Cappies Review: Riverside High's 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - High School Edition'

By Caroline Beard of Walt Whitman High School

Harry Potter is a tired dad, Ginny Weasley is a desperate mom, and they have a time-traveling Slytherin son-and you thought your family had issues? Riverside High School's recent production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child showcases family drama and teenage struggles-with a pinch of magic and mischief. One of 29 schools across the country chosen to perform the show, Riverside certainly does it justice.

The play captivated audiences as it chronicled the adventures of Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy as they traveled through time on a noble quest to save the spare. The spare being Cedric Diggory, of course, a casualty of Harry Potter's earlier adventures to stop Voldemort-or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The play worked to seamlessly blend together two generations, that of Harry Potter and his classmates, and that of their children, as they worked together on one more epic adventure to save the Wizarding world.

Riverside High School's production was truly brought to life by the ensemble of parents, made up of Jet Hardy, Chloe Burroughs, Jojo Smothers, Anna Salmon, and Noah Godfrey in the roles of Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Draco. These actors all worked together to portray a realistic view of parenthood and friendship throughout the struggles faced. These actors' incredible relationships fully immersed the audience in the show, and provided a nice taste of nostalgia for the films and books.

With a mix of overarching silliness and down-to-earth emotion, Jeffrey Henderson provided a view of teenage life that certainly hit close to home. His bold choices and big gestures allowed the audience to follow along with him at every moment, and his moments of grief and sorrow showed that nothing, especially adolescence, can go perfectly.

The ensemble of Hogwarts students also worked to portray life at Hogwarts, creating vivid stage pictures that captivated the audience and brought Hogwarts to life. The wand dancers, who came onstage during transitions, gave interesting movement during early transitions, but more variety over the course of the show would have been helpful.

Riverside's stage crew kept the production running smoothly at all times, and large set transitions were done incredibly smoothly, allowing the audience to stay immersed in the show. The costumes team also did a spectacular job making all the costumes fit together, and the cloaks used when transforming due to Polyjuice Potion were nearly flawless, and heightened the sense of magic.

As actors worked together to create clear character dynamics, technical teams collaborated to create interesting effects, and all of these elements finally came together to create a night of magic at Riverside High School. All in all, the performance certainly captured the hearts of wizards and Muggles alike, as the production beautifully blended magic and humanity, bringing the audience deep into the hearts of the characters.