Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Part-play, part-magic show, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child answers "what happens next?" after the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 

If you are around SF or NYC, I recommend watching if you are a Potterhead and actually read the screenplay (although I thought the production was much cooler than the screenplay), if you are able to sit for a 3.5 hour production, and especially if you can get discounted seats via TodayTix (I'm not sponsored by them).

HOW TO GET [DISCOUNTED] TICKETS:

Pretty much most of my orchestra row used the TodayTix app to get tickets, where you have a chance to get $40 tickets from the "Friday 40." 

Even though I entered this lottery and didn't win- I still got an offer for orchestra tickets for $59. I was very far stage left so I missed maybe 5% of some scenes, but was still within the first 15 rows so I thought it was worth it. If you don't want to spend $100+ for premium middle seats, you can still have a good view through discounted todaytix. 

THE SHOW: 

I have read all the books and watched all the movies, so as a fan I thought the production was really cool. There are a lot of references to all of the books/movies (it helps to have some knowledge of Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire). 

The music was composed/arranged by Imogen Heap, which added to the mystical/magical-ness of the show. A lot of the choreography was cheesy, but it was nice timing to give the actors breaks from dialogue.

Most of the production value is from the magic, and it was cool to see so many effects using various elements, and there is a progression so tricks don't get boring and I was still entertained even hours later. The story to me is forgettable, but the whole experience was immersive and it felt like being part of the Wizarding World.

I saw a lot of young kids, and while this is generally family friendly, there were some "scarier" parts and I think maybe at least a teenager who has actually read the books would appreciate the play more.

Since I am impatient I think I prefer just seeing the play at once and not having to come back (it was originally in two parts), and although the show was long I think it was worth seeing! 

GETTING THERE AND OTHER THINGS TO SEE:

The SF Curran theater offers some deals with parking: https://sfcurran.com/visit/. 

If you buy tickets through TodayTix, they make you pick up will call tickets and still charge $7.50 per ticket handling fee.

After showing vaccination card and ID, you go through a lobby, where you can buy food, drinks and HP merch. 

There are also some photo-ops before entering.

The workers were interactive, as they pretended to be like the characters who sold stuff in events in the movies. I do not recommend mobile ordering from your seat because it confused some of the workers and the people in front of me had some difficulty. 

Overall, this was a very cool experience, and pretty unique compared to other shows I've seen. If you want to experience being in the Wizarding World for a few hours- go see HP and the Cursed Child!