A puff of smoke, a swirl of cloak

June 29, 2018 a good book a-roving the eye of the beholder

The train began to move, and Harry walked alongside it, watching his son’s thin face already ablaze with excitement. Harry kept smiling and waving, even though it was like a little bereavement, watching his son glide away from him. The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner — Harry’s hand was still raised in farewell.
“He’ll be all right,” murmured Ginny.
As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lighting scar on his forehead. “I know he will.”
The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well.
… or was it?

That’s the point of departure for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which I was lucky enough to see during my trip to London in May. As a serious Harry Potter fan — I have read all the books, seen all the movies (which I like much less), and listened to all the audiobooks many times over (Jim Dale rocks!) — I was absolutely thrilled to be able to get tickets.

The play is in two parts — so two nights of theatre, back to back — and it was just delightful: a satisfying story, familiar characters and their children, wonderful special effects, choreographed cloak-swishing during the scene changes (loved that!), and lots of other surprises. They used light and shadow in clever ways (e.g., to create a plausible centaur), but I never figured out how some of the other bits of “magic” were achieved. Where, for example, did Hermione go when she used the phone booth to enter the Ministry of Magic? A puff of smoke, a swirl of cloak, and she had vanished! Marvelous.

Among other pleasures, the plays allows us to catch up with favorite characters from the novels. What have they been up to over the past twenty years? Hermione, of course, is now Minister for Magic. Didn’t you always know she would be? (By the way, I noticed that this phrasing — Minister for Magic — is a change from the books, where Cornelius Fudge is Minister of Magic. Or is this perhaps a difference between the British editions and the American ones?) In other news, Harry has become pretty intense, Ron has gotten a trifle tubby, and Draco is blond and brooding. And, of course, they’re all parents now…

Rowling’s familiar themes show up here: parents and children, the power of love, the devastating effects of loneliness and isolation, admiration for brainiacs, and adventures that don’t always lead where you think they will. There’s friendship and misunderstandings. There’s compassion for the victims and for the villains. And there’s further evidence that time travel is a messy and perilous business. The whole is satisfying and heartening and touching and hopeful: exactly my cup of tea.

I was thankful that I hadn’t read the script before seeing this show, so I could enjoy the play’s unfolding without knowing in advance where the story would lead. I had actually tried to read it when it first came out, but that bare-bones narrative lacks the rich and imaginative details I love in the novels, and I gave up after a few pages. Reading the script now makes me marvel even more at the artistry of the director, the actors, and all those involved in fleshing out this production from skeletal source material. Theatre truly is magic-making.

A toast to the creative genius of J.K. Rowling
and all those who contributed to this magical production:
Thank you for taking me on another exhilarating journey
into the world of Harry Potter!
We can’t live there, but it’s a great place to visit.

Tea for me!

Happily eating my vegetables