Jack Thorne

John Tiffany

J. K. Rowling

The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later. Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, a play by Jack Thorne. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son, Albus, must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: Sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. The playscript for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was originally released as a "special rehearsal edition" alongside the opening of Jack Thorne's play in London's West End in summer 2016. Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, the play opened to rapturous reviews from theatergoers and critics alike, while the official playscript became an immediate global bestseller. This revised edition updates the "special rehearsal edition" with the conclusive and final dialogue from the play, which has subtly changed since its rehearsals, as well as a conversation piece between director John Tiffany and writer Jack Thorne, who share stories and insights about reading playscripts. This edition also includes useful background information including the Potter family tree and a timeline of events from the wizarding world prior to the beginning of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Parts One and Two Playscript

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London's West End on 30th July 2016. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

The Official Script Book of the Original West End Production

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts I & II (Special Rehearsal Edition)

Pia 

Omg Harry I never liked you more than right now

HARRY: Go. Leave. I don't want you here, I don't need you. You were absent every time it really counted. I fought him three times without you. I'll face him again, if needs be alone.

JAMES IS STILL ALIVE!!!I REPEAT HE IS ALOVE BREATHING LOVING HIS LIFE!!!!!

She takes out her wand. She points it at ALBUS, who sticks his chin out. ALBUS: Do your worst.

DELPHI looks at him. And then she turns her wand on SCORPIUS.

HERMIONE (melting slightly): You want to marry me again?

DELPHI looks at it and then at them both.

Scorpius is literally the only good thing in this book. (And James but he is not really there now is he)

SCORPIUS: No, it’s time that time-turning became a thing of the past.

ALBUS: You’re quite proud of that phrase, aren’t you?

ALBUS: What? We failed. SCORPIUS: Yes. YES. AND IT'S AMAZING.

RON: What? SCORPIUS: What? RON: Can we talk about the love thing first?

That fucking bitch does not deserve to live 

You and Harry are a disgrace to the potter blood line

ALBUS: Well, I wasn't a loser before I met you.

SCORPIUS is left looking up afler him. Heartbroken.

And that’s how you have a toxic realtionship with your son

HARRY: I thought for a long time I wasn't a good enough dad for vou because you didn't like me. It's only now I realize that I don't ned you to like me, I need you to obey me because I'm your dad andI do know better. I'm sorry, Albus. It has to be this way.

SCORPIUS appears at the back of the stage. He looks at his friend talking to a girl- and part of him likes it and part of him doesn't.

SCORPIUS: Only just begun and it's almost halfkilled us. Good. This is going to be good.

AMOS: This is going to be dangerous. ALBUS: We know. SCORPIUS: Do we?

The TROLLEY WITCHS hands transfigure into very sharp spikes. She smiles.

SCORPIUS: Okay, whatever was holding your brain together seems to have snapped.

Well harry sorry to break it to you but James would have been a better dad than you and not him seeing “red” bitch pls

HARRY (finaly losing his temper): You know what? Im done with being made responsible for your unhappiness. At least you've got a dad. Because I didn't, okay? ALBUS: And you think that was unlucky? I don't. HARRY: You wish me dead? ALBUS: No! I just wish you weren't my dad. HARRY (eing red): Well, there are times I wish you weren't my son. There's a silence. ALBUS nods. Pause. HARRY realizes what he's said. No, I didn't mean that.. ALBUS: Yes. You did. HARRY: Albus, you just know how to get under my skin.. •• ALBUS: You meant it, Dad. And, honestly, I don't blame

Ahh great so James loves his hair and lily loves potion just like the people they were named after. Jk really does not have original ideas anymore

Pls it’s James (not my James) you can’t expect him to ever not care about his hair! Also not him having the cloak this makes me so happy

GINNY: James, please, ignore your hair, and tidy that damn room. ... JAMES: How can I ignore it? It's pink! Im going to have to use my Invisibility Cloak!

ALBUS: But I don't need a Ron and Hermione. I'veI've got a friend, Scorpius, and I know you don't like him but he's all I need.

