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Child Item

Cursed Child book release 31-7-2016

Wise Old Elf

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the book to accompany the stage production given that it's unlikely I'll make it over to London in the near future.

Has anyone heard of any book stores opening at midnight for the release? I do recall picking up Half Blood Prince & Deathly Hallows at midnight openings (and possibly Order of the Phoenix as well).

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pinkypinky

Hodges Figgis is doing something on Saturday night at 10pm so presumably leading up to sales at midnight.

Ben Gadot

Really looking forward to purchasing this now given the reviews are glowing. It really does feel like the Potterverse is alive again.

Wise Old Elf

Me too, I've avoided as much (all) discussion of the play to avoid spoilers!

I saw a trailer for the "Fantastic Beasts" film while I was at the BFG at the weekend. I didn't realise it was happening, so I completely fan boyed out. The trailer started with someone saying "Lumos", my wife and I both bolted to attention!

Cathmandooo

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books-arts/pottermania-irish-bookshops-gear-up-for-midnight-party-for-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-34922166.html

Here's some more details on shops doing a midnight release.

Excited! Looking forward to reading it.

FunLover18

Is this a novelization of the play or just the script in book form. Going to see the play in October and I think I'll wait to see it but it will be a slog avoiding spoilers.

Wise Old Elf

FunLover18 wrote: »

Is this a novelization of the play or just the script in book form. Going to see the play in October and I think I'll wait to see it but it will be a slog avoiding spoilers.

Fairly sure it's the script rather than a novelised version. Will be interesting to see how it works.

mach1982

Wise Old Elf wrote: »

Fairly sure it's the script rather than a novelised version. Will be interesting to see how it works.

It is actually the rehearsal script book , the final production one will be released in February I think.

Level 5 Vegan

Opinions?

It hasn't blown me away (nor should simply reading the script though I suppose, it is supposed to be seen), but I'm glad we have it, it was great to back. Must get over to London to watch it, I'm sure the production is excellent and according to this script anyway there seems to be ample opportunity for a spectacle.

Ben Gadot

Yeah I thought it was good but nothing special. Strong in parts (characters) but the flow very much suits the medium that they chose to tell the story. There's a lot of fill in the gaps yourself kind of thing going on which hurts the story on paper.

I could see though why the play was so well received, as it reads like it would be some experience to behold in person.

pinkypinky

Yes, similar thoughts - I expect the full play watched is a great show. I will try to get tickets for later in the year but it's a big time commitment - 2 nights or all in one day.

Wise Old Elf

Same as above, it's different to reading the books. I can't imagine how they'll do some of the stuff they're describing on stage, guess I'll just have to go to it!
What is more difficult is reading a play to kids, it's harder (so far) to get the full picture across with this style.
There is a part of the storyline I'm not mad on, but won't mention it without spoiler tags. There was also some very occasional "modern" language thrown in which I wouldn't have expected with a JK Rowling solo book, a small thing, but I felt it was out of place (I think the geek comment is one, but there was another one that bugged me that I can't remember).

messy tessy

Wise Old Elf wrote: »

Same as above, it's different to reading the books. I can't imagine how they'll do some of the stuff they're describing on stage, guess I'll just have to go to it!
What is more difficult is reading a play to kids, it's harder (so far) to get the full picture across with this style.
There is a part of the storyline I'm not mad on, but won't mention it without spoiler tags. There was also some very occasional "modern" language thrown in which I wouldn't have expected with a JK Rowling solo book, a small thing, but I felt it was out of place (I think the geek comment is one, but there was another one that bugged me that I can't remember).

'As apologies go this is wonderfully fulsome'... Said by a teenage boy. This bothered me massively. I found the language strange at times, and not at all in the style of JK.

I have mixed feelings about the book/play. Probably did have high expectations for it and was borderline disappointed when I finished it. Couldn't really get into the format of it...

Ben Gadot

One major issue I had was the fact that

Voldemort even had a child in the first place. Just seemed like it was from out of nowhere, especially given Bellatrix is the mother, as it was clear Voldemort saw her as a fiercely loyal servant at best. Also you're talking about a sexless being who was incapable of love, whose sole purpose was to gain immortality, negating the need for an heir.

Also time wise, it seems slightly dubious. Bellatrix gave birth just before the battle of hogwarts which means she either gave birth pre Harry's capture in Malfoy Manor or afterwards, and not a hint was given she'd been expecting.

ibarelycare

I'm a fifth into the book and I'm finding it a bit of a struggle, I don't have the desire to pick it up and read it like I do with the other books. It's very one-dimensional, being dialogue only. I'm finding the story and interactions a little cringey in parts too. Avoiding any spoilers but hopefully the overall story will end up being good...

Varik

When I was looking for one of the books online (illegal download) around it's release as I couldn't get a copy I found a fanfiction posing as it, it's started with harry looking for a bathroom going into a funeral home and then got worse.

This is only slightly better than that fan fiction.

Polka_Dot

Yeah I felt it read like bad fan fiction to be honest. A lot of the dialogue was really off, even the stage directions just seemed badly written (like when they talk about Ron's "lame" trick and it's "lameness" - just seemed weird). I really didn't like the plot at all, it just seemed like a contrived way to get another story. I'm sure it's a good production, before reading it was thinking that I'd almost deifnitely see it if I got a ticket, but now I honestly wouldn't bother.

