"On the positive - special effects were amazing. We couldn't figure out how they disappeared and reappeared. The story was east enough to follow but at times was a little confusing. Three of the four of us had read the books and seen all the movies. It was at times hard to understand their voices with the accents. Knowing the background of Harry Potter is important as one person who never saw any movies or read books had no understanding of the show. I would not recommend this show for anyone under the age of 10 as at times it gets very dark and scary "
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Kim S from Franklin Square on Sep 1, 2024
Harry Potter
"The show was very good, although very long, staging was good, special affects were very clever."
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christine u from Waterlooville on Aug 22, 2024
We went to matinee with tons of kids from camp who enjoyed it immensely.
"The backstory kept me informed and able to follow the characters. My daughter was well versed in Harry Potter ans I am not. We both enjoyed the show and the actors were great. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Aug 8, 2024
Entertaining
"We were in NYC and wanted to see a show that would appeal to a range of audiences. We had adults and children in our group, including one person who has never seen the Harry Potter movies or read the books. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child looked like fun, but we didn't expect a great story or script.
First, let's look at the parts that exceeded our expectations. The best part about the play had to be the special effects. There was "magic" infused throughout the production via clever choreography, ingenious props, innovative lighting, suspension wires, and actual pyrotechnics. And these magical moments were strategically placed intermittently throughout the production to keep audience members of all ages gasping in disbelief.
We were also relieved to discover that this is not a musical. The target audience for this play includes young'uns, and the two teenagers in our group were pleased to learn the characters did not spontaneously burst into song every so often.
The set was incredible. I am not sure if viewers will get the full experience in another venue, but the set production at the Lyric Theater in NYC was mesmerizing.
One more thing that went above our initial hopes was the story. I won't ruin it if you don't know the story already, but suffice it to say that it was a gripping story, very cleanly divided into a conflict that built up in the first half leading to the intermission, and a resolution that came in the second half.
A few things that were just OK...
The sound wasn't great. The actors were mic'd, but the volume was so low that it was often difficult to hear what was being said. A few of us sat in the orchestra, and others in our group in the balcony. All of us experienced moments where we just couldn't hear what was being said.
It was also a bit long - could have easily been shortened by 30 minutes.
Last but not least, with the exception of a couple of players, the acting was very good, but not great. "
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Benjamin D from Santa Ana on Jul 26, 2024
"Amazing special effects! Just a bit too long."
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Broadway.com Customer on Jul 14, 2024
Ok in many ways
"The special effects were wonderful, the script good except there were too many canned lines that just weren’t funny to me or fell flat. The announcements none of us could hear them unless the ushers were 10 feet in front of you.
The pros were the actors, the plot line and the special effects "
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Broadway.com Customer on May 7, 2026
Spectacular visuals and cast but not Harry Potter
"The stage craft cannot be exaggerated here it is the best I've ever seen in my many years of attending theater. It looks like real magic. The actors (especially Felton and the kid who played Scorpius) also do a good job with what they are given.
Sadly while improved from the original published script the core story still suffers from the same issues of character assasination, plot contrivance, and blatant ignoring of established Harry Potter lore that make it less an eighth installment and more a poorly written but impressively performed fanfic. (Remember folks this was NOT written by Rowling she okied the work of the two authors hence the dissonance in quality)
I'd recommend going (at the lower price no need for premium tickets) for the sake of the effects and the actors especially Felton. But I still don't count it as canon."
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Broadway.com Customer on Apr 19, 2026
I was good with first act.
"First portion of second act was long and tedious for a non-HP theatre goer. I did enjoy the well-done great special effects.
Lots of marketing going on within theatre environs.
Why do some people insist on jumping up and running to exit when show is finished or worse yet, pushing through around people exiting. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Apr 5, 2026
A difficult one to rate
"It was definitely for a Harry Potter fan, as you needed to have some sort of knowledge of the entire series to keep up. The lines were sometimes difficult to understand through their English drawls. Overall, act 2 got better, but this was a difficult 3 hours to sit through…."
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Glynn W from Tampa on Aug 30, 2025
After seeing everything else… finally saw HPCC
"The acting was decent. The special effects super amazing and fun. Plot was more than most children could follow. Many children just asleep in the theater. A lot of the joke didn’t land. I laughed but most around me in the orchestra didn’t seem to understand the humor. Very odd for the audience not to laugh. The crowd was very intense. Overall would not recommend and would recommend The Play That Goes Wrong for family fun. Though this was amazing visually!! I can not say that enough. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Aug 28, 2025
Amazing Effects
"This was visually spectacular. A little scary for smaller crowds. I don’t think that every show needs a romance factor though and it feels like a stretch from some of the personalities of the original characters. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Aug 15, 2025
It was good
"I really enjoyed the magic tricks but I did not like the story line. I was confused at first and then I felt like the story line was just dragged out for so long. I’m glad I was able to experience my first broadway show but maybe I should have chose another one. "
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Amanda O from Houston on Aug 13, 2025
Great special effects, but a bit too hectic
"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
Disappointing
"The special effects were great. Story line rather hard to follow. Maybe fine if you are a real Harry Potter fan. The actors were just so so in my opinion. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Apr 9, 2026
A Harry Potter story told on fast forward
"The production values are very high quality. My primary criticism is that each scene seems to last something on the average of a few minutes at a time. Basically, it's either a TikTok version of Harry Potter, or watching an actual play with the fast forward button stuck to on."
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Broadway.com Customer on Mar 27, 2026
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
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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).