As they should expect for James he is right where he should be

Vilandra

I thought this was slow starting but then got me back into the world. I liked the new characters and how in the end everyone overcame their differences and changed for the better. It was nice to read something uplifting for a change.

This is literally such a disgrace for the Harry Potter books! Scorpius is the only good thing in this book. 

Audrey Lord

I can understand where people are coming from when they say that it feels like a Fan-Fiction but at this point how can it not? It's been a long time since a book was written and in that time we have had so many thoughts and ideas about what Harry Potter and his family has been up to. 
I don't mean to sound like I loved it any less because of how it felt because I did love it. It was beautiful and did the series justice. The way Rowling tried to make up for Dumbledore was exactly what I wanted for this series. The way the story finished off with Dumbledore didn't really make anyone feel great about him as person.
I would love to see the play itself just to see it acted out.

Lacy W

** spoiler alert **
           **** Do not read this review if you haven't read this book yet or don't care about spoilers. ****

Okay. Let me compose my thoughts here for an eloquent review of this book. Because right now, I am feeling all sorts of feelings and I can't tell if they are good, bad, or whatever. I literally just have so much going on in my head right now. 

Let me start off by saying I am a huge Potterhead. Like for real. My obsession knows no bounds. I relate everything in my life to Harry Potter. I play Pokemon Go and I picked Mystic simply because it reminded me of Ravenclaw (which is my house). Yeah, I'm  that  obsessed. 

Honesty time. I gave this book 5 stars simply because it's Harry freakin' Potter. Giving it anything less would be a crime, in my eyes. I debated about giving it 4 stars but I knew it my heart of hearts, I just couldn't do it. I mean come on, it's Harry Potter man! 

Anyway. Let me get onto the review before you all have to read about my ridiculous fandom.

I went into this book with good and bad reviews in mind. I know that I probably shouldn't have done that but whatever. I wanted to know what I was getting myself into. To be honest, I liked the story. I did. I loved that I had another Harry Potter book to love and treasure and talk incessantly about (much to the delight of my friends and family). 

But there were some MASSIVE plot holes that I couldn't get over. Like the whole Time Turner business I mean, what was that about? Is Voldemort really capable of having a kid? Because he was conceived under love potion, I have no idea what it does to a person physically. Plus when did he have this kid? I mean if Bellatrix was the mother, wouldn't Draco have noticed a baby around or something?? She had the kid in Malfoy Manor. Pretty sure Draco would have noticed a baby around the house. 

Another thing that really bothered me was Albus. OMG. Albus was such a brat. I really felt for him at first. I mean, I'm sure it's a lot being the child of Harry Potter. I felt sad for him. But then, in like his third year, he started acting like such a damn brat.  Oh, I'm the child of Harry Potter. Feel sorry for me.  I just wanted to smack the crap out of him. Harry was doing the best he could. UGH! And BTW Albus, SLYTHERIN IS NOT A BAD HOUSE!

The shining light for me was Scorpius. I was worried that he would have turned out like his dad, Draco. But no. He was so kind and thoughtful even though the kids were sooooo very mean to him. The rumor that he was Voldemort's child is absolutely ridiculous. He is such a kind boy who only wants a friend. That's all. Ugh. So many feels. 

As for the actual plot itself, it wasn't bad. It's just that Rowling basically left the door open for so many different things to happen. But  the writers should have read the first seven books.  I felt like they just did what they wanted and made things happen that didn't seem logically possible or they gave no story as to why they are doing what they are doing. Like for example, Hermione is Minister OF Magic (the book kept saying for. Why????). Last I checked, Kingsley Shacklebolt was. How did Hermione become Minister? 

Also  WHERE IS LUNA AND NEVILLE?!

I also felt like the writers just glossed over Albus and Scorpius' Hogwarts days. I didn't like that. I want details. What classes did they chose in their third year? Is Professor Binns still teaching? Maybe if this book had been a novel instead of a play, we would have gotten those details. 