The Last Legionary

A disclaimer first; I was never not going to like this book, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I do. Strangely enough, I had curtailed my budding excitement quite successfully up to the point when I saw the words 'Harry Potter' written in that glorious, glorious script on the front cover and my heart leapt from my chest.
The book/script isn't perfect, the plot at times feels contrived (the writing on the wall of diggory's room?) and rushed, probably to meet the restrictions of the medium, the antagonist feels a little underwhelming (big shoes to fill, in fairness) and obviously some of the scenes would only work in the theatre but the scripts shoehorns in more scenes of emotional power, potter trivia and corny wholesomeness than I would have thought possible in ~300 pages.
Rowling does her old trick of weaving elements of the story from unseen incidents in the previous books. It doesn't work as seamlessly here as it did in 'deathly hallows' mostly I guess because this wasn't pre-planned, whereas the other dramatic 'reveals' were.
That said, the new generation of characters is just as, if not more, endearing and alluring as the old ones. In fact, the old cast leaders move very gracefully into the background to let their sons and daughters carry the flame. Scorpius is my new favourite and Albus a close second. I think this new generation seems even more relatable possibly because they come with such a concrete and beloved backstory, but mostly because of the familiar domestic dynamic which was (necessarily of course) missing from the first set of books.
I'm just so excited about the potential avenues this opens up for the (hate this word) franchise.
PS. Albus and Scorpius should have got together, right?

Ben Gadot

I thought that's where they were going with their friendship but unfortunately they couldn't follow through. Perhaps they thought it'd be a controversial move for two 14 year olds but in this day and age I don't see why.

Albus really is a fascinating character as his struggles run parallel to a certain extent with Harry's. Perhaps that's why Harry struggles so much with Albus' uniqueness as a child: he reminds him of himself.

Whereas with James, he seems to be very much his grandfather's blood: carefree with a mean streak.

The Last Legionary

Yeah, they probably thought that if they made the two leads gay that would become the whole story. Still I don't think its completely out of the question yet.

Ben Gadot

According to Rowling she's done with HP for good now so unfortunately we probably won't see any exploring of their friendship.

I'm sure that won't stop the mountain of fan fiction from running wild though. :P

The Last Legionary

Yeah, where have I heard that before.

EagererBeaver

It was ****e. Will try and give the play a go but as reading material it was awful. A lot of daft plot devices that serve no other purpose than to bring back beloved characters.

McGonagall the only character standing tall from the books.

Rhaegal

Cant believe Rowling approved this, it goes against everything that is canon.

EagererBeaver

Deedsie wrote: »

I'm confused as to why they would choose a black actress to play Hermione though.

I imagine she gave a good audition and she was considered the best person for the role.

Book covers are irrelevant, a decision made by publishers. The books never say Hermione is white, even if that was Rowling's intention (which it obviously was). One of the wonderful things about literature is that we're all free to interpret things differently.

Ben Gadot

Deedsie wrote: »

.

I'm confused as to why they would choose a black actress to play Hermione though. On the cover of Askaban & deathly hallows hermione is clearly a white girl. Surely it almost provoked a response to change a characters ethnicity?

I really enjoyed the book other than that. There is definitely scope for another book.

I don't think it's a major issue for a standalone play but I do have to roll my eyes when I see Rowling say that she never specified Hermoine's race.

But if they decide to adapt this into a film then that's where the issue will be. Film continuity would demand Hermoine and her daughter be white but I could easily see a furore arising.

EagererBeaver

If it wasn't Emma Watson, why would it matter whether a hypothetical film actress was black or white?

Ben Gadot

EagererBeaver wrote: »

If it wasn't Emma Watson, why would it matter whether a hypothetical film actress was black or white?

Because the current film continuity has established the character as white. They could recast the roles as well if they didn't want to age up the original actors again, but Hermione should still be white as it's the same continuity, or should be at least.

It'd be like Christian Bale playing Nolan's Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins only to be replaced by Jamie Foxx in The Dark Knight. It makes no sense continuity wise.

messy tessy

Ben Gadot wrote: »

It makes no sense continuity wise.

There was a lot of continuity issues in Cursed Child, but I think having a black actress play Hermione is at the very bottom of this pile.

EagererBeaver

Ben Gadot wrote: »

Because the current film continuity has established the character as white. They could recast the roles as well if they didn't want to age up the original actors again, but Hermione should still be white as it's the same continuity, or should be at least.

It'd be like Christian Bale playing Nolan's Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins only to be replaced by Jamie Foxx in The Dark Knight. It makes no sense continuity wise.

So her skin colour is different and it's a big issue but having different hair or, being a different height, having a different accent is fine?

Ben Gadot

messy tessy wrote: »

There was a lot of continuity issues in Cursed Child, but I think having a black actress play Hermione is at the very bottom of this pile.

I'm not talking about the play, as I said there's no issue with a black actress taking the role there.

I'm talking about if this play was to be adapted to be a part of the current film continuity, then there would be an issue. Best way I can put it is imagine Emma Watson standing on Platform 9 and 3/4 at the end of the Death Hallows Part 2. Now imagine a different actress of a different ethnicity playing the exact same role at the start of a Cursed Child film, all within the same film continuity.

Bit jarring no?