Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the eighth Harry Potter book, is coming out this summer. Of course, it’s not really a book—it’s a play. It’s being staged in two parts on London’s West End, and will also be released in physical format on July 31st—still as a play, mind you. And let’s be clear about one thing: Despite that physical release, that’s not how you’re supposed to enjoy Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The only real way to see it is to go see the play.
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child: Plays Are Meant To Be Seen, Not Read
The shocking announcement of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child— the totally unexpected eighth Harry Potter story—was even more shocking in its exclusivity. The play was being performed solely at the West End in London, the city’s equivalent of Broadway, over two runs in the summer and fall, which both sold out immediately… and were relatively expensive in the first place. And that whole part about getting to London just to see it adds substantially to the expense.
Of course, months later, J.K. Rowling announced that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would be released in physical, printed format as a play. That’s going to be a lot more accessible, and it’s great that it’s coming out. It means that everyone will be able to enjoy Cursed Child to some degree.
But it’s still going to be a shadow of the real things. Plays aren’t really meant to be read; they’re meant to be performed, and seen that way… on a stage, with actors and music and sets and all that. This is the classic dilemma of Shakespeare for high school students: He’s a lot more likeable and easier to understand (for the average American teenager) if you actually see the plays performed. The humor comes through; the drama shines.
J.K. Rowling decided to produce Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as a play for a reason. That reason will become more clear over time—but clearly the idea of doing Harry Potter as a staged drama appealed to her over writing a traditional eighth novel. As she said in the initial announcement, “I’m confident that when audiences see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child they will understand why we chose to tell this story in this way.”
The play is the real thing, the pure version of Harry Potter 8. It won’t be accessible to everyone—certainly not at West End, not even when it inevitably hits Broadway and possibly goes on tour if it’s a success. If you read the book version, you’re not getting the full experience. For a lot of us—me too, mind you!—the book is the best we’ll be able to do. But just know that it’s not the same as seeing it on stage.
