‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ Casts a Spell at Seattle’s Paramount
Aug 27, 2026, 3:27 PM
425 Magazine
As a longtime fan of the Harry Potter saga, I loved slipping back into that world with “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” — which began its two-week residency at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre last night — for a look at what happened after the Hogwarts hijinks ended.
Set 25 years after Voldemort’s defeat, the play introduces viewers to grown-up versions of the original book series’ leads, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and their children. Chaos ensues when Potter’s son, Albus Severus Potter, not only feels the pressure of living up to the Potter last name, but also the two other great men he’s named after: Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.
From the moment the play begins, you’re whisked into the wizarding world with seamless, fast-paced scene transitions that keep you on your toes. The play cleverly utilizes simple props such as capes and suitcases in tandem with lively and exciting music to create a sense of movement and immersive nostalgia. The lighting effects are particularly powerful, creating the feeling of being transported through time in a thankfully, for lack of a better word, non-cheesy way.
The plot did, at times, get a little convoluted, repetitive, and hard to track; the stakes sometimes felt unclear. But by the second half of the show, everything started to tie together in the quintessential J.K. Rowling way. It isn’t perfect, but one thing the show is unequivocally successful at is asking, Is magic real? The presentation regularly leaves you wondering how several of its effects were pulled off.
The characters’ charmingly over-the-top personalities, plus the infectious whimsy of the new story, help elevate the play into a must-see. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is great for all ages — especially for the now-adult kids who read the series who now have children of their own to enjoy the show with.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” runs through Sept. 12 at The Paramount Theatre.
Meagan Phillips is 425’s lead designer.
