Carina Reads Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Intern Carina Rampelt shares her impressions of the new Harry Potter play.

Hey there TNQ readers. I’m Carina—you might remember me from my introductory blog post a couple years ago.

I’m back working at TNQ this summer and I thought instead of introducing myself all over again, I’d focus on something a little more important. Namely, The Cursed Child—the script of the new Harry Potter play that premiered in London earlier this summer and was released over the weekend.

Like many ‘kids my age,’ I share a special connection with Harry Potter. I can remember devouring the books when I was little (more or less secretly from my friends, since I went to Christian school and all their parents were convinced the books were A GATEWAY TO WITCHCRAFT), waiting anxiously for the next installment to come out, and going to midnight release parties at my local bookstore. Or at least, going but leaving at 10pm because my little siblings were falling asleep on their feet and then getting the book first thing the next morning.

This weekend I (briefly) attended the Midnight Madness release of the 8^th installment in Harry’s Adventures at Chapters in Waterloo, and a trip to the beach on the holiday Monday provided the perfect opportunity to read it. I’d thought I’d share my impressions with you all here.

Though written as a script, this play is a little more reader-friendly than a lot of scripts I’ve seen. The writers have taken care to use really evocative descriptions and stage directions to set the scene for a reading, rather than viewing, audience. The story grapples with Harry’s struggles, as an abused orphan himself, to parent his middle son, Albus—who of course, in turn, struggles with being the son of the ‘Boy Who Lived.’

It’s nice to see how our favourite boy hero and his friends are doing all grown up, and nicer still to see them still—like any good characters—struggling to figure it all out: how to be a good parent, how to have a work/life balance, and so on. The focus on Albus and his friend Scorpius’ POVs, however, ensures that the story never loses its YA flavour.

It’s also neat to see moments from Harry’s past that we haven’t been privy to before—one scene that particularly tugged on my heartstrings was Hagrid’s first meeting with baby Harry. (SPOILER: I may have teared up a little when he tells Harry “I’m gonna be yer best friend”).

It’s not earth-shattering literature, by any means, but it is a nice romp through the Harry Potter universe we all know so well. Definitely a fun, light summer read and one I recommend!