Alright, I feel like I am rambling. I'll cut it off now before I get more out of control. Basically, I liked the book. I kept reading until the very end because I wanted to see how it ended. But the actual basis of the book and some of characters put me off. Also I felt like the writers of the play paid no heed to Rowling's story. If you are going to do something like this,  YOU HAVE TO READ THE ACTUAL STORIES FIRST!  In conclusion, I liked it but it could have been better than what it was.

The official playscript of the original West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. The playscript for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was originally released as a 'special rehearsal edition' alongside the opening of Jack Thorne's play in London's West End in summer 2016. Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne, the play opened to rapturous reviews from theatregoers and critics alike, while the official playscript became an immediate global bestseller. This revised paperback edition updates the 'special rehearsal edition' with the conclusive and final dialogue from the play, which has subtly changed since its rehearsals, as well as a conversation piece between director John Tiffany and writer Jack Thorne, who share stories and insights about reading playscripts. This edition also includes useful background information including the Potter family tree and a timeline of events from the wizarding world prior to the beginning of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Looks like something you would read on Wattpad

Eva Marquant

Anum Memon

This book was a disgrace to the Harry Potter world and to everyone in general. Also very problematic author.

 🩰

If I could rate this so-called book 0 stars, I would.

Gillian Rose

Slighty cheated. I saw the play yesterday and it was amazing. Read the play on the flight home.

Seeing it live was an incredible experience and I'm glad I waited to read it until after. It was an interesting follow-up and seeing these beloved characters navigate parenthood was really something.

But for real, Scorpius was the best part.

The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, a new play by Jack Thorne, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London's West End on July 30, 2016. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. This Special Rehearsal Edition will be available to purchase until early 2017, after which a Definitive Edition of the script will go on sale.

The Official Script Book of the Original West End Production Special Rehearsal Edition

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two

Prashanth Srivatsa

It begs the question "Why?". It's a play, we all get that. It's not supposed to halt, describe the surroundings and explain people and things. But why should that mean that it should be devoid of substance? It's derivative, aching for the presence of the wit and magic that our childhoods were full of, and has instilled a certain aggression in the characters, which defies their age.

It's not, however, all dark and gloomy. Parts of it feed on your nostalgia; parts of it smell of the Rowling of the Seven, but almost all of it is simply a trip down memory lane, where you expected a banquet feast but ended up with a fast food breakfast.

Harry Potter y el legado maldito : Partes uno y dos

Fernanda Zambrano La Torre

** spoiler alert **
           Una opinión inpopular

Me encantó. Le doy 4 estrellas solo porque no puedo darle 4.5, y no le doy 5 porque solo le doy esa calificación a mis favoritos de la vida, pero este sin duda es uno de los que me ha gustado demasiado.
Creo que si tus personajes favoritos son el trío de oro entonces no lo vas a disfrutar mucho, pero si crees como yo que estos están sobrevalorados y hay muchos otros personajes que debieron tener un mejor desarrollo, entonces puedes llegar a apreciarlo.
Dos de las cosas que más me gustaron fueron: la relación de amistad entre los hijos de Harry y Draco, y Draco y su hijo. Es que en este libro Draco tiene un verdadero arco de redención y es mejor padre de lo que Harry jamás va a poder ser, puedes ver lo mucho que ama a su hijo, lo mucho que lo protege y lo mucho que sería capaz de hacer por él, porque al fin y al cabo es lo único que tiene. Y si hablamos de la amistad entre Scorpius y Albus, es una de las cosas más bonitas que he leído; tanto así que en cada página no podía evitar shippearlos y al final estaba rogando porque quedaran juntos.
Talvez no me gusta mucho el libro por la historia en sí, sino por el crecimiento que los personajes tuvieron desde que dejaron el colegio hasta una edad más adulta, por las cosas que confiesan que sentía en esos años en Hogwarts, y por las relaciones que se forman entre amigos y familiares.

Femke Van de Water 

As an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and a father, Harry Potter struggles with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs while his youngest son, Albus, finds the weight of the family legacy difficult to bear.

