Multi-award theatrical show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child celebrated its first birthday in Melbourne’s Princess Theatre on the 1st March 2020. Due to the overwhelming response, this sensational record-breaking show has announced its 7th extension until 13th September 2020. Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp in her speech welcomed the good news and said that more than 300,000 from near and far have seen the show making this a premier attraction of the state.

It has been 23 years since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. The story started off with a boy named Harry whose parents were killed by Voldemort, the Dark Lord who is also known as He Who Must Not Be Named. Harry was later recruited into Hogwarts where he became best friends with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Even though Harry was slightly lost at first, his unwavering courage and persistence lead him to become a great wizard. With the help of his friends and allies, he successfully overcame countless obstacles that came his way. In the end, he recovered the truth of his parents’ mysterious death, defeated Voldemort and fell in love with Ron’s younger sister, Ginny Weasley.

Unlike the Harry Potter we know from the book series and shows, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a theatre show that revolves around the next generation, that being the children of Harry Potter and others. In this show, parenting, family bonding and friendship are the core take home values. Have you ever imagined the sons of Harry Potter and his sworn enemy Draco Malfoy becoming good friends? In this show, Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy did exactly that, leaving their parents in frustration. Harry struggled communicating with his son whereas Albus felt like he had an obligation to fix the wrong his father had done that caused Cedric Diggory’s death. The author has cleverly integrated the issues parents and their children face today into a world filled with magic, fantasy and drama. The 2 parts to this show will definitely leave one in awe!

However, one would have to have a brief idea of the original Harry Potter stories to be able to fully understand and enjoy the show or they might be left confused. On another note, many might be a bit lost at the beginning as the Hermione we all know who is ‘White’ is instead ‘Black’ here. The creator explained during an interview in The Observer that Olivier-award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni was the best actor for the job.

In conclusion, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a must watch for those that grew up with Harry Potter! It gives fans some sort of closure, especially for those craving to know what happened after Harry fell in love and started a family. The storyline, performance and special effects were extremely well portrayed and professionally executed! It is definitely of world class tier! 

2020年3月1日，《哈利波特与被诅咒的孩子》在墨尔本公主剧院庆祝了首个生日庆典活动。由于观众反应热烈，加上破纪录的演出上座率，已宣布第七次加场延至2020年9月13日。墨尔本市长Sally Capp在演讲中对这一大好消息表示欢迎。她说，来自各地的30多万人观赏了这场精彩演出，使之成为吸引游客来墨尔本的主要卖点之一。

距离第一部小说《哈利波特与魔法石》在1997年6月26日出版，至今已有23个年头。故事的一开始是诉说一名双亲都被伏地魔所杀害的男孩。后来他被招进了霍格沃茨魔法学校，在那里他遇到了校内最好的朋友赫敏和罗恩，当然还有死对头德拉科。哈利是充满好奇心，勇敢而自信的男孩，在巫师精灵世界的朋友和盟友的帮助下，克服了无数的障碍。最后他揭开了父母神秘的死亡真相，击败了伏地魔，收获爱情。

众所周知，作者J.K.罗琳写了7本书，其中与大银幕和《哈利波特》系列不同的是，《哈利波特与被诅咒的孩子》却是一部讲述下一代故事的舞台剧，也是亲子关系、建立感情和友谊的内核故事。想象一下，当哈利的儿子阿布斯波特和德拉科的儿子斯科皮乌斯成为好朋友时，哈利和德拉科这对不共戴天的敌人会是什么感觉？哈利与阿布斯之间的交流，还有养育阿布斯过程的挫败感，而阿布斯觉得自己有义务纠正父亲造成塞德里死亡的错误。作者巧妙地把今天的父母和孩子的关系融入了魔法、幻想和戏剧的世界。伏地魔的独生女特尔斐现身的情节确实有趣，她一路精心布局，假扮成阿布斯和斯科皮乌斯的朋友来救她的父亲黑魔王。而他们都需要时光倒流器才能回到过去，这两个部分大约需要4个小时，将引导观众透过戏剧性的情景细节，感受且深陷其中。

然而，要想理解和欣赏《哈利波特与被诅咒的孩子》，你必须了解之前的《哈利波特》故事，否则你可能会觉得摸不着边际。另一方面，很多人一开始可能觉得很困惑，因为23年来一直是“白人”的赫敏现在变成了“黑人”。这位《哈利波特》的作者在接受《观察家报》采访时解释说，奥利弗奖最佳女主角的获得者Noma Dumezweni表演非常出色。

总之，这部舞台剧对于那些和哈利波特一起长大的人来说是必看的作品，也提供粉丝们一个结局句点，尤其是对于那些渴望知道这名神奇的男孩在多年后坠入爱河，成立了家庭，会有什么后续发展的人们来说。故事情节、表演和特效都是经过深思熟虑的专业制作，这是一场世界级的舞台表演。

By CHT