"The first 15min of the show are confusing and exhausting. The actors are running around a lot and yelling at each other - it was so bad, I thought about leaving.
But then all of a sudden it gets really good. The special effects are amazing, the story is exciting and the actors are great.
You need to be familiar with the Harry Potter story in order to understand the plot. My 10 year old daughter, who has only read 2 Harry Potter books, was not able to understand who is who and what is happening. "
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Petra F from Larnaca on Aug 9, 2025
A fine show
"Took our 12 year old kiddo to see Harry Potter - it took a bit of explaining on what was going. The beginning moves really quickly now that they’ve combined parts 1 and 2 and it wasn’t always easy to hear. The show may be in need of a refresh or a guest actor. The technology used was fun to see. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Jun 2, 2025
not so much my cup of tea
"I appreciate all the special effects, but I did not find the story so compelling. BTW, I have read and enjoyed all the Harry Potter novels."
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Broadway.com Customer on Mar 20, 2025
Incredible special effects, rapid dialogue, show a little too long
"The story was interesting though the dialogue was too rapid and difficult to follow. The show was very long, too long for my 12 year old son. The special effects were incredible. "
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Jill G from Reston on Jan 6, 2025
Too Long
"The acting and the special effects were terrific. Just outstanding. I applaud the stage directing. The show was 3 hours long, which if you are bringing kids, is much too long. Also, the story is much too detailed and some of the redundancies could have been skipped. You need to be a real Harry Potter wonk to follow the story line. "
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James W from San Francisco on Dec 22, 2024
hard to to follow.
"From the first balcony, we could not hear most of the dialogue. The special effect were clever but the plot was incomprehensible."
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Timothy M from Wichita on Dec 12, 2024
Outstanding Special Effects
"We had relatives visiting from Italy and their 10 yr old son is a big Harry Potter Fan so we thought this would be a great experience. We were very disappointed that the translation app from the theater DID NOT have an option for Italian (it had 30 different and obscure languages). That being said, the play itself is fun, full of 'magic' and the sets/effects were amazing. It was however, very long (3.5 hours). It is not for everyone. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 19, 2024
Just ok
"I see many shows, I found the dialogue hard to hear/make out - I sat in row E center so was close to stage
The effects were awesome
I don’t know the Harry Potter storyline so that may have impacted my thoughts. Would be great for kids from an effects standpoint but it’s also looong lol - I nice night out in NYC but don’t feel it lived up to the hype "
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Broadway.com Customer on Aug 22, 2024
Get good and comfortable....
"The 3 hour show was too long, and the storyline was confusing. It took awhile to see where the storyline was going. Who was the cursed child? The special effects were pretty good. "
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Jayne R from Avon on Aug 19, 2024
Disappointed
"I felt the show was overhyped for what it was. Also was told you did not have to be a Harry Potter fan to enjoy, which did not hold true. The special effects were good if you have never seen major magic and illusionist shows before. Would recommend for children and their parents, as well as definitely only extreme Harry Potter fans."
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John M from Roswell on Oct 20, 2025
A Treat for Harry Potter Fans
"This play got decidedly mixed reviews from my family. First the good news: The special effects were great. The many deft visual effects made this a special Broadway-caliber experience. (The theater was beautiful.) We all agreed the acting was top notch. We are not rabid Harry Potter fans, however. We felt that there was material the true Potter fans were reacting to that went over our heads. The writing accomplished something amazing: we felt the story was rushed and too drawn out at the same time! Three hours was simply too long to sit through and despite the length we felt that some of the character development was lacking. Several of the scary parts were too much for my 8 year old. I'd suggest age 10 and above for this play. Overall, I'd recommend to big fans of the Potter series, but casual fans can skip this one."
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Broadway.com Customer on Jan 27, 2025
Special effects
"The special effects were amazing. The actors did a wonderful job with their lines. The play starts off very slow but thankfully it picks up! "
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Broadway.com Customer on Dec 28, 2024
Not what I expected
"The special effects were great! We all loved those. But I have read all the books and seen all the movies and was a little confused the first part of it and thought it was a musical instead of a play but that didn't really bother me. It just okay...just not one of my favorites at all."