Parts one and two

Anna Ureta

A good majority of the people born in the 90s grew up to be Potterheads – myself included.
 Hearing about another Harry Potter novel coming out I was like, GASSSSSSSSPPPPPPPP!!!!!!
 That was like the most exciting news ever!
 But when I found out it was a play I was sort of discouraged.
 I had a lot of doubts about this novel/script when I first heard about it and after hearing several opinions I had to wonder how much I’d like it.
 After all that time, fans came up with their own theories about what happened after the Deathly Hallows and wrote fan-fictions that were actually really good.
 So to have their dreams and ideas get stomped on by a play…well, I can see where the mixed reviews come from.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child follows the story of Harry’s son Albus, who’s starting his First Year at Hogwarts with worry. Living up to the Potter name isn’t easy, and apparently one day can change the course of your life forever. Harry, who is now the Head of Magical Law Enforcement has his own problems to deal with and being Father of the Year isn’t one of his priorities. While Albus struggles through school and tries to figure out how to be more than Harry Potter’s son, a devious plot starts to unfold with the threat of Voldemort’s return.

Reviews and opinions of other Potterheads aside, I didn’t really hate the eighth book as much as others did.
 It was certainly different but it still had that Harry Potter charm – just in script and dialogue form.
 I am also guilty of writing my own future fan-fiction, but it was nice to see what J. K. Rowling wanted for the Potter future (even if it wasn’t what any of the readers were expecting, and even though she didn’t really write the whole thing).
 I wish there were more books and more detail into the characters and their histories. What we got was just a glimpse of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and even Draco.
 To me, the book was just another story to add to the collection – something sort of separate from it.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child was every bit as magical as any other Harry Potter novel – just with less detail. The characters are relatable (yes, even Draco and his son Scorpius who is still my fav) and believable. Maybe there was a little too much teenage angst but at least it was understandable. Albus struggling to be his own person and more than just Harry Potter’s son. It’s a burden, and even with Scorpius trying to be more than just Draco’s son.

In my opinion, anyone who’s ever read or written their own Harry Potter Fan-Fiction in the past several years will probably be somewhat disappointed by this script – I mean if I can be honest, it sounds a little bit like fan-fiction anyway. Still, this continuation of the Harry Potter novels is still very enjoyable and entertaining. I just wish I could see the play – or at least they should sell DVDs of it. I would definitely buy it.

4/5 Hearts of Love

Sofia Nunes

I mean, it was a bit chaos but OMG I WANT TO READ HARRY POTTER ALL AGAIN. This gave me so many nostalgia chills, all the old characters and the good memories. Ron was incredible, and Snape and Hagrid, those scenes were perfect. I don't see it as Harry Potter #8 though, just a great story in its world. (AVPM has nothing to with this, seriously?) Oh and the play, i just couldn't imagine how some scenes would have been played live, I NEED TO SEE IT.

mercy

let's be honest, this was a mess. but it was still harry potter. some of these characters mean everything to me so even though this was ridiculous and i wouldn't go so far as to call this the 8th HP book, it was nice to be with them again.

the only things i liked about it:
- first of all i'd like to say, harry james potter, the Light of my Life, i want him to be happy & loved more than anything. what did we do to deserve a character as good & selfless & brave as harry.
- scorpius, this beautiful nerd, i always knew he wouldn't disappoint me. 
- and SCORPIUS AND ALBUS !!! they're gay
- HERMIONE GRANGER AS THE MINISTER FOR MAGIC
- draco. loves. scorpius. so. much.
- i think this dealt with the characters' trauma pretty well. i'm glad it didn't get brushed aside.
- basically i cried a bucket. when will jkr let me go honestly.

Jamieson

“Love blinds. We have both tried to give our sons, not what they needed, but what we needed. We’ve been so busy trying to rewrite our own pasts, we’ve blighted their present.” 


So I did it. The book that has been hurting my poor, Harry Potter loving heart since it's release last month. Honestly, I don't know how to feel. 

I went into this with very low expectations. I've read the spoilers, I've seen the reviews. I've seen so many criticisms of this, of J.K, of the writing the plot the characters. You name it - I've seen hate on it. 

