Taunton production of Harry Potter by Queen's College

As I headed to my seat in the crowded theatre my expectations - along with the 500 other audience members' were high considering the fact that every show was sold out and over 2000 people attended. 

Queen's College Theatre (Image: Molly Kirk) Thankfully, my expectations were met and surpassed with the secondary students clearly poured their heart and souls into their performances - exploring the story of Harry Potter and his friends 19 years after the events of the battle of Hogwarts took place.

The play itself is a multi-generational story, exploring Harry’s tenuous relationship with his rebellious son Albus Severus Potter who gets sorted into Slytherin house and becomes extremely close with Scorpius Malfoy (Draco Malfoy’s son).

Both father and son have inner demons (and enemies) they are facing and must overcome to move on and reconnect. In other words, the play entailed lots of live action and emotional scenes from the Year 7- Year 13 pupils.

Throw in some angsty time travel to save Cedric Diggory from death, Ron’s typical hilarious antics, Malfoy and Harry becoming sort-of-friends, Hermione as the Minister of Magic and (spoiler alert) the introduction of Voldemort’s daughter and you have the perfect whimsical recipe for a cauldron of fun.

Overall, I thought this show was truly magical.

As someone who has read all of the Harry Potter books, along with the full script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I thought the students at Queen’s College truly brought the characters to life and retold the story in an authentic and heart warming way.

Of course, as with anything, there were first-night hiccups leading to some slight pauses, jumbled lines and opening-night mistakes but they were minimal and did not take away from the overall performance in any shape or form.  

Actors that especially stood out in my eyes were Jack Tregunna, who played Draco Malfoy and Evan Hall, who played Harry Potter. They both completely stole the show for me and physically became their characters – right down the micro-mannerisms, emotions displayed and body acting.

Another highlight for me was the adorable relationship between Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy (“he’s the most important person in the world to me”) – played by Phillip Bhandarkar and Claudiu Ciuculete.

I also loved the projections, lighting, and special effects - which included hand held pyrotechnics that made me jump out of my skin and immersing me further into the wizarding world the students created.

Onstage Pyrotechnics and Airbursts of fireworks over the audience

Projection mapping with over 130 projection queues through the show to take the audience to over 47 different locations within the play

This play was truly a sensory delight, with stunning visuals, sound effects and acting. 

I especially appreciated the fast-paced nature of the play that still managed to tell the story in a way we all could follow and understand but without it feeling like it was rushed. 

Overall, everyone involved (both staff and students) should be super proud of all their hard work – I am happy to say that it really paid off.

As Steve Green the head of secondary, who was sat next to me in the theatre, said: "It was brilliant."