God, Rowling went Kishimoto. This is Naruto Gaidrn, Harry Potter edition. I need a drink.

 

The similarities are astounding (and disgusting), but those two aren't the first works to pull those stunts. Stuff like naming the kids with names of deceased loved ones and said kid living in the father's shadow because the guy did all kinds of awesome things is pretty common. Usually, the kid won't have a distinctive personality, but rather a mix of the parents and the cool uncle/aunt. Boring.

 

When the spoilers for this first started coming out, I was convinced that it was a very amusing troll. As it stands now, I'm not so sure. Too many people are saying the same things about the plot and it doesn't seem as if anyone is going "gotcha!" afterwards.

Even if just a third of these rumors are true, the general story sounds as if it was inspired by some of the worst tropes in fanfiction.

That said, good acting and decent production values can elevate less than stellar material. The reviews so far seem to point toward that being the case. The published version of the play might be torn a new one, though.

 

Here are my overall thoughts based on the summaries:

1)I'm glad Draco was shown in a more positive light, because it means that the decision to not throw him in prison after the war was the right one.

2) Bellatrix and Voldemort having a kid sounds ridiculous. I wonder if Rodolphus was okay with it.

3) Harry seems a bit OOC but then again maybe not so much. Maybe he just hasn't matured as much as we thought.

4) Rose sounds like a total bitch, I hope she won't end up with Scorp.

5) Did Theodore Nott build the time-turners himself? If he did, they should offer him a position at the Ministry as an inventor or something.

6) Slytherin still sounds like a shithole with a bad reputation. I don't even know why Al and Scorp ended up there. Their actions seem more Gryffindorish.

 

Look everyone the Hero Trilogy features a shopping trip (if I recall correctly, that trip yielded a buzzcut and [I[earring(s)[/I] and may or may not have taken heavy inspiration from The Dark Tower series, but it might actually be better than this play.

I read it long enough ago that I'm willing to recognize that the Hero Trilogy has major flaws and is clearly an early undertaking but for all its trope-y-ness and a certain scene after the planets are zooming around where Harry looks into a normal study with a writing desk... The Hero Trilogy might STILL be better than Cursed Child.

 

That is the definition of a cuck. Sorry

And this... uh... sequel is the definition of jumping the shark. It's like they picked one random story out of the FFN pile of dross dated '08 and said, let's do this one. Or, scratch that, not even a random story. Reading the synopsis to all of this had me laughing for the better part of an hour, at least gotta credit it with that. And then kept me laughing at random times throughout the day.

 

Laughed so hard reading this, especially when I heard Delphi Diggory-Rowle-Lestrange-Riddle has "silver and blue hair".

Everything about this is ridiculous, but that part is my personal favorite; such a small detail but so perfectly bad-fanfic.

I feel entirely vindicated in my "If it wasn't in the books I'm not going to bother reading it" attitude towards interviews/pottermore/this.

 

I've seen this!

I know this is technically a spoiler thread, but I'm not going to talk about the plot itself -- because I completely know how ridiculous it might sound on paper. (That's not me confirming or denying any of the circulating spoilers -- but take it as a hint if you want).

Plot aside, the production itself was brilliant. The actors were fantastic. The set, the soundtrack (especially the soundtrack), the transitions between scenes, the theatre itself, the magic (they literally credited someone as a 'Magical Illusion Specialist' or something similar in the programme) were all completely perfect and very Harry Potter-ish.

I remember Jo mentioning in one of the promotional videos (or articles -- I can't really remember) a while ago that the audience would understand why they chose a play as the avenue for telling this story when they watched it. That's completely true; the story just wouldn't work as a book, or a movie (and I'm hesitant what the reaction will be to the script) -- but as a play? It really worked. I know that's just my opinion--and it's probably a semi-unpopular one--but it was an experience and I'm glad I've seen it. Reading about it really, really wouldn't be the same.

 

I don't think anyone reading a thread for spoilers is particularly interested in someone not spoiling it. We are worried the plot is what was leaked. If that's the case, regardless of how good the actors are, the plot is a piece of terribly written fan fiction that tramples on the buid up of previous characters and also undermines the struggle's characters have had.

Case in point: Harry screaming about Dumbledore abandoning him. He had his cartharsis in DH. This is unnecessary and makes a mockery of the will power that Harry has.

Harry giving his son, who has been sorted into Syltherin, the blanket he was delivered to his spiteful famly in whilst giving his other children a legenrdary magical cloak and fairy wings.

Hermione is the Minister, can't remember if I'm right in saying this was part of the spoilers. She's 40, a muggleborn and is very challenging of Wizarding society. It's wish fulfilment. The other ministers look to be in their 50s at the very least.

I don't know if any of this is true, I hope not, but it doesn't matter if the production is phenomenal. The story is awful and doesn't add to the mythos.

 

Just bought a ticket for £351 (£480 after getting murdered by extra fees). I feel like knowing the plot is shit convinced me, because if the reviews are so good then the acting/production itself must be excellent...and that made me want to see it.

 

I haven't seen or gone looking for any of the leaks, so I'm just going to respond to the specific parts you mentioned here!

I really liked the Harry and Dumbledore scene; it was a raw, emotional moment where Jo finally seemed to show some recognition of the negative effects of Harry's placement with the Dursleys (something which was fairly absent from the books themselves). It showed that Harry's childhood/adolescence did still impact him psychologically, despite the huge time-jump. It just felt like a cathartic, important, and well-placed scene -- and it was one of the moments that the actor playing Harry really, really shone.

