Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has officially opened at the Palace Theatre. It has already gone down well with preview audiences and Harry Potter fans – but can it charm critics as well? 

The Guardian: **** Michael Billington wrote: “while it helps to be a paid-up Potterhead, Tiffany and his team stage the piece with such dazzling assurance that I finally began to see the point of being wild about Harry.”

The Telegraph: ***** Dominic Cavendish said: “The big news is that this is just what was needed, will raise the benchmark for family entertainment for years to come and may even usher in a whole cycle of Potter-world stories.”

New York Times: “The word for these imaginative leaps of faith is empathy. That’s the magic practiced so affectingly and entertainingly in “The Cursed Child,” and it turns everyone in the audience into a sorcerer’s apprentice.”

Variety: “It is, quite simply, spellbinding: The Show That Lived Up to Expectations — and Then Some.”

Evening Standard: ***** Henry Hitchings commented: “a feast for fans, packed with pathos, dazzling choreography and moments of pure enchantment.”

The Independent: ***** Jack Shepherd summed the production up saying: “It’s quite apparent this isn’t written to be either a book or a tie-in film; it’s a spectacle for the theatre, one that is filled to the brim with fan service and magical imagery that will amaze.”

Hollywood Reporter: “it turns out that the medium of theater is a better fit for the material than film, because in a theater magic tricks really look, well, magical.”

WhatsOnStage: ***** Sarah Crompton said: “Boyle gives a career-making performance as Scorpius, turning him into an Eeyorish figure of deep pessimism and profound bravery.”

The Scotsman: *** “the story is an absolute humdinger of a Potter classic, gripping from first to last, despite a slight tendency to repeat itself in the second half.”

Radio Times: “The plot may not be perfect but it’s a wonderfully creative play and a worthy accompaniment to JK Rowling’s original creation.”

London Theatre.co.uk: ***** Mark Shenton wrote: “The result is a work that will thrill new audiences as well as regular theatregoers alike.”

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is booking at the Palace Theatre until the 27th May 2017. There are limited tickets available to buy through the official website here: http://www.harrypottertheplay.com/