Of dozens of possible stage plays to see in London, I chose 5+ hours of Harry Potter. I was keen to see magic stagecraft. And it was pretty cool.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a two-part stage play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by Thorne, J. K. Rowling and John Tiffany.

It premiered on 30 July 2016.

The story begins nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and follows Harry Potter, now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his younger son Albus Severus Potter, who is about to attend Hogwarts …

One of the hashtags is #KeepTheSecrets … so I don’t want to reveal any spoilers.

I can say that my favourite character is Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Harry’s former nemesis Draco Malfoy.

Ron Weasley is entertaining, too.

The Palace Theatre, London is an appropriate venue. Very evocative of the Potter look and feel. Chairs are tiny, however.

The plot is dumb. I overheard people saying the action was rushed.  Personally I was happy they kept things moving quickly. I did fall asleep at one point.

Bottom line — Harry Potter fanatics will enjoy the stage play.

Regular fans like myself will enjoy a few scenes. Be impressed by the magic. But ultimately find the story too saccharine and predictable.

related review  – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, review: A magical experience tailor made for the stage