Harry Potter & the Cursed Child on Stage
Sunday, January 26
I left Canterbury early in the morning to travel to London Charing Cross, a direct train that took about 1.5 hours. I got on the Underground at Charing Cross to Leicester Square--the nearest Tube station to the Palace Theater, where Harry Potter & the Cursed Child plays. I was so excited about this day.
Immediately out of the Tube, I was greeted by massive crowds and the Chinese New Year parade which was really cool, but certainly chaotic and congested.
I was using BagBnB to store my small suitcase for the day because I couldn't check into my hotel until after 3:00 pm and the first part of the play began at 1:00 pm. Leaving your luggage in a basement storage area of a tiny tourist store does feel a little shady, but it's cheap (£5) and serves the purpose. I've done it twice now and would recommend it.
I found the BagBnB place and dropped off my bag, then walked to the theater to pick up my tickets at the box office. After this I just walked around a bit more, running into the parade again and trying to find a place to have a coffee and early lunch. I ended up at a cafe called Joe & the Juice (which I guess is actually a chain and has stores in the US). Here's a random pretty building that I saw on my walk.
The theater doors opened at noon and I got there to stand in line probably around that time. The show started at 1:00, so once inside we had a while to wait. Each level of the theater conveniently had a bar, but I just stood around looking at the program getting choked up about it. HP makes me emotional, man. I just love it so much.
I had to go up probably five flights of stairs to get to my seat in the highest balcony. As you can imagine, the tickets are quite expensive and I didn't want to spend a ton on this. You can easily spend hundreds of pounds on these tickets. Luckily I like sitting in the back anyway. The theater is beautiful inside and was much smaller than I expected. I wish you could tell how steep the stairs were in the upper sections. Very easy to tumble down if you misstep.
I had brought with me tiny binoculars because I knew I'd be so far away. I was glad to have them. I could see what was happening from my seat without them, but with the binoculars everything was just much more clear. Each seat also had binoculars that you could pay to use for £1, which was cute (but germy).
I won't write about the play, even though I REALLY WANT TO. I Googled beforehand if I should know something about the story and the internet said no. I'm so glad I knew nothing about it going in, so I won't share. But if you have the chance to see it, YOU NEED TO DO IT. If you know the HP stories and like it even a little, you HAVE TO GO. All I'll say is that it's 19 years after Harry leaves Hogwarts and it follows the next generation of kids (Harry and Ginny's kids, Ron and Hermione's kids, Draco's kid). Almost all the characters we know and love are in it as adults, even if it's just a short appearance.
The acting was brilliant. The new characters are so lovable. The casting was perfect. The sets were incredible. They did actual magic that I don't understand. The story was well done. I smiled the whole time, even when I cried. The audience reactions were exactly what you want--we all laughed at the same references and booed at the right times. It was done in two parts and equaled 5.5 hours of theater in one day. (You can also come back on consecutive days.) The time flew and I didn't want it to end. I would love to see it again someday. Maybe in the future it will play in Chicago. I am glad I got to see it in London, though, where it all began.
Here's a photo of Chinatown that I walked through on my way back to the theater for part two. I don't think of myself as much of a big city gal, but I really love London.
I left Canterbury early in the morning to travel to London Charing Cross, a direct train that took about 1.5 hours. I got on the Underground at Charing Cross to Leicester Square--the nearest Tube station to the Palace Theater, where Harry Potter & the Cursed Child plays. I was so excited about this day.
Immediately out of the Tube, I was greeted by massive crowds and the Chinese New Year parade which was really cool, but certainly chaotic and congested.
I was using BagBnB to store my small suitcase for the day because I couldn't check into my hotel until after 3:00 pm and the first part of the play began at 1:00 pm. Leaving your luggage in a basement storage area of a tiny tourist store does feel a little shady, but it's cheap (£5) and serves the purpose. I've done it twice now and would recommend it.
I found the BagBnB place and dropped off my bag, then walked to the theater to pick up my tickets at the box office. After this I just walked around a bit more, running into the parade again and trying to find a place to have a coffee and early lunch. I ended up at a cafe called Joe & the Juice (which I guess is actually a chain and has stores in the US). Here's a random pretty building that I saw on my walk.
The theater doors opened at noon and I got there to stand in line probably around that time. The show started at 1:00, so once inside we had a while to wait. Each level of the theater conveniently had a bar, but I just stood around looking at the program getting choked up about it. HP makes me emotional, man. I just love it so much.
I had to go up probably five flights of stairs to get to my seat in the highest balcony. As you can imagine, the tickets are quite expensive and I didn't want to spend a ton on this. You can easily spend hundreds of pounds on these tickets. Luckily I like sitting in the back anyway. The theater is beautiful inside and was much smaller than I expected. I wish you could tell how steep the stairs were in the upper sections. Very easy to tumble down if you misstep.
 |
| There is a balcony even higher than what is pictured here. |
 |
| This was essentially where I was sitting except on the other side of the aisle. |
I had brought with me tiny binoculars because I knew I'd be so far away. I was glad to have them. I could see what was happening from my seat without them, but with the binoculars everything was just much more clear. Each seat also had binoculars that you could pay to use for £1, which was cute (but germy).
I won't write about the play, even though I REALLY WANT TO. I Googled beforehand if I should know something about the story and the internet said no. I'm so glad I knew nothing about it going in, so I won't share. But if you have the chance to see it, YOU NEED TO DO IT. If you know the HP stories and like it even a little, you HAVE TO GO. All I'll say is that it's 19 years after Harry leaves Hogwarts and it follows the next generation of kids (Harry and Ginny's kids, Ron and Hermione's kids, Draco's kid). Almost all the characters we know and love are in it as adults, even if it's just a short appearance.
The acting was brilliant. The new characters are so lovable. The casting was perfect. The sets were incredible. They did actual magic that I don't understand. The story was well done. I smiled the whole time, even when I cried. The audience reactions were exactly what you want--we all laughed at the same references and booed at the right times. It was done in two parts and equaled 5.5 hours of theater in one day. (You can also come back on consecutive days.) The time flew and I didn't want it to end. I would love to see it again someday. Maybe in the future it will play in Chicago. I am glad I got to see it in London, though, where it all began.
Here's a photo of Chinatown that I walked through on my way back to the theater for part two. I don't think of myself as much of a big city gal, but I really love London.
