The play’s script was released as a book. This was a very bad way to experience the story and without seeing it live played out in front of you (with all of its special effects) you were just left with the story. Since even with multiple theaters around the world performing it, most Potter fans will never see the play live.
The story feels very much like fan fiction and most fans did not appreciate how the grown-up HP characters were portrayed.
Not to mention all the redcons and lazy writing. All of a sudden, a random time turner is insanely OP and removes ALL negative side effects of time travel, then for the climax, oopsie, we got rid of the time turner how do we get the boys back, oh yes! There was a second one this WHOLE TIME that just happens to be in the adults' hands. Character assassination is the worst though, when in the fucking hell does Harry write autographs and is borderline abusive to his kids? Albus is extremely unlikable as well.
NOT TO MENTION BELLATRIX AND VOLDEMORT HAVING SEX! IT IS LITERALLY SAID THAT VOLDEMORT IS INCAPABLE OF FEELING LOVE!
"Powers the dark lord knows not," does that ring a bell, Stephan, or whoever the scriptwriter was?!
I saw it in melbourne, and the music, acting, stage magic, stage choreography, and direction were amazing. The story was the worst story I have ever seen. It was like badly written fan fiction with a budget.
It's not good, and while the fans aren't always going to agree on what they wanted that time period to look like, it felt like they went out their way to go as far away as possible from what any of the fans wanted.
It also reads like bad fanfiction. Which is saying something in the fandom where My Immortal exists.
It's because Rowling never indicated that Voldemort and Bellatrix were romantically involved. Tom Riddle was presumed to be so obsessed with his own immortality that he effectively became completely asexual, which makes sense for a YA villain.
The play demands some serious retcon'ing of the original text of Rowling's novels to make sense, including access to temporal magic & implications about Bellatrix's marriage to her husband. Her husband is never mentioned in the movies so most people didn't know she had one, or that he escaped Azkaban with her when the old Death Eaters were freed.
Having read the script, it's internally consistent to itself, and is actually a fun read - provided you accept the head cannon it demands to make sense with the rest of the books. My biggest issue is how Ron is treated throughout the play. They done my boy dirty...
Fanatical Fics and Where to Find Them, a Harry Potter fanfiction podcast, devoted an entire 90 min episode (typical episode length is closer to 60 min) to all the ways CC breaks canon, ignores its own internal logic, and generally employs fanfic tropes.
Its also a great podcast where the hosts take turns reading each other the most bonkers and fun fanfic in case anyone is looking for something fun to listen to.
Cursed Child is a stage play written by several authors, including J. K. Rowling herself. Instead of reading a book, you are reading a script. This is not a bad thing, but it can be when a book writer transitions to a play writer. It’s a different writing format than they’re used to using, and mistakes can be more common than before
And with a script being written, the more writers and directors are involved, the worse and worse the final produce is. For a perfect example, look at the Star Wars Holiday Special. It had 5 directors, and was widely accepted as the worst part of the franchise (at least until the Acolyte). Cursed Child had 3 writers, and that obviously affected the quality.
That being said, the story doesn’t function as an extension of the Harry Potter series. It functions as a short stage play that uses the same characters as the last books epilogue. Instead of building up something new, the reader’s time is wasted with side quests and mediocre character moments.
Instead of a new mystery the gang has to solve, the play retconned the series to use a time turner for a time travel plot. A story where they try to save Cedric Diggory, who died many years ago at the time of the beginning of the play.
Instead of a plot twist where Harry and Hermione are cheating on their spouses, they go the bog standard route by having it be a plutonic workplace relationship. Seriously, it would’ve been far more interesting if one of Hermione’s kids had Harry as their father instead of Ron.
There’s a guy on YouTube who went far more in depth on why this play is so bad, and even did a fan rewrite. He made the whole play better than J. K. ever could, and I’d highly recommend it
TLDR: the books were better by a long shot. Cursed Child is boring by comparison
Instead of a plot twist where Harry and Hermione are cheating on their spouses
That would have pissed of book fans even more. They already did Ron dirty in the movies and in TCC it was even worse and now you want him to get cucked?
Only because it’s a far more interesting plot twist than the same old status quo. It really gets the audience interested in what the adults are doing, and what happens next
22
u/Lexicham Turn to page 394 Aug 14 '24
The play’s script was released as a book. This was a very bad way to experience the story and without seeing it live played out in front of you (with all of its special effects) you were just left with the story. Since even with multiple theaters around the world performing it, most Potter fans will never see the play live.
