Book info

• Title Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Journey
• Author Harry Potter Theatrical Productions
• Year 2019
• Genres Non-fiction, Theatre

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is one of the most celebrated stage productions of the past decade. Opening in London's West End in 2016, on Broadway in 2018 and in Melbourne in 2019 - and with more productions worldwide still to come (including San Francisco later this year) - the play has smashed records, collected countless rave reviews and awards, and captivated audiences night after night. Now readers are invited behind the scenes to experience the show's journey to the stage - from the earliest phases of development with producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, to the crafting of the eighth Harry Potter story with J.K. Rowling, director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne, and to the gathering of an extraordinary team of artists and actors together to bring this new part of Harry's story to life.

Review

I wrote previously that the script version of this new Harry Potter play was one of the first times I’d been actively waiting for a book to come out and reading it at midnight when it arrived. I saw the play as soon as I could and was astounded at the results.

So this short book about how the play came together was, of course, right up my street. It’s a fascinating look from the producers at every corner of bringing the two-part production to life. From the early days of meeting JK Rowling and coming up with an idea, through the writing and rewriting process, through first rehearsals to tech run-throughs, make-up, costume, illusions, and finally the opening nights across the world.

Pictures, videos and snippets from diaries and notebooks help to illustrate the story but ultimately this is just a love letter to the incredibly hard work put in to create another piece of the Harry Potter history.

Rating: 4 / 5