I think those criticism are founded. CURSED CHILD does not feel like the Harry Potter I grew up with. It doesn't feel like Hogwarts. It's all so wrong. It really does read like a fanfic. 

The first thing that struck me was like - Wow. Harry Potter and co. are OLD. And I know this might be weird but it immediately disengaged me from them. Immediately I was unable to connect with them as I had before. When I read Harry Potter the first time he was a kid like me - I loved to go on adventures with him, to deal with the trials of school with him. His day to day life was relatable, I mean, I was a kid too. A kid who envied HIS childhood. 
But I mean ?! 40 year old Harry. I can't roll with that. He's immediately unrelatable to me. Alot of dialogue from Harry / Ron / Hermione was them complaining about the hardships of being old. And it's just ?? It loses the magic. It immediately pulls the magical story of wizard schools and dragons and spells and potions into something so incredibly mundane and Harry Potter should never feel mundane.

The next thing that struck me was the characterization. These people are not the Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco ect. we grew up with. They're just not. In fact - half the time I was left wondering if Jack Thorne ever read the books - because these portrayals are soo movie. Ron was reduced to a wise-cracking fool who wasn't capable of anything. He felt like a weird stand-in for Fred and George Weasley. He didn't feel like Ron. 
Hermione was just ? silly ? So many of the things she did were soo out of character. She was stupid, she bent for others, there was a part where she refused to defend Harry and Ron? (I'm sorry but Hermione ALWAYS defends them so smh). I just ? It was all wrong. 

BUT THE BIGGEST ABOMINATION, the absolute heartbreak of this book resides in the charactersation of my #1 son, Harry James Potter. Now you listen here, Harry Potter is my child. I HAVE CRIED FOR THIS BOY TOO MANY TIMES. Ok ay I don't appreciate when people try to mess with his personality and call it Canon. This was not Harry Potter. His dialogue made no sense - it completely disregarded some of the fundamental aspects of his character. His respect ? gone. His sarcastic humour? gone. His unflinching bravery ? gone. His selflessness ? gone. Harry was SO RUDE, he was so mean !?! And so much of it didn't make sense. 

(view spoiler)[ He perpetrates rumours Scorp is Voldy's son even though he, as a child, had to also deal with terrible rumours and should sympathise. And WOULD sympathise since he's a sympathetic guy. The fact he hates Al for being a Slytherin. His treatment of McGonagall who's always been a friend/mentor to him and someone he deeply respects. His treatment of Albus with the whole map thing ?? THE FACT IT WAS EVEN SUGGESTED HE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT CEDRIC DYING. No no no no no no no no.  (hide spoiler)]

the only bit I liked, when I was like ayy it's ma BOY was (view spoiler)[when he wouldn't let anyone volunteer to take on Delphi like ofc he wasn't gonna let you guys this is Harry Potter  (hide spoiler)] ALL IN ALL JACK THORNE GET UR GRUBBY HANDS OFF OF HARRY POTTER HE DIDN'T DESERVE THAT. 




  “They were great men, with huge flaws, and you know what – those flaws almost made them greater.” 
 

Ok. Plotwise. The plot is kind of fun, if you ignore the huge plot holes and failure to grasp some of the basics of the actual canon. I mean, the time travel aspect was fun, and if you try not to think about it too much and ignore all the crazy conveniences that popped up to move it along it does pass as a plausible plot.

But jokes because I DO think about it too much.  (PS. UNTAGGED SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT YOU'VE BEEN WARNED) 

 

We'll start with the time turner, shall we? First of all - ok. I could accept it existed, I could allow myself that reach BUT THEN HERMIONE HIDING IT IN A BOOKCASE. wtf nooo. I mean, why tf even hide it with riddles that's ridiculous. Surely she's smarter then this (SHE IS SMARTER THEN THIS)

Going back in time to save Cedric ????

 

 Again, surely Albus and Scorp are smarter than this. Clearly thats a terrible idea. Clearly its not going to work. This whole plot point was just such a stretch. I don't know why they thought it was a good idea. It wasn't and any decent, mildly intelligent wizard should know that. (I know that and I'm a goddamn muggle)

Okay. The fact that Cedric was so embarrassed it turned him evil ? wtf wtf JUST WHY. The fact he killed Neville and became a Death Eater. Can ! We ! Not ! Disrespect ! His ! Character ! Like ! This ! 

