Los Angeles Times
- Highly Recommended
"...At the Hollywood Pantages, the company often seems to be breathlessly sprinting across the stage, not wanting to lose a second of precious storytelling time. The production, which features the mesmerizing movement direction of Steven Hoggett, retains its remarkable fluidity despite the increased panting."
Stage Scene LA
- Highly Recommended
"...I'm not what you'd call a fan of the fantasy genre (though I did try to make it through the first Lord Of The Rings movie and the first Harry Potter flick), but even a fantasy curmudgeon like me found myself thoroughly dazzled and ultimately quite moved by Harry Potter And The Cursed Son, now packing them in at the Pantages."
LA Theatrix
- Highly Recommended
"...This “short” version still feels like three movies long, but that’s a good thing for fans. Due to editing, the beginning scenes rush through Albus Potter’s and Scorpius Malfoy’s first three years at Hogwarts, revealing that Albus (Emmet Smith) has not only been sorted into house Slytherin (gasp!) along with Scorpius (Aidan Close), but that he is unable to live up to his father Harry’s (John Skelley) reputation."
ArtsBeatLA
- Highly Recommended
"...Magic and intrigue, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a dazzling stage show that immerses you in the world of Hogwarts and its next-generation characters. With its innovative special effects and magical illusions, the ambitious staging incorporates impressive technical elements designed to make the magic from the books feel alive on stage. These effects have proven to be a major draw for devoted fans of the popular book and film series, showcasing the magic and spectacle of the Wizarding World in an entirely new way."
TheaterMania
- Recommended
"...Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, written by Jack Thorne, started its journey as a two-part drama (I reviewed it in 2019). The current touring iteration, now playing at the Hollywood Pantages, is the now de rigueur condensed edition, which edited six hours of storytelling into a single evening that clocks in well under three. This version cuts some of the verbosity from which the original suffered, but it also loses necessary character development in act one, rendering it into a best-of reel instead of compelling drama. Act Two finds its balance and leads the audience to an exhilarating and tender conclusion."
Stage Raw
- Recommended
"...Cursed Child counts on a nostalgic audience already well-versed in the finer details of the wizarding world, as most of the plot contains references to the original series. Good fun for fans, confusing and convoluted for Hogwarts newcomers. But lovers of the series can look beyond the story’s shortcomings and thoroughly enjoy the production’s magic and spectacle."
Ticket Holders LA
- Highly Recommended
"...This production is visually astonishing in every regard, the huge scope of transporting it and setting it up possibly explaining the reason why it's landed here at the Pantages until June 22, a far lengthier run than most national tours booked into Nederlanderland. The majestic set by Christine Jones is wildly imposing and whimsically steampunk-ish, geared to metamorphose miraculously and conjure things the audience could not possibly hallucinate on their own."
Indulge Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...Under the inspired direction of John Tiffany, Cursed Child resumes the narrative 19 years after the events of the original series, probing the burden of legacy, the intricacies of fatherhood, and the persistent echoes of a past unwilling to be forgotten. At the heart of the story is Harry Potter (portrayed with a restrained yet potent gravitas by John Skelley), now serving at the Ministry of Magic and grappling with his inability to connect with his son, Albus Severus (Emmet Smith). Albus’s quest for identity propels him down a path fraught with both discovery and danger."
Larchmont Buzz
- Highly Recommended
"...The next best thing to reading a Harry Potter story is seeing one onstage. Books and even movies don?t offer the immediacy and engagement of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The production, at the Pantages, sometimes shows up film with its awesome special effects: The Dementors! The appearances, transformations and disappearances! The flying?and swimming! The wand techniques and time-bending effects! And the dance numbers! It?s gasp-inducing, even from a jaded audience largely populated with tweens and teens, who remain riveted throughout."
Broadway World
- Highly Recommended
"...The good news is that ? shortened or otherwise - this CURSED CHILD is a banquet of magical delights that also happens to be a crackling good story, which should delight series neophytes and Potter-lovers alike. Well, it should really get the Potter-lovers since they?ll be the ones who get every reference and know what?s going on."