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Broadway.com Customer on Dec 5, 2024
Disappointing characters
"The magic and theatricality were engaging. The characterisation was not. Albus Potter didn’t look, sound or move like a teenager. He and many of the others gave one note performances. Shouting, rushing about and speaking quickly isn’t the only way to convey complex emotions. The special effects were terrific and towards the end there were moments of genuine drama. Read a synopsis first because the plot is very dense. "
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Kathy G from Sydney on Oct 16, 2024
A bit disappointed
"It’s not a musical but sold as such
Way too long and besides the effects, the script itself was not as engaging
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Broadway.com Customer on Jul 13, 2024
The thin strain holding it all together
"The elements of the show pertaining magic and scene work is impressive, and the Malfoy boy's acting was marvelous, but that is all that can be said on the positive side for this show. The plot itself is super thin, and we are left with alot of plot-contradictions. This is sub-par all of the harry potter books + movies by a long shot, and this extends even the Fantastic beasts movies.."
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Broadway.com Customer on Apr 24, 2025
Could be wrapped up thighter
"The show have great special effects. The magical is there. Visually, this is at the top for a broadway show. However, the scenario is weak and the lines are unconsistent. The dialogues are either talked way too fast, or are very very slow. Some scenes are not that relevant and just seem to be an excuse to pack all details of the serie of movie. It makes some part boring, useless and even in contradiction with the real story of Harry Potter (Snape is alive, Harry’s mom and Hermione are now afro-americans, and McGonagal is the principal despite 20 years later…). Many scenes could have been tighten if not cut completly, which would have make the show much more dynamic. Even more the last looooooong predictable monologue at the end. The show does too much too many for nothing, and 3 hours how monologues difficult to hear could be very long for kids. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Jan 5, 2025
It’s.. odd
"I assume part of the issue is merging it from two plays to one, but the pacing is awful. The effects are fantastic, the story is.. convoluted and a bit unnecessary, the acting is meh.. a bit too much shouting lines at each other.
Overall it's fine? Not something I'd see again but it's harry potter so it's fun enough."
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Broadway.com Customer on Dec 14, 2024
Don’t go unless you are extremely knowledgeable about history/Harry Potter
"The special affects were amazing. If you are not deeply knowledgeable about the Harry Potter history, you have no idea what is going on. By the end I got the drift but story line was convoluted. 2 of our group liked it a lot but they were very knowledgeable about potter past. Would not recommend "
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 17, 2024
Disappointed
"I did not like that story lines were changed from the way it was written. None of the characters were endearing and did not develop an emotional interest. It was just a long, when will it end, play. I kept trying to “root” for ANY of the characters, but by the end, I really didn’t care. We looked forward to this a long time and assumed it would be “wonderful, magical, fantastic…” it was not."
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 24, 2024
The plot wasn’t good enough
"The plot felt like it wasn’t well-thought-out. It felt like the writers knew the audience liked the 4th movie and they just rehashed it.. the tricks were very good and cool but we thought it wasn’t enough."
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Broadway.com Customer on Sep 15, 2024
OG Harry Potter Fan
"The effects in this were truly magical! The story line itself felt out of place for the original Harry Potter Series. "
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Carlyle J from Layton on Jul 30, 2024
Convoluted, pretentious, and empty.
"I so wanted to love this show. And after 5 minutes I knew I would leave feeling so disappointed and empty handed.
I have seen hundreds of musicals and plays and shows, everywhere.
And here, of all things, there was no magic.
No magic feeling, no sense of wonder, no mystery.
Special effects? Abundantly, sure. Some spectacular, most just average.
The music has no flavor, the acting is plain and rushed, boy I could spend the whole day sharing details about this show not being able to deliver the "It's time to believe in magic again" promise.
I hate to have hated it.
I stayed until the very end, feeling more and more bored and tired of it all. I could have left after those first five minutes, when I already knew, and saved myself three hours of nonsense."
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Norberto J from Miami on Apr 17, 2025
Much too long
"I liked the idea of the plot but it was too long. I don’t think children would be able to understand it or have the attention span needed for over three hours. The dialogue was hard to understand because of the fake British accents and the actors were almost stepping on each other’s lines. The special effects were done really well. If you enjoy a magic show, then this would be great, but it was only marginally good for a play."
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John Y from Celebration on Aug 24, 2024
Not for me
"Lovely theater but very hard to hear some of the actors. Effects were great, play was too long. If you don’t know the Harry Potter story, don’t go. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Jul 13, 2024
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About
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Adventure runs in the family. When Harry Potter’s head-strong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all—with the power to change the past and future forever. Prepare for a mind-blowing race through time, spectacular spells, and an epic battle, all brought to life with the most astonishing theatrical magic ever seen on stage. “You’ll be wondering ‘how’d they do that?’ for days to come” (People Magazine).
Experience the wizarding world like never before from the moment you arrive. The entire theatre has been transformed with hidden surprises to discover around every corner. “It’s a marvel of imagination, as magical as any spell or potion” (The New York Times).