Oooh boy! And we haven't even got into the big thing yet. Delphi . . . .. . fucking Delphi.. GOD just NO. I mean, first of all practically it doesn't even fit in with the canon timeline (Delphi was born @ Malfoy manor before the battle of hogwarts and yet Hermione/Ron/Harry were there before the battle with Bellatrix aND SHE WASN'T PREGNANT FOR SURE. Also, the insinuation Astoria was involved (possibly raped?) by Voldermort was .. really icky. ? I didn't like that at all. Anyway, all in all that whole thing was a mess. EVEN IF voldermort COULD have kids (which lbr he probs can't) Voldermort was never available to do that, he had no reason. ?!?! URGH JUST PLS STOP it was so bad. 

Finally, I was really annoyed the villian was Voldermort yet again. I'm sorry but it's soo lazy. Could they have not thought up something new and funky fresh. It would have been refreshing. Voldermort coming back is So Tired and just destoys the entire point of 7 books. Voldermort is dead! Gone ! finished ! We didn't go on that horcrux hunt for nothing !!!!!! just urrrrrrgh

 

okay other weird plot points. 
Albus kissing his aunt ??? g ross. 
The convenience of Draco HAPPENING to have another (flawless) time turner 
The weird outbursts from Harry at Minerva?
The "Evil base" being in a wizards old people's home (what ) 
TeDDY LUPIN WASN'T IN IT
Rose ? ? ? ?? Rose and Scorp ??? ( sorry but there's NO chemistry there and Al and Scorp are canon boyfriends) 
The bit when they watch James/Lily die. The fact Harry is all 'I have to see it' even though he has seen it. Deathly Hallows. In extreme detail. It was just really uncomfortable to me. 

THE BIT WHEN THE TRAIN LADY ATTACKED THEM WHAT WAS THAT WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK
 

OTHER NOTE
I was also disappointed on an authorial level by J.K in this. Honestly, I was expecting more diversity. J.K champions diverse Lit on twitter, but lets be real she had a great oppurtunity to implement that and it fell through. TRUE, you can argue Hermione is black but it's not explicit so it doesn't mean anything. They could have made anyone more diverse. (The queerbaiting on Al and Scorp was REAL) but instead it's all "white and straight" and idk I'm just a bit disappointed in her for that. 

-------------------------------------------

Ok. But what did I like ?

Okay. It is fun. In a fanfic kind of way it is a fun story. We should never consider this canon, but it is entertaining. I did read it in one day. And I'm damn willing to bet the stage is amazing. The stage directions and settings were really amazing and I think implemented this show would be, aesthetically, really nice. 

I also appreciated Draco's redemption arc. That was nice, and you know what, deserved. I appreciated Snape's a little less, because I hate snape forever and always but if you're a fan I can see you'd appreciate that too. 

I appreciated Ginny's take on being possessed and how NO ONE helped her after Chamber of Secrets .. which .. was true. I AM SO SHOOK ABOUT HOW RON SAID EVERYONE THOUGHT SHE'D BE A SLYTHERIN LIEK GODFUCKING DAMN YES YES BEAUTIFUL 

I also quite liked Draco's little revelations about being jealous of the trio, and of not revealing Harry at Malfoy Manor which - ok yeah was solid work. 

It was just everything else that was a mess. You cannot take this seriously because it wILL fall flat. But if you are able to detach yourself from the characters and try not to view them as the one's we know and love perhaps you'd really enjoy it. I'm not able to do that, however. Which is why I can't give this any more than a 3*. It deserves a 2, sentimentality makes me bump it up to a 2.5 and that's my FINAL RATING. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? 2.5*. Sorry, not sorry. 

NOTE: Sick of people telling me I didn't like this because it's a script. No. No I've read scripts before, I've read scripts and loved them. This isn't bad because it's a script. It's bad because it reduces our characters to uninspired tropes, because it's full of plot holes and because it's lazy. Bye !

