The Eighth Story

Firstly, Jamie Ballard as Harry Potter. What a star! He’s perfect and I can completely see an older book!Harry in him. The official Potter family photo doesn’t do him any justice at all. He’s so exciting to watch on stage, from his sudden outbursts to his little cheeky gestures to his exhausted appearance. It captivates the audience and keeps Harry very interesting. He’s less the golden boy and more the burdened parent who doesn’t know what to do with his troubled son. Perhaps the best acting I’ve seen is Jamie playing as Polyjuiced!Scorpius cause it was perfect, from his movements, his little hand gestures and even his voice. It could have easily been Jonathan on stage if I had my eyes closed for that scene. He is that good!

Susie Trayling as Ginny Potter. I wasn’t really buying her Ginny initially cause I felt she was a little too soft to start. But once I gauged her flow of Ginny, I loved it. She’s soft in scenes that commands it but firm and confident where needed. I particularly love her exchange with Draco about their missing sons cause she completely shuts him down without ever having to fully raise her voice and that’s how Ginny has always been for me. Bold, fierce, commanding but soft and gentle at the same time.

Nicola Alexis as Hermoine Granger. Such a strong, fierce, beautiful Hermoine. I always enjoy Nicola’s version of Hermoine and I look forward to see her shine on stage.

Draco Malfoy as Draco Malfoy. I mean, James Howard as Draco Malfoy. I’m sure by now many of you know about my unhealthy obsession with him but it’s all with good reasons cause this man is absolute Malfoy perfection dfkjhsufkbsf. Saying that, he has a slightly different take to his portrayal of Draco with Cast Three. He’s less physical and more thoughtful, reserved. Almost like he has this great weight upon his shoulders and he just can’t relax. As if he has to physically restrain himself from physical contact cause he’s still a grieving mess and can’t bring himself to show any true affection or make any bold movements. Instead he shows that vulnerability through his voice and it makes him sound so much more emotional and fragile. Its certainly a different version of Draco and although I’m used to seeing a more physical approach to James’s acting, I’m really looking forward to seeing how this Draco interacts with this new son.

Which brings me to said new son. We have Jonathan Case as Scorpius Malfoy. And what a gift he is to this play and fandom. He is possibly the cutest Scorpius we’ve ever seen. Everything about him is adorable. I cant imagine what James Howard must be thinking whilst watching his little Malfoy son on stage cause this son should never be left to his own devices. Jonathan is basically a personification of what I thought Scorpius might be when I first read the script. He’s incredible shy, the biggest nerd ever and so very very awkward. Jonathan plays Scorpius like he owns the character. He’s given him little endearing gestures - a head twitch, fiddly awkward fingers, flailing arms. Most of all he has this biggest smile/grin which completely melts your heart. Even to the point where he hides his fear behind this massive almost goofy smile. It’s his only weapon. And it makes me want to protect him at all costs cause he’s such a precious little sunshine child sdkfkhvlkagsd I’m so excited for Act 3 cause I just can’t imagine how Draco Malfoy is going to interact with Jonathan’s Scorpius. I can’t even imagine him as Scorpion King right now cause no one with that little baby face could ever be evil.

Joe Idris-Roberts as Albus Severus Potter. I have slightly mixed thoughts about our new Albus. Joe is very enjoyable to watch on stage and is undoubtably an incredibly talented actor - he has such a strong command of his range of voice and movement. He’s made some very interesting and good acting choices as Albus which I really love. However by the end of Part One I get the impression that he’s still holding something back - as though I’m watching a very good actor playing the role of Albus but not really seeing Albus on stage. I think it’s still early days and I’m excited to see Joe explore and develop more of his version of Albus and allowing the audience to have a deeper understanding of this complex character.

Of course first impressions of the play are nothing without mentioning the boys together. Previously we’ve had a pair of boys who were so openly affectionate with each other and it just shows how comfortable they were with each other. This Year 3 pair is so different to what we’ve seen with Theo and Samuel. Joe and Jonathan have some great scenes together which are so adorable (such as the quiz scene) and they have new interactions as Albus and Scorpius which are really fascinating. But saying that, there’s still something lacking between them. There’s a lot of shyness and awkwardness still hovering between the two and they still lack the subtle chemistry of a pair of boys who’ve supposedly been best friends for the past three years. A simple example would be them doing away with the Victor Krum chant which threw me off cause I love that scene and it’s one of those little moments that show the audience a snapshot of how typical 14 year old best friends would interact; or perhaps the lack of eye contact and physical connection in the library scene. I can’t tell yet if this is an acting/directing choice or that they both need a bit more time to further develop the way they interact on stage. They’re both incredibly talented actors with their own very well developed versions of Albus and Scorpius (which I really love) but it doesn’t quite feel like they’re acting with each other, and certainly didn’t give me the impression that they are believably best friends (most of the time). Or perhaps we’re just too used to seeing a more openly affectionate pair with Cast Two and should just allow for this pair to become more comfortable with their own portrayal of this friendship.

Other things to mention are Harry’s new lines that’s been transferred across from Broadway. I can see why they made the changes but I don’t particularly like them or think that they’re necessary. It’s almost gives too much passive narration to the audience and makes the scenes less interesting. Jamie delivered those lines beautifully but the context itself doesn’t actually make those scenes any better. Ok I’m waffling now.

Anyways, overall first impressions, Year three cast are doing so well for their first shows. I came out of the theatre with way too much excitement and can’t wait to watch what Part 2 brings. This cast knows what their doing even from the get-go and it’s going to be amazing to see how they continue to develop their characters and interactions with one another over the next year.

Bane is very hot.