Harry Potter And The Cursed Child – Palace Theatre – 09.04.2017

Well…I remember laughing at my best friend when she got ticket for this show in October 2015. I remember thinking “Seriously?”, like it would be totally out of sorts to get tickets for something one and a half year in advance.
Funny, that, as nowadays, each and every single show until May 2017 is completely sold out and the next batch of tickets is being released in 2 weeks for three more months (May 2018 – July 2018). And ever since I booked tickets for “Hamilton”, I now know NOT to laugh about booking ages in advance. Especially after I’ve seen this show last weekend.

But let me start.

I’ve never been a huge Potter-Fan. Sure, I read the books, and I thoroughly enjoyed them, and I also still think that Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint were the perfect choice for Harry, Hermione & Ron. But somehow, the movies never gripped me as tight as the books; I remember sitting through the last 200 pages of “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”, bawling my eyes out over the brilliance with what those last few pages have been written, with how much suspense and emotion they were put down to paper…and then sitting halfway through the “Deathly Hallows Part 2” movie, thinking: “What a load of crap, that end. Too rushed. Too very different from the heartbreaking suspense in the book. Did they even read it?” From that moment it was clear that I would never be a, as you call them, “Potterhead”.

But the play, it intrigued me, if only for the fact that information about it before it opened was scarce, and even when the previews started, it was all kept totally secret, people not being allowed to bring their phones or to say anything about it at all. It’s like being something forbidden, something you need to wait really long for to really deserve it. It seemed like the best-kept secret in the West End, and all this time, until last sunday, I didn’t really hear anything about it that could give something away and somewhat ruin my experience when I finally got to see both parts, thanks to my sister’s friend giving me her tickets as she couldn’t attend her planned weekend in London, so I could come all the way down to see it from Germany. (I LOVE her for that, btw).  So here goes the actual review.

First surprise when I got in: half of our Cast were Understudy – instead of Jamie Parker as Harry, we had Stuart Ramsay, our Hermione was Alexa Nicolas instead of Noma Dumezweni, and Scorpius Malfoy was played by James LeLacheur, not Anthony Boyle. At first, it was a small downer, as naturally, you’d hope for the complete first Cast; but, knowing the theatre business, you can’t always have that, and sometimes, the show you’re seeing turns out to be even better with the Understudies….and boy, THAT show was proof of HOW much better it was.

2nd surprise: the stage wasn’t covered up. On the contrary; after each interval, the scenery on stage changed and looked different. Especially the one after Part 1, or rather, when you come back in for the 1st Act of Part 2, was amazing. I’m always a friend of the darker sceneries, to be honest.

Now, the much praised effects. I knew that “Harry Potter And The Cursed Child” had some technical doings and standards that none other show on the West End had ever done before – which was probably the biggest reason why I was so intrigued: everybody talked about how they used new techniques, left the audience in awe with things you just can’t explain how they happened. And to be fair: I DON’T even want to know how they work, because to me, that takes away a bit of the magic, you know? But I also have to be fair when I say that I thought theere would be more effects in it than what I saw on stage. I do not want to diminish this amazing piece of theatre in any way, that is just my opinion; and I guess having such high expectations about those effects made me a bit biased. BUT the end of Part 1 ALONE made everything SO much worthwhile. Never did I have that kind of goosebumps sitting in my seat than in that moment when the end of Part 1 began and ended. I won’t say anything about it, but I BEG you, if you can, go and see it for yourself. It will be all you could hope for and more. I would pay an entire ticket simply to watch that part of the show over and over again. Stunning.

The music itself is not the same as in the movies – so if you go and see the show for that reason, too, be prepared to hear different music. Still, whenever it played, it smoothly fit the situation, and I loved how they used different scenes to fill the gaps, and even if pieces were used more than once, you don’t notice it, because the scenes always change and you’re so totally caught in the new ones that you just can’t be bothered to even think about it.

And now…the actors. WOW. There simply are not enough words to praise them enough, but I will try my best to write down what I thought and still think of them in a heap of awe, whenever I think back on sunday night. And you’ve been warned: those opinions are very biased and VERY objective, they’re solely mine and nobody has to agree, of course.

Alex Price (Draco Malfoy)

I have to admit, I’m a bit in love with him and his acting. His Draco is…just out of this world. The entire time as you sit there, watching him displaying one of the most breathtaking performances of emotion, wit, confusion, anger & even heartbreak, which is so unlike the Draco Malfoy everybody knows, you keep thinking: “God, Lucius Malfoy/Jason Isaacs, you damn genius”, only to realize that he is indeed Draco as a grown-up, NOT Lucius. I can’t praise him enough, really, because he was just perfectness in any way possible. There is no way he does not convince you that he means every single word that comes out of his mouth and every emotional despair he displays while on that stage. I also loved how the directors began the relationship between grown-up Draco and Ron Weasley right where the books and the movies left off: with digs, teasing and insulting by both sides, just like you would imagine them still to bicker after all those years. Especially towards the end, when Ron has an idea how to defeat (…), Draco’s/Alex’ reaction is beyond priceless, I still grin when I think about that scene, because it’s so somewhat adorably boyish and un-Draco-like. Or the scene where he utters a very dry “Mua. Ha. Ha.” towards Harry/Stuart and Stuart can’t help but desperately try to stop laughing. This constant switch between the serious, sometimes even desperate Draco and the one with the dry humor, trying to fit in with the others – to me, that comes very close to perfection.
Oh, and Alex as a person outside the theatre? Wonderful. So absolutely kind, patient and down to earth…you could see the pride in his eyes when you told him how he is so good he makes you forget WHO he actually is on stage – Draco or Lucius Malfoy -, and that Jason Isaacs himself (the guy who played Lucius Malfoy in the movies) saw the play and thought almost the same.
AND ALEX’ PERFUME…I am sorry, I know I’m a very creepy person now, but I can’t help it, I am absolutely obsessed with it. Ever since sunday, I can’t get it out of my head/nose and really want to find out its name so I can get it for a friend’s birthday, who I KNOW would love it.
So if you get the chance to see the show and Alex in it before Cast Change Day on May 21st, I advise you to go, because you’ll barely see anything more convincing that this man being a Malfoy.

Stuart Ramsay (Harry Potter – Understudy)

Stuart. Wow. Turns out this was his last show as Harry, and boy, was he a convincing piece of theatre. You buy into his struggle as a father of three, especially regarding his relationship with Albus, as if it’s a real family tragic right there, not some play on a stage, because his talent is a real pleasure to watch. The second he set foot on stage, forgotten was my thought what a pity it was I would now never get to see Jamie Parker being Harry, because Stuart definitely owned that stage. I still remember vividvdly how his gestures and mimics looked like he was in a real life situation, now some staged conversation with his acting colleagues. Especially his interaction with Sam Clemmett as Albus was a dream to watch…it was like standing in their living room, feeling awkward to witness a fight between father and son – in a very pleasing and heartwarming way, if that makes sense. It definitely looked like Stuart and Sam shared a real father/son bond there.
Moreover, one of my favourite things was when Draco/Alex came up to him in one scene, talking about how soon, Harry’s office at the ministry of magic might be Draco’s, ending with a VERY dry “Mua.Ha.Ha.”, and Stuart first starting to grin and then trying very unsuccessfully to hide and stifle a laugh. I loved it, and so did everyone else in the audience, gauging from their reaction.
And adding to that, Stuart is such a sweetheart; kind, humble and appreciating in any way possible. My friend and I even chatted to him about how he stayed in Germany (Hamburg) for 6 months a couple of years back, doing “Oh What A Night” at the Opererrenhaus, then “Foley” and other stuff. He also still manages a few german words, which endeared us even more to him.
I wish him all the best for whatever the future has now in store for him after Cast Change, and that he will come even further than he has already come so far – he deserves it so much.

Paul Thornley (Ron Weasley)

Close your eyes and picture the one and only person capable of pulling off being Ron Weasley on stage. Open your eyes again and look at Paul Thornley’s face. You’re welcome.
You always wondered how Ron was displayed perfectly, regarding his character in the books and the movies? Take Paul Thornley and you don’t need anything or anybody else. If I ever would have to think about how I wanted Ron to be on stage, I would not be able to stop swooning over Paul…not that I can since sunday night, anyways. There are not enough words to tell how magically perfect is, just like I always pictured him in my head. Adding to that his constant bickering with Draco Malfoy aka Alex Price and you have the stage “enemies” of your dreams. It feels difficult and somewhat wrong to try to find the right words here to do him real justice for the flawless job he does on the stage of that play, really, because it’s all in those tiny little things he pulls off on stage. Like his grinning whenever he’s faced the fact he owns a joke shop while his wife is the head of the magical ministry, the way he lightens up the stage when he steps foot on it, because you just know that whatever will come out of his mouth will be so…RON, so RUPERT GRINT. The way he lets his character being transformed back into his teenager self whenever he’s greeted by Draco Malfoy, how he is able to hop between that and his grown-up self, the family father, the caring, loving partner and friend who would do everything for his loved ones…it’s like seeing one of your favourite book/movie character being brought to life right in front of you. I keep repeating myself, so I am sorry, but unless you ever get or got to see it with your own eyes, you probably can’t grasp why I am so in a loss for words.
Apart from that, he’s one of the nicest and most calm West End Actors I ever got the chance to say Hi to. If you never got to watch him being a Weasley, you definitely miss out on something big there.

Nicola Alexis (Hermione – Understudy)

In my opinion, Nicola as Hermione is SUCH a better fit than Noma, who just looks so much older than her counterparts Harry & Ron (Jamie Parker & Paul Thornley). Her acting was beyond convincing, and I couldn’t have imagined or wished for a better 1st Hermione if I did. Especially the bossing around of Draco and the air of authority around her is wonderful to watch. I think it’s fair to say that the way the directors have written the role of Hermione, it’s the closest it could get to the actual Hermione as she was in the books and the movies, fierce and not accepting any bulls*** around her. Considering Nicola’s sweet face and her kind character off stage, it’s hard to believe that this lovely woman is playing the minister of magic on stage every now and then!

James LeLacheur (Scorpius Malfoy – Understudy)

James…words can’t express him in this role. Like…picture perfection when trying to tranform an amiable character from a book into an actual person on stage, and there you have James.
I fell in love with Scorpius when reading the book, in the instant he first shows up on the Hogwarts Express, and I fell in love with James’ way of displaying him on stage. It’s an absolute pleasure and honour to watch him doing his thing, being silly, desperate, sad, angry and happy. You forget there is an actual person underneath that peroxide blonde hair and costume, because his acting pulls you right into the world of magical wizardry. He makes watching the Play even more worthwhile, and he definitely was my highlight next to Alex Price, with whom he does not have as many interactions as with, say Sam Clemmett as Albus Potter (naturally), but any of the few of them are quite intense and make you heart ache all over for Scorpius; struggling with all the rumors surrounding his family and him, the resentment from everybody, wishing for a Happy End between him and his hard-hearted father. And especially his dorky, weird side was one of my favourite things on stage that night, because he makes everybody in the audience feel like they are him: a dorky teenager trying to fit in, not making too much of a fuss about himself. At least that’s how I saw it.
And outside the theatre, it’s safe to say that James is the exact same kind of person that you left up on that stage at curtain call – and in just the same adorable, lovely kind of way that you just can’t help liking him. I know he’s leaving after Cast Change, which, in my opinion, is THE biggest loss that show can have, because I honestly somewhat doubt even the principal Cast (Anthony Boyle) would be able to “whoo” me the way James did.

Sam Clemmett (Albus Potter)

(Firstly, I sadly didn’t get to say Hi to him; the moment he came out the theatre, he was already gone and when he went back inside and passed me again, I was somewhere else with my thoughts. Bummer.)
Sam Clemmett…what can you say about this young man to do his massive talent any justice? I am beyond happy I got to see his Albus as my first one, because his expression and gestures were absolutely phenomenal, there is no other word for it. When you see him strut over that stage, standing in his “bedroom”, face-off with his father Harry (Stuart Ramsay), and you just…BELIEVE the emotions shooting out of his mouth and eyes. He makes you want to storm onto the stage and hug him, tell him how you understand him and his struggles, how he is not as alone in this world as he believes with being the son of the legendary “Boy Who Lived”. And you also feel the wish to slap him whenever he screams at Harry, when he tells him he wishes his father was dead. There are so many conflicting emotions, and Sam takes you on his journey, juggling between those emotions, never really letting you take a deep enough breath before another mayhem starts. I have rarely seen such a young man/actor having such a tremendous talent when it comes to facial expressions, gestures and emotions. I know Sam may still be young, but he definitely has a bright future ahead of him.

Poppy Miller (Ginny Potter)

Poppy was one of the biggest changes for me; I still remember Bonnie Wright from the movies, the beautiful, shy, redhead who had to fight her way through childhood against 6 brothers. And I absolutely adored the way the writers have created “Stage-Ginny”! Barely have I seen such a fierce and strong character who makes even the strongest, most serious men (aka Draco Malfoy/Alex Price) almost weep and crawl back into themselves. Poppy gives the audience the kind of Bonnie I think a lot of women can identify with, independent, stubborn even, and at the same time, a loving mother and wife who puts her family and loved ones first – and being very convincing at it.

Esther Smith (Delphi Diggory)

(1st picture courtesy of the official twitter of @esthervonsmith!)
Esther…Delphi. Jesus Christ. I am not going to say a lot so as to not give out any spoilers in case you plan on seeing the Play and haven’t read the book/script yet, only that much: the border between love and hate with this character is SO thin it’s barely existent.
The moment Esther/Delphi shows up on stage, she just captivates you with her bouncy, funny character. And even when the Play moves along, turning right onto the “Uh-Oh” lane to doom, you can’t help but admiring the way Esther does her thing on stage. The way she uses words and expressions, her intonations, her interactions with Albus & Scorpius (in this case, Sam & James)…it gave me chills and the creeps at the same time. I was sheer blown away by such a diversive talent in that young woman and really wished I would’ve had the chance to tell her so in person, if I wouldn’t have been so preoccupied and crap with recognizing some faces. So whatever you do, I advise you to catch her as Delphi as long as you can, she’s out of this world!

So…”Harry Potter And The Curse Child” at the Palace Theatre, London. One of the biggest and most amazing surprises I ever had the honour to witness on a stage, with an extraordinary cast that has a variety of phenomenal talents and wonderful personalities off stage, a technical standard that so far is not achieved anywhere else on the West End yet, and a storyline that has so much more potential than what some people give it credit for.

I will definitely try everything to get another ticket when the next batch is being released soon, to hopefully be swept off my feet again, even by not the same amazing Cast I had this first time.

THANK YOU, Alex, Stuart, Paul, Nicola, James, Poppy, Esther, Sam and everyone else. You made this a very special theatre experience for me. And whatever you’re going to do next, I’m wishing you all the best in the world, from the bottom of my heart.

Book Review: Lori Nelson Spielman – “The Life List”

Brett Bohlinger seems to have it all: a plum job, a spacious loft, an irresistibly handsome boyfriend. All in all, a charmed life. That is, until her beloved mother passes away, leaving behind a will with one big stipulation: In order to receive her inheritance, Brett must first complete the life list of goals she’d written when she was a naïve girl of fourteen. Grief-stricken, Brett can barely make sense of her mother’s decision—her childhood dreams don’t resemble her ambitions at age thirty-four in the slightest. Some seem impossible. How can she possibly have a relationship with a father who died seven years ago? Other goals (Be an awesome teacher!) would require her to reinvent her entire future. As Brett reluctantly embarks on a perplexing journey in search of her adolescent dreams, one thing becomes clear. Sometimes life’s sweetest gifts can be found in the most unexpected places. (Source: amazon.com)

I actually can’t believe it took me so long to give this book a shot; the last time I cried while reading a book was when I was finishing “Paper Towns” by John Green, back at the end of April 2014. And this book…man, it is definitely a Must-Read.

I admit, when I read about the subject in it, I thought: “No.” Because hands down, I can’t think of anything less appropriate for me to read than a daughter bonding even more with her mother after her death, considering I don’t really have – or want – a relationship with my own mother. Plus, working down a list of goals a girl of fourteen years has written down is something you may find in more than one bad romantic movie (and we all know how much I dislike romantic stuff, don’t we?) In the end, I let myself being convinced to start on it yesterday due to the good reviews I read online. And may I say, they are all more than justified.

1. Have a baby, maybe two.
2. Get a dog
3. Stay friends with Carrie Newsome forever!
4. Help poor people
5. Have a really cool house
6. Buy a horse
7. Fall in love
8. Perform live, on a super big stage
9. Have a good relationship with my dad
10. Be an awesome teacher!

I admit, reading this list that Brett, the main character, was given, was like reading the script to a bad teenager movie. And considering a mother who had just died had put these task onto her grieving daughter’s shoulders seems somewhat outrageous; it seems like Mrs. Bohlinger has never really known her daughter after she got out of her teenage years. But if the reader looks closer, and maybe even inbetween the lines, they can see the determination behind these life goals, even the love she must have felt for her. How much she wants her loved one to be happy. And yes, I can totally identify with the horror and shock Brett felt when she is presented with this list that is the only way to get her inheritance; just as her, simply the thought of getting on a big stage infront of loads of people make my skin pour over with sweat. I guess than when you’re thirty-four years old, the dreams you had as a fourteen-year old seem somewhat ridiculous and small, and nowadays, totally unreachable – people change, and so do their hopes and dreams for the future.

Surprisingly, the list Mrs. Bohlinger gives Brett leads her on a journey to find herself instead of just giving her directions to deserve her inheritance. And I love this message. They say that you should never look back on what’s been past, but in this case, I guess it’s what keeps Brett going, and what could even get other people going. In some way, the reader learns that you need to prove yourself that you can do certain things, no matter what, and that you believe in yourself, even if there will be throwbacks, like a break-up or losing your job. You just have to get going.

The love story that Spielman has put into this book can be somewhat annoying; the numerous men Brett gets to know and seems to fall in love with is ridiculous – as a person who doesn’t think life is as it is in movies or books, and who will never believe that can happen to herself, – and just as the reader gets comfortable with one of her “relationships”, things are changed completely and they’re back at square one. I caught myself twice, thinking “Oh, come on!” because I desperately wanted Brett to finally find “The One”, and to be honest, all men in this book (except for Andrew, who’s probably one of the least likeable people I have ever read about; even Draco Malfoy in “Harry Potter” grew to me at some point!) were beyond adorable and lovely. And that is a nice move of Spielman; having you on the hook in some kind of way, keeping you reading because after every “failure”, your hope that there will be a Happy End just grows – at least that’s what happened to me while reading.

And that exact kind of hope is what made me cry more than once. When Brett finally finds and meets her father – I had the picture of the moment so clearly in my head as if it was real. When she finds her former best friend, Carrie, again – man, who doesn’t want that kind of friendship that doesn’t seem to have changed even after over 18 years? The moment she chooses a dog when visiting the animal shelter together with Brad, her mother’s lawyer, and the entire bonding with one of her students, Sanquita, up until the moment she holds her own child in her arms was more than crying material for someone who so seemingly despises anything emotional and romantic when it comes to books or movies.

The only thing that bugged me a bit was that – at least to me, – it was kind of obvious who Garrett Taylor is. Maybe I’m overly perceptive, but from the moment it’s clear that he and Brett will probably never meet, because it’s just Spielman’s kind of way to play with the reader, I wanted to rush through the book to finally see my suspicions being confirmed. And maybe that’s the reason I don’t like love stories – they are way too predictable for my taste; mostly, you already know at the beginning how the book/movie is going to end. But nonetheless, not even that could keep me from not being able to put this book away, and maybe it even put my expectations higher and my emotions on the edge of overflowing when the moment of truth was revealed – because I definitely cried like a baby. And that is an ability that not many authors have these days.

I think it’s safe to say that “The Life List” has surprised me in a way that I never thought would be possible, and it just has manifested the thought in my head that maybe I should give books like this more chances to win my heart over.

Because Lori Nelson Spielman DEFINITELY won my heart over with this piece of gold.

Top 5 Books by Stephen King

Everyone who knows me at least a little bit knows that Stephen King is my absolute hero in the large pool of authors, so it’s just natural that I had to do this. Let’s go.
(If you want a description about each book, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King_bibliography (click on the book titles to read the summaries)

1. Pet Sematary (1983)

Please don’t confuse the book with the movie. The difference basically is: the movie is shit. Not as bad as other book adaptions of Stephen King that made it onto the big screen, but…not good. Thankfully, I have discovered the movie AFTER I read the book.
I just love this novel to pieces. It was the first book that I remembered almost swallowing while reading, and the first one I read more than once. Over the past years, I have to admit that I lost count of how many times I actually re-read it, because hands down – I do that a lot with this one.
What I love about the main character, Louis Creed, a doctor and family father with a beautiful wife and two adorable little kids, is, that it is easy for the reader to understand his motives for the things he does in the story. The decisions he makes may seem odd to a normal mind, but if you think about it further, you see that all he does results out of his undying love for his family. I think it’s a lovely message (despite the horror Louis gets himself into).
The biggest reason why this book is my all-time favourite by him is the end. It has the absolute best end/epilogue in the entire world, there are no other words for it. It’s not always easy to have a situation that is described in a book so vividly that you see a certain situation right infront of your eyes, giving you goosebumps. Surprise: “Pet Sematary” did exactly this to me, and still does whenever I re-read it, though I know it by heart.

2. IT (1986)

I don’t think I have to say much about this one; I think everyone has at least heard about the story where a monster in form of a psychopathic, murderous clown terrorizes a group of young kids who pit themselves against him/it twice in their life. Again, please don’t compare this book to the absolute awful movie where almost everything is completely different to the written story – apart from Tim Curry as Pennywise, the Clown, it’s pretty much the worst movie ever.
Personally, I think this is one of the best books of all time, because although it’s quite long (1200 pages, approx.), the story never gets boring, because it switches between the kids’ childhood and their adult life. Plus, I love the message behing the story: if you stick together with your friends and believe you can defeat your worst fears – you can do it. For me, the times I have read this novel (yes, more than once, what a shocker), it was more than difficult to put it away for more than a few hours; it’s absolutely compelling in every way.

3. Under The Dome (2009)

This is one of the few newer books of Stephen King that are absolutely worth their money. Before reading the end of this book, I had only cried once while reading: during the end of “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”. Plus, this book is the only one of him that I don’t only own in german, but also in english – that has to have a higher meaning.
I adore the story about a mysterious “something” that cuts off an entire town, leaving the people inside fight for their life. Secrets are surfaced, and the longer the Dome is staying, the harder the fights inside it are getting. And just when you think everything goes to hell, the secret is lifted. I had a really hard time when to the end, it was clear that one of my favourite characters would die – even if he died being some kind of hero. Tears shed right there, I can tell you, and it was the first time I was pretty mad at Mr. King for killing a character.
Because I was in such awe about the book, of course I was excited for the TV show based on it that was released in 2013 – I wasn’t entirely disappointed (though the writers changed almost all characters way too much for my taste), but I’d say it has potential. And it’s finally a book by Stephen King that has made the screen that doesn’t suck as much as the earlier movies. High Five to that. Still, the book is one of his best, in my opinion.

4. Christine (1983)

You just have to love Dennis, the main character’s best friend, who’s the narrator for the first half of the book. The way King has written these chapters is pretty amazing, because they are absolutely vivid, funny and compelling, and you don’t have the feeling that you as a reader are completely on the outside – the first-person narrator sucks you in and makes you a part of it, in some kind of way (not that I ever want to be part of something where a psychopath car goes on a killing spree). Plus, the story about an outsider who just wants to belong and be liked is pretty chastening to me and one of the reasons why this one of King’s best and one of my favourites.

5. Carrie (1974)

Who does NOT know this one? I’m pretty sure it’s even as popular as “IT”, maybe even more. Whenever I hear that name, I instantly have this creepy girl infront of my inner eye, the insane look in her wide eyes and the horrible music in the background when she sends her Highschool mates straight into hell. Of course, that’s the movie speaking out of me – which is not entirely crappy, but actually pretty good. But the book even tops what was put on screen all these years back; the story is absolutely well-written – although it’s one of his shortest novels. What I like about it is that the story is kind of…”stalling” the reader with Newspaper Articles between the single chapters, which makes you keep on reading, getting past them and wanting to know how the story goes on. The fact that on one hand it’s partly written in such cruel details that you want to put it away and throw up, but at the same time, so compelling that you can’t even think about closing it for more than a few hours is probably the reason why it was the one book that helped Stephen King make good as an author – and god, I am grateful it did!

As you might’ve noticed, 4 of these 5 books were written in the 80’s. Fact is: the books he wrote in that decade where his best, that was the time when, obviously, he was at his most creative point in life. And for me, the books that he wrote back then will forever be my favourites and something no other writer (in my opinion) will ever be able to reach.