Harry Potter and the Cursed Child finally arrives in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, and for what I watched at opening night yesterday, the jaw-dropping wonder of seeing the incredible special effects and experiencing the fantastic soundtrack by Imogen Heap cover up the over-the-top forced acting from most of the main cast and the rushed blitz pace of the first act.

While nothing can fix the rushed nature due to this version being shortened for North American audiences (only the original UK version shows the play as two three-hour parts), I hope that the cast mellow out their need to over-act in their four-month run here because there is an undeniable heartfelt and magical show once the rough edges are smoothed out.

As a millennial, the world of Harry Potter was everything for my childhood. Memories of getting the books one by one as they released were some of my fondest considering that they were the few times I actually read a book with such voracious appetite. So it’s safe to say that Cursed Child scratches that Potter itch for myself (a complicated itch I must say, considering the creator’s f**k it money attitude towards the trans community) even though the actual source material is at best fan fiction quality.

Fan fiction or not, the play is officially considered canon as the original story was co-created by J.K. Rowling. Its indulgence on the time travel plot device gets a little old and too convenient at times but the strength and true heart of the play script lies solely in the relationship between Harry Potter’s son Albus and Draco Malfoy’s son Scorpius.

But let’s be real, the biggest drawing factor of the show is the magic because there are so many “how the heck did they do that?” moments that will enthrall both the young and old. The original soundtrack from Imogen Heap may seem odd at first especially for those who are so accustomed to the iconic John Williams soundtrack but it absolutely works for this play and only adds to the whimsical and mystical nature of the show. That being said, these two elements are the strongest attributes as the forced acting from the majority of the cast does the play a disservice as there were many moments that the actors pushed the comedic and dramatic moments to an unnecessary degree.

Unfortunately, the most jarring was Naiya Vanessa McCalla who played Rose Granger-Weasley as she resorted to aggressively shouting most of her lines. I no doubt believe McCalla is a talented actress and can only hope that she doesn’t need to force her line delivery so much in future performances. The condensed nature of the play from two three-hour acts to just one three-hour show may also attribute to the pushed style of acting as everything is so rushed, especially in the first part. Having seen the original UK version, there are many subtle nuanced moments that are sacrificed for the sake of length and the performances suffer greatly for it. Unfortunately, one will need to go the United Kingdom to enjoy the full experience.

There has been much discussion about the decision to cast Hermione Granger with a Black actress for this play and since its world premiere at the West End, all productions have followed suit with this casting choice. I say, why stop there? From all of the production cast lists I’ve seen, all theatre companies have played it safe to cast most of the main cast with white actors. Why not a Korean Snape? A mixed South Asian Harry Potter? A Latino Scorpius or Draco Malfoy? Also why limit it to just one Black actor for the main leading roles? It seems rather limiting to have the main “diversity hire” be only for Hermione and her daughter Rose when you can open up the casting circle to unlimited possibilities. It doesn’t seem that being natively British was a requirement for the casting so if that is the case, the play only benefits from having a more evident global majority presence. I particularly can go on and on about Harry Potter being mixed South Asian as it would completely add to the ‘outsider’ element that he experienced in his childhood.

The show does have heart though and there are some rather beautiful scenes between Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, with the revised condensed version adding more of a potential romantic context between them. Similar to the diversity challenge I presented earlier, I say why stop there? It is undeniable the two boys love each other and while none of them explicitly say “I love you” to each other or share a physical romantic affection, the feeling is there and it is for the better that we have less queerbaiting and more outright admission of love. Aidan Close as Scorpius Malfoy and Emmet Smith as Albus Potter anchor the show wonderfully and while Close has a tendency to milk the comedic moments a little too long, he absolutely breaks our hearts when he releases his pent up frustration of his familial upbringing. For fans of Severus Snape, there are some tremendous scenes involving him that are played to droll perfection by Larry Yando (who does a fantastic chameleon job also playing Albus Dumbledore and Amos Diggory).

I actually look forward to watching this show one more time in its closing weeks to see if this rendition will smooth out the acting edges because I think there’s more to explore and relish for the cast where the drama and comedy does not need to be pushed so hard. But everything else? It’s just pure magic. Tickets are now available for purchase in Los Angeles here till June 22, 2025 and may also be purchased in person at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre box office. For current box office operating hours, please visit the official website. The next best availability for tickets begins in performances in March.

There is also the Golden Snitch Digital Lottery will offer a limited number of $40 tickets for every performance in Los Angeles exclusively through the official Broadway in Hollywood App. The app can be downloaded by visiting www.BroadwayInHollywood.com/App. For ALL performances, the digital lottery will open at 11am two days prior to the desired performance and will close one day prior at 10am. Tickets will be available for lottery winners beginning two hours prior to the posted curtain time at the box office with valid ID. Lottery tickets are void if resold.

For more details and restrictions, download the app, and visit the Lottery section on the Tickets tab — or visit www.BroadwayInHollywood.com/Lottery for more info.