I could not believe my luck when I randomly checked on the booking site and found there were tickets available for the Harry Potter play. Some clever person had calculated that it would take all the Harry Potter fans in the world one hundred years to see it. That’s without people going more than once. Needless to say I snapped them up while I could!
When the tickets arrived it felt rather as if I’d won one of Willie Wonker’s golden tickets in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I had to keep pinching myself to make sure it was really happening. I decided to make a day of it and booked to have dinner at The Ivy in between. This was going to be a day to remember.
As I made my way to my seat I was amused and delighted to see so many people dressed up for the occasion. It is perhaps a testimony to the power of J.K. Rowling’s creation that I can look into the eyes of someone wearing a Ravenclaw tie and see a kindred spirit. It is equally interesting that I’d prefer to be served by a Hufflepuff than a Slytherin when buying merchandise.
The Palace Theatre is deceptively intimate, belying the grand Victorian exterior. From row I of the stalls I had a perfect view of the stage and the seats were really comfy – a good thing considering how long I would be sitting there!
The lights went down for the beginning of Part One and I found myself once again transported to the Wizarding World. I had read the script on the day it came out so I knew the plot but that didn’t detract in any way. It took me a while to get used to different actors playing parts I had grown familiar with through the films but once I had figured out who was who it was plain sailing. The drama built and built to a brilliant end to Part One. The time just flew by – literally.
So I said about dinner at The Ivy. This was a brilliant idea as it was but a short walk away and of course the service was impeccable. I didn’t feel at all rushed. I had just the right amount of time to enjoy a wonderful meal before coming back for Part Two.
I got the impression that there were even more people there for Part Two than Part One but I suspect it’s because everyone was queuing for merchandise. I’d already bought mine in the afternoon and you can arrange to pick it up later if you don’t want to carry it around. It certainly saved a lot of time so I’d highly recommend it.
Part Two itself was even better than Part One. It too flew by to the end and I couldn’t believe it when I found myself in the midst of the whole house who were on their feet giving standing ovation after standing ovation.
The staging was fantastic, the effects were brilliant, the acting was superb. There isn’t a single thing I would have changed about the whole production. I would like to give a special shout out to Anthony Boyle who played Scorpius Malfoy. Everyone in the cast was exceptional but he took it to the next level. I expect he’s someone to watch for the future.
You might be wondering why I didn’t go into more detail about the play itself, skipping rapidly through each part with scarcely a mention of what actually happens. Well, because I have sworn to #keepthesecrets of course. It’s like one of those unbreakable curses. If you want to know more than you will have to go and see it for yourself.
Liv
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