As for the blanket: yeah. I think anyone would rather have an invisibility cloak, wouldn't they? It wasn't just "the blanket he was delivered to his spiteful family in" though -- it was the only possession he had from his mother (and later on you see Lily walking baby Harry, who is wrapped up in the blanket) so it had some emotional significance for Harry. Still not as cool as an invisibility cloak.

Hermione as Minister was somewhat wish fulfillment-esque, but it was plausible. She was one of the Golden Trio, an essential figure in the defeat of Voldemort, and 'the brightest witch of her age'. She was given a timeturner at thirteen so she could take extra classes. Definitely plausible!

Honestly, one of my biggest criticisms was probably simply the sorting of Scorpius and Albus. They're both the most Hufflepuff characters I've ever seen (and maybe you could make a convincing argument for Scorpius in Ravenclaw and Albus in Gryffindor) but neither show any particular qualities of a Slytherin -- and that's probably the biggest plot-hole, honestly.

 

Sun: do they ever explain precisely why Petunia kept the blanket for Harry to collect later in life? Because that...doesn't seem like something she'd do, tbh. Maybe regret not keeping it as she gets older, but I honestly can't see her keeping hold of it.

 

Shinysavage I completely agree! Unfortunately, there was no explanation for that at all. When Harry gives the blanket to Albus, he says that Dudley found it in the attic of the Dursleys' house after Petunia passed away, and that he gave it to Harry.

 

It's a fair point about the scene. If it's well written and the actors are good, it would probably be good. But I'd point you to Alan Rickman. His skills made a character like Snape loved by the fandom. It did not change the fact that Snape's actions as a character were horrible or make what he did better.

For me, to have adult Harry suddenly break down 20 years after the fact when he has forgiven Dumbledore whilst in purgatory is the jarring fact. If that scene hadn't happened and perhaps there was some lingering doubts surrounding his feelings towards Dumbledore I could perhaps see that being, in terms of narrative structure, a fantastic continuation of their relationship. However, as it stands, it is not. It's a backpedalling of what occurred during Harry's near death experience.

In regards to the blanket I guess that in the context of the play with Harry not being over his childhood that it would seem to be an emotionally compelling gift. However if we look at it as a whole from the series and the Dursleys treatment of Harry it is a pretty shite gift in comparison to Albus' siblings. Does he explain the significance of it Albus? That would be more palateable if he did.

I think that Rowling forgets about Hermione's negative qualities as a person that makes her, rather like Dumbledore, unfit to be a leader. Harry is probably more suited to lead than her.

I mentioned them in a previous thread but I think that she obeys rules to the letter without any consideration for emotional circumstances, she is arrogant about her brains. She doesn't consider the possibility she is wrong (Harry's Occlumency, the Firebolt, Half Blood Prince, she actually rubs Harry's face in it after he almost murders Malfoy, there's something in DH but it escapes my brain atm). She is also very vindinctive. Ron and Lavender, Harry and the Firebolt, Scabbers.

These qualities don't disappear in the later books so I am unconvinced she would mature past these. Especially since she doesn't have a change of environment for this growth to happen. She becomes Head Girl, goes into the Ministry and begins to try to change things. A lot of the things were probably good but I don't see her in a leadership position working out for any other reason except for wish fulfilment.

In conclusion, the play will be a magnificent production under John Tiffany and in isolation a most enjoyable experience. But it detracts from the franchise and that is something I can't stomach.

Also the prices for the tickets. I'll wait for it to tour Scotland and get a more reasonable price.

 

Just wow...

I guess we all really have to go see it now, just to see where this plot came from.

I mean, what makes Cedric so special that they have to go back and save him? That's really the thing I don't get. Yeah, apparently Amos hasn't been able to move past it almost 25 years later. But with so many people dead in the war, and apparently Scorpius' mom recently deceased, why go back for him?

If you have a timeturner that can go back to whenever you want (and back, parallel universes?), what makes this THE moment to go back to?

And did they invent this rumor about Scorpius being Voldemort's child (or just not Draco's? not clear on that) just so they could go: PLOT TWIST, it's actually the totally not suspicous girl in the Hufflepuff Diggory family with the weirdly colored hair!? If they did the hair colour thing BECAUSE it's such a cliche in anime, I could actually appreciate it. Not taking yourself too seriously can be a good thing.

It would be really really cool if all these people were trolling us, but I've lost hope by now.

 

Two things:

1)Being a leader doesn't mean you have to be a good leader.

2)Sometimes ruthlessness is necessary for leaders.

 

True, you don't need to be exceptionally capable to lead the Ministry, but you do need to be popular. Obviously, Fudge was never particularly good at leading, but he was obsessed with maintaining his image. Hermione though isn't. She's the type of person who would champion her cause no matter how other people viewed her for it. An admirable trait, but not politically convenient.

 

Okay, so I´m in a HP group on facebook and I feel so bad everytime someone says they´re excited for cursed child or pre-ordering the script. I want to tell them how bad it sounds and that it´s like a bad fanfiction (honestly, I wrote that when I was 12). I feel like it´s JKR´s attempt to make more money with the franchise.

 

That's exactly what it is. Harry Potter was her baby she gave birth to him and people want more. I highly doubt this new stuff "Fantastic Beasts" and "Cursed Child" are simply her muse bothering her.

 

What a fucking disappointment. I thought shitty fanfiction was an exaggeration, but no, it really is as bad as shitty fanfiction. I'm actually speechless that this plot could get past, well, anyone.