Prepare to be dazzled: Brilliantly staged, expertly acted ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ a feast for the eyes, ears

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” — 3.5 stars

The magic that happens during “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the superbly staged, boffo Broadway show that launched its national tour Thursday at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, goes beyond the everyday theatrical magic that typically unfolds on suburban and Chicago stages.

In “Cursed Child,” stellar designers Jamie Harrison (illusions and magic), Christine Jones (sets), Neil Austin (lighting) and Katrina Lindsay (costumes) conjure the sorts of illusions — levitating, transforming and vanishing Potterverse characters — that are unthinkable anywhere but on film. But conjure them they do, making the magic that much more memorable.

The first Harry Potter tale adapted to the stage, the Tony Award-winning “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is the eighth story in the series. Based on a story by J.K. Rowling, director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne, the play picks up about 20 years after Harry, Ron and Hermione defeated Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts.

We encounter the dynamic trio at Kings Cross train station, platform 9¾ where Harry (John Skelley, terrific as a man laboring under his own legacy), and Ginny (Trish Lindstrom) are sending off their second son Albus (a restless, willful Emmet Smith) to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time.

Joining them are Ron (Evanston native Matt Mueller, ideal as the genial best pal) and Hermione (a self-possessed Ebony Blake) whose daughter Rose (Naiya Vanessa McCalla) is also a first-year Hogwarts student.

On the train, Albus meets Scorpius (Aidan Close, impressive in a heartfelt, humorous performance), a lonely boy laboring under a rumor and the son of Harry’s onetime rival Draco Malfoy (Benjamin Thys). Sorted into Slytherin, the two develop a bond that deepens over several years until their fathers order them to sever it.

Their estrangement, and the pain it causes, is reflected in a balletic scene that finds Albus and Scorpius racing up and down Hogwarts’ constantly shifting staircases that spin across the stage. Exquisitely staged by movement director Steven Hoggett, and sensitively acted by Smith and Close, it is a lovely expression of loss and longing from two adolescents not yet aware how their relationship will evolve.

Over time, they expand their friendship circle to include cool girl Delphi (Julia Nightingale) who joins them on an adventure involving traveling back in time to correct a perceived mistake. (Of course that always turns out perfectly and never goes awry.)

The fact is, many of these characters, children and parents alike, harbor regrets about the past. Some still suffer trauma or nurse resentments, much of which is rooted in parent-child relationships, specifically relationships between fathers and sons. Both Albus and Scorpius have strained relationships with their fathers. So does Harry, who expresses his frustration to the portrait of surrogate father Albus Dumbledore, played by Chicago favorite Larry Yando. (Yando also plays Severus Snape with droll indifference and understated emotion that is Yando at his most Yando-esque).

“Cursed Child” also examines resentment and reconciliation. It’s about adolescent Albus coming of age (and coming out) and middle-aged Harry coming to terms with his legacy and his son.

Originally staged on Broadway as a two-part play spanning more than five hours, this version runs nearly three hours. I’d argue that the unnecessarily complicated plot needs more streamlining. Additionally, the easy fixes and happy coincidences that mark the second act ring false and fail to establish dramatic tension.

The action initially unfolds at a breakneck speed that takes us through Albus’ first three years in record time and doesn’t allow us to relish Tiffany’s inspired production and its wondrous stagecraft.

Set against a grand, cinematic score by composer Imogen Heap, Tiffany’s production is a feast for the ears and eyes.

From the majestic arches that form the train station, castle and forest to the distinctive eye through which we observe Albus and Scorpius swimming in Hogwarts’ lake (might it be the eye of the giant squid living there?) to the aggressive shelves that spit out books and suck in people, Jones’ set is magnificent. Paired with Neil Austin’s spectral lighting and filmic effects and Harrison’s fire bursts, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is one of the finest spectacles produced on a Chicago-area stage.

Enjoy the magic while you can.

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Location: James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago, broadwayinchicago.com

Showtimes: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 1 and 7 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 1, 2025

Tickets: $49-$193

Running time: About 2 hours, 50 minutes with intermission

Rating: For most audiences; some violence and some scenes may frighten young children