#it's technically a recap but it's mostly an excuse to gush about luke sumner

[ohscorbus]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Saturday 7th December, 2019

I know, I know, it’s been so long! Apologises, I haven’t been seeing the show as often lately (blame boring adult obligations and the ever increasