An Absolutely Magical Experience
by RavenMaster86 on 2/25/20Lyric Theatre - New YorkRating: 5 out of 5From the moment I laid eyes on the Lyric Theatre I knew this play was going to be an experience. And that first impression certainly was correct! I thought the experience as a hole was phenomenal. Everything about the theatre was immersed in the Wizarding World and added greatly to the experience! From the music playing throughout the theatre before the show started and during the intermissions, to the decor, photo ops, wall art and even carpeting. Everything about the Lyric Theatre immersed you into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! So even before you took your seat, you knew you were going to see something special and magical.
Of course once you got to your seat you were able to continue to see the attention to detail in the decor of the theatre itself and you were able to feel the essences of the Wizarding World. Now as for the show itself, This show was absolutely astonishing. The acting and special affects were as magical as any true fan of Harry Potter could expect (within reason of the fact that this is an actual “real world” live play. The props used, the clothing, the make up, all the little details that matter were flawless. I do consider myself a big Harry Potter fan and did read the published rehearsal script when it was first released to the public. Therefore I already knew the story and very happy with how everything in the play was utilized to bring the story to life.
(Potential Mild Spoilers ahead with my comments on opportunities and/or improvements)
The biggest areas of opportunity I seen for this play was one: the sorting hat should have been at a minimum a witches hat. Not a bowler hat like what is used in the play. As a long time Harry Potter fan I was displeased that with all the wonderful props, costumes and special affects, something as iconic as the Sorting Hat was not an actual witches hat. Sure some may appreciate the change, but I am one fan that did not.
The second opportunity became more apparent to me after discussing the play with a couple of attendees that attended the play (whom I had not met previously, nor had read the published rehearsal script beforehand). We all agreed that the story in the first act did “drag” a little in the beginning. However the most glaring opportunity that I thought there was because I had to “explain” this to these attendees (since I had read the rehearsal script) was that I only understood that they were “flying” through the first few years of Albus’s Hogwarts years because I had read the published rehearsal script when it was released. These other attendees admitted to me that the play did not seem to portray the rapidly passing time very accurately. And since I was already familiar with the story I already understood what was happening so I was able to follow along but I do agree it did seem slightly rushed and discombobulated.
So other than those two opportunities I believe this is a play that will truly delight all Harry Potter fans and even those unfamiliar with the story and characters. The overall experience of this production by far makes up for any perceived opportunities I noticed, and in the end is a show I would gladly invest in seeing again.