By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
The love for Harry Potter has never waned for many a fan, and people of all ages lined up Saturday night for the midnight release of J.K. Rowling’s look at the adult life of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. No spoilers are going to be offered about this book, as it’s fresh in this author’s hands who decided not to look at any info online leading up to this release. While I would love to see the play, not everyone can afford to travel to London just for a show. As much as I’d like to, well, if only magic was real so I could apparate there!
Bolen Books at Hillside Centre in Victoria held its own celebration, and they had the Paper Street Theatre Company, an improv theatre group and the University of Victoria Valkyries Quidditch Club, playing a short game, to entertain 400 folks here for this book. A local stage magician appeared to entertain the masses with his tricks and may have been the same person who demonstrated his talent previously at Cherry Bomb Toys. Unfortunately he disappeared before I could get his name! The enthusiasm was everywhere and the excitement shows we still love the boy who became … well, an adult. Now a new generation is going to the school and I suspect the tale will be about him growing up under the shadow of a very famous father. At the same time, the energy is there for another item of note. All three Pokemon GO teams were vying for control of the virtual gym that existed at the bookstore. The battle was intense, and even I tried to participate. The battle for wireless is just as competitive as my cell could not decide between Telus and ShawOpen.
Continue reading “Harry Potter & the Cursed Child Midnight Release Party in Victoria, BC!”
In place of a certain bespectacled boy wizard, the series will center on the textbook’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander. The film is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world, said Rowling. In place of Hogwarts, there will also be noticeable differences in geography.
The cinematic translation of the Harry Potter saga is one of those franchises that almost succeeded in staying fresh. It’s more of a worthwhile experience to watch the entire video series back-to-back than trying to watch each film separately. The overall charm of the series is that there are small plot points that can be found which contributes to the larger narrative. But when director David Yates has other ideas, to see that he doesn’t continue from these story elements can get problematical.