Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

by Jack Thorne

seen at the Palace Theatre on 28 November 2018

JohnTiffany directs this two part play based on 'an original new story' by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and himself, which deals with events immediately following the epilogue of the last Harry Potter book - that is, events in the lives of Harry's children and their peers. As the plays have been running for some time now, the original London cast is no longer in action. Harry Potter is played by Jamie Ballard, Ginny Potter by Susie Trayling, Hermione Granger by Franc Ashman, Ron Weasley by Thomas Aldridge and Draco Malfoy by James Howard. In the younger generation, Albus Potter is played by Joe Idris-Roberts, Rose Granger-Weasey by Helen Aluko, Scorpius Malfoy by Jonathan Case and Delphi Diggory by Eve Ponsonby. The production is designed by Christine Jones.

At first, given this time frame and the initial scene-setting of a new generation attending the Hogwarts school, it seems as if the play might be misleadingly named, but later Harry's own participation and predicament receives more attention. In fact, even the earlier scenes are only tangentially reviving audience memories of Hogwarts, as attention focuses on the difficulties youngsters may have being the progeny of famous (or notorious) parents. The increasing richness of the play lies in showing this dilemma from both sides: the anguish and the uncertainty of the parents - really, more specifically, of the fathers Harry and Draco, are just as sympathetically portrayed as the rebellion and frustration of the sons (it has to be said that Rose, the child of the Granger Weasley marriage, is not a particular focus of attention).

Andromache

by Jean Racine translated by Edward Kemp

seen at RADA (GBS theatre) on 5 June 2015

This production, directed by Edward Kemp and designed by Lucy Alexander, features students in their third (final) year of RADA's degree in acting. The cast:

Orestes - Freddie Meredith

Pylades - Will Apicella

Pyrrhus - Joe Idris-Roberts

Phoenix - Peter Mulligan

Andromache - Rosie Sheehy

Hermione - Stefanie Martini

Cleone - Kathryn Wilder

Cephisa - Taha Haq 

The GBS theatre is in the basement of RADA's main building, a space which an be configured in many ways. For this production, the audience were seated in long rows on either side of a narrow raked 'marble' passageway emerging from a sandy floor at one end and leading to a throne at the other raised end. (The throne was later removed; steps down from this end led to a sanctuary.) Beyond the raised end, the exposed brickk wall had reliefs of two ancient warriors, presumably of Achilles (the father of Pyrrhus) killing Hector (the husband of Andromache). High above, amidst the lighting battens, a similar strip of 'marble' was suspended as like a ceiling, or even a reflection of the floor.