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two: The Official Playscript of the Original West End Production

Taylor Nuzzolo

** spoiler alert **
           If you think of it as a fanfiction then it’s okay. Kind of displeased that J.K. has claimed it’s canon. Very minor spoilers for Harry Potter series and The Cursed Child...





They kind of messed with the mechanics of how time tuners work. I feel like the way Scorpius and Albus use it isn’t canon at all. In the Harry Potter franchise it seems when you use the time turner, the past and the present are one in the same but the character in the past doesn’t realize that the events unfolding around them are influenced by him or herself using the time turner in the future. (I hope that made sense lol) In The Cursed Child using the time turner creates an alternate timeline. This concept is the main premise of the book and it just didn’t sit right with me the whole time I was reading it. But if you approach it as a fanfiction and not canon it’s alright.

Cindy McKee

Surprisingly emotional. You can see Rowling's hand in the story, and characters felt true to form. This stands up to being labeled the 8th story. It was wonderful to revisit characters you know and love, and heartening to see the struggles of adulthood in ways that feel true. A wonderful addition to the fantastic world of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter.

Rachel Kanyid

I thought this was lovely. Wish it was in book format, of course, but quite lovely.

Uitgeverij De Harmonie is verheugd te kunnen meedelen dat zij de Nederlandse vertaling zal brengen van de toneeltekst Harry Potter en het Vervloekte Kind deel een en twee, een origineel, nieuw verhaal geschreven door J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany en Jack Thorne en een nieuw toneelstuk van Jack Thorne. Deze speciale editie van de toneeltekst zal verschijnen in november 2016, zodat Harry Potter-fans ook in Nederland en Vlaanderen dit nu al legendarische 'achtste' Harry Potter-verhaal kunnen lezen. Het e-book van de Nederlandse vertaling zal gepubliceerd worden op Pottermore, de interactieve website van J.K. Rowlings Tovenaarswereld. Over het boek/toneelstuk: Het achtste verhaal. Negentien jaar later Harry Potter en het Vervloekte Kind deel een en twee is het eerste Harry Potter-verhaal dat officieel wordt gebracht als toneelstuk. De wereldpremière van het stuk zal plaatsvinden in West End in Londen op 30 juli 2016. Het leven van Harry Potter was al nooit eenvoudig, maar nu hij een overwerkte ambtenaar is op het ministerie van Toverkunst en vader van drie schoolgaande kinderen lijkt alles nog moeilijker. Terwijl Harry wordt achtervolgd door zijn verleden dat weigert verleden tijd te blijven, worstelt zijn jongste zoon Albus met een familie-erfenis waar hij nooit om gevraagd heeft. Wanneer het verleden en heden dreigen te versmelten, leren zowel vader als zoon dat duisternis soms uit onverwachte hoek komt.

Screenplay - Deel 1 en 2

Harry Potter en het Vervloekte Kind

Long story, but reads fast. Very beautiful musical and powerful. It is portrait dark but unpredictable. The characters are very strong portrait. 

Sjoukje Posthumus 

Ivy X

Pretty enjoyable read despite some of the characters feeling very 1-dimensional.
I had a hard time wrapping my head around the plot and how Cedric seemed to be portrayed differently in this book as opposed to the original series.

Written as a play, the dialogue was great and reads very smoothly

Tylar M

2.5? Maybe I could change it to a 3...but...got to think on it more.

There were some great moments here and there, but somethings were just annoying as hell. Like Albus. And the whole plot.

Rebecca Shaffer

I know I am blinded by my absolute love for all things Harry Potter & I don't care. This script was everything I hoped it could be & I felt like a kid again reading new Harry Potter material. Very different from reading one of the books, and makes you think about how great this would play out on stage. It also didn't impact the finality felt by reading the original series. And as much as I loved it, I also hope this is the last in the Harry Potter saga as my heart couldn't take any more. <3

aisha

I'll give a rating as soon as I know how I feel I guess.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two Playscript

Reviews

Highlights