Over the past years, the pandemic has closed the curtains of many Broadway musicals, but Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has refused to give up the fight. This play brought light to New York City’s entertainment, with the amazing production by John Thorne, the theatrical performance of the actors, and the special effects both in the theater and onstage. To watch this musical was a truly magical experience.

This musical is the continuation of the Harry Potter series, but unlike the lone author of the original books, this sequal was written as a collaboration between J.K Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne. Tiffany and Thorne utilized their expertise to specifically created this story into a play. The Cursed Child was originally two plays, but it was combined into one so the audience could absorb the entire story all in one place. The play begins where the last book and movie of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ended; Harry Potter and his friends and family, 19 years later after the Battle of Hogwarts, are sending their own children off to school. Our beloved protagonist has three children of his own now- James, Albus, and Lily- but don’t worry, he doesn’t keep them under the stairs! The story surrounds Albus, middle child in the Potter clan, and his journey through Hogwarts, delving into how he learns to grow out from under his father’s hulking shadow. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child goes through almost four years of Hogwarts schooling for Albus, showing viewers his relationship with his dad at its highs… as well as its lowest lows.

The play all in all was a wonderful experience, and makes many Harry Potter fans very happy to see the characters they fell in love with decades ago come alive for the last time- in an all new way. It shows hardship, love, despair, and bravery as one boy changes history for better or for worse. This show is very highly recommended for Harry Potter lovers, and for anybody wanting to believe in magic and to return to the nostalgic and familiar halls of Hogwarts once more.