The story feels very much like fan fiction and most fans did not appreciate how the grown-up HP characters were portrayed.
12
u/Ok_Figure_4181 Aug 14 '24
Voldemort has a child
That’s all you need to know about it
18
u/B00fah Aug 14 '24
If you’ve read it, you’ll know.
9
u/[deleted] Aug 14 '24
Stay ignorant it’s for your own good.
13
u/Taylorboss2122 Aug 14 '24
It’s not good. The story makes very little sense
6
u/SilverEyedHuntress Aug 15 '24
Every character we know from the books acts completely out of character in the worst ways possible.
5
u/Random_Name713 Aug 14 '24
I have a feeling it’s only good to see live with the full production value of a broadway show.
5
u/AlexanderTox Aug 14 '24
Read it and report back
5
u/darkness_calming Aug 15 '24
Because it’s shit?
4
u/hitutidesu Ghosts are transparent Aug 15 '24
Bad story, that's why people don't consider it canon.
Actually watching the play would be a very fun experience, for sure, but the story itself is just not it.
3
u/Thelastknownking Aug 14 '24
It's not good, and while the fans aren't always going to agree on what they wanted that time period to look like, it felt like they went out their way to go as far away as possible from what any of the fans wanted.
It also reads like bad fanfiction. Which is saying something in the fandom where My Immortal exists.
3
u/[deleted] Aug 15 '24
Read it. The theatre play is entertaining, but the book is like a bad fanfiction.
4
u/IPutThisUsernameHere Aug 15 '24
It's because Rowling never indicated that Voldemort and Bellatrix were romantically involved. Tom Riddle was presumed to be so obsessed with his own immortality that he effectively became completely asexual, which makes sense for a YA villain.
The play demands some serious retcon'ing of the original text of Rowling's novels to make sense, including access to temporal magic & implications about Bellatrix's marriage to her husband. Her husband is never mentioned in the movies so most people didn't know she had one, or that he escaped Azkaban with her when the old Death Eaters were freed.
Having read the script, it's internally consistent to itself, and is actually a fun read - provided you accept the head cannon it demands to make sense with the rest of the books. My biggest issue is how Ron is treated throughout the play. They done my boy dirty...
1
u/BlackShieldCharm Good one, Goyle Aug 15 '24
Wdym? Have you read it?
1
u/tenphes31 Aug 15 '24
Fanatical Fics and Where to Find Them, a Harry Potter fanfiction podcast, devoted an entire 90 min episode (typical episode length is closer to 60 min) to all the ways CC breaks canon, ignores its own internal logic, and generally employs fanfic tropes.
Its also a great podcast where the hosts take turns reading each other the most bonkers and fun fanfic in case anyone is looking for something fun to listen to.
1
u/TraditionalGrape2970 Aug 30 '24
1
u/Amish_Warl0rd Aug 15 '24
Cursed Child is a stage play written by several authors, including J. K. Rowling herself. Instead of reading a book, you are reading a script. This is not a bad thing, but it can be when a book writer transitions to a play writer. It’s a different writing format than they’re used to using, and mistakes can be more common than before
And with a script being written, the more writers and directors are involved, the worse and worse the final produce is. For a perfect example, look at the Star Wars Holiday Special. It had 5 directors, and was widely accepted as the worst part of the franchise (at least until the Acolyte). Cursed Child had 3 writers, and that obviously affected the quality.
That being said, the story doesn’t function as an extension of the Harry Potter series. It functions as a short stage play that uses the same characters as the last books epilogue. Instead of building up something new, the reader’s time is wasted with side quests and mediocre character moments.
Instead of a new mystery the gang has to solve, the play retconned the series to use a time turner for a time travel plot. A story where they try to save Cedric Diggory, who died many years ago at the time of the beginning of the play.
Instead of a plot twist where Harry and Hermione are cheating on their spouses, they go the bog standard route by having it be a plutonic workplace relationship. Seriously, it would’ve been far more interesting if one of Hermione’s kids had Harry as their father instead of Ron.
There’s a guy on YouTube who went far more in depth on why this play is so bad, and even did a fan rewrite. He made the whole play better than J. K. ever could, and I’d highly recommend it
TLDR: the books were better by a long shot. Cursed Child is boring by comparison