Magic can be many things. It can be sleight of hand or unexplained occurrences. It can be a feeling or a relationship. It can be a childhood story of a boy who is born a wizard…
Yes, Harry Potter has been that character, and Hogwarts that world, in which we have allowed the idea of magic to blur the lines between what’s real and unreal for years. And the newest North American tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which has opened in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre and runs until February 1, 2025, is keeping the magic alive for us. (Especially all of us who have been fans since Potter’s inception.)
This six-time Tony Award winner opened as a two-part show in London in 2016, then was reconceptualized as a one-night performance that is now going into its seventh year. Now, it will be traveling across the country, with Chicago as its first stop.
There are a few magical elements particularly worth lauding: the mesmerizing illusions, the story’s twists of time, and the dusting of blissful nostalgia over the entire evening.
Right from the start, we enter a world unlike our own, where unbelievable things blossom before our eyes, thanks to the illusions and magic work of Jamie Harrison. It isn’t so much that the special effects are big and splashy in scope (although, at times they are, which satisfies the craving for the grandeur of a fantastical world), but it’s that even the smallest flick of the wrist or swish of a cloak results in a disappearance or a burst of light so seamlessly executed that straining to look for traps and wires is fruitless.
The cast, a few who are debuting their Broadway tour talents, so effortlessly make such magic happen. Their confidence, poise, and nimbleness leave behind any doubts that the wizarding world is fiction.
Most exciting is the continuation of a story that was bookended years ago. In fact, it all
begins where we left off—Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s own children are now at Hogwarts. With Emmet Smith (Albus Potter) and Aidan Close (Scorpius Malfoy) steering the next generation with wit and complexity, new relationships are formed and fresh perspectives are revealed.
We meet new witches and wizards, descendants of beloved characters, and still have the chance to look back on the quintessential people, places, and events from the novels and movies—all with the help of an old favorite, the Time-Turner. This back and forth on the Potter timeline really hits the heart strings for those who grew up waiting for the books to find their way to shelves or for the movies to hit the theaters. And successfully eking out this nostalgia while introducing new ideas is essential for such a high-stakes performance.
Here we are together again, a community of people who know and love this magical universe, inside and out. The evening transports us back to a place where magic is tangible and true in so many ways. While I’m not a child consuming these stories anymore, I’m still coming to the theater for more—still holding out for an owl with a letter from Hogwarts to arrive on my doorstep. It feels good to keep believing.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is playing at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, now until February 1, 2025. Tickets begin at $49, and you can find more information on broadwayinchicago.com. To learn more about the national tour, visit tour.harrypottertheplay.com.
Cover photo: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. North American Tour. Photo by
Matthew Murphy.
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