but his heart is bigger and braver than others give him credit for. Incessant bullies have caused Scorpius to be extremely nervous, complete with tics and all.

A special mention to Noma Dumezweni who portrays Hermione Granger. She's my Hermione. She is everything I had hoped Hermione would be and more, and I felt truly changed by Noma's performance. She's just brilliant.

I had already decided in the time between Parts One and Two that I was going to stage door. Despite seeing so many shows before, I had never once went to stage door, but I just had to on this one occasion.

I met the main cast, all except Jamie Parker (Harry Potter), Alex Price (Draco Malfoy) and Esther Smith (Delphini Diggory). The cast were all so kind, and incredibly generous with their time. It was an exhilarating experience in itself. I remember actually jumping about.

The Harry Potter Fandom is so inclusive, and the people I met in the queues and at stage door were no exception. Being fairly tall I was able to pass forward the programmes to the actors for those further back. For being quite busy, it was fairly orderly, although we were all hopping about, buzzing, all of us changed in different ways by what we had just witnessed.

I was desperate to see the play again, which I finally did on 25 January. Now, I'm *planning* another trip, because I must see it again.

I write this on the day which has seen Harry Potter and the Cursed Child nominated for 11 Olivier Awards. 11! I can't quite explain how I feel - it's a mixture of intense pride and joy, with so many other emotions thrown in.

I'm really not surprised, but it's nice for everyone at the Palace Theatre to get some official recognition. A lot of  Harry Potter fans rejected the Cursed Child, didn't consider it canon, for thought of it as poorly-written fanfiction. I couldn't disagree more. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a spectacle which has to be seen to be believed.

It's so nice to think that I was there from the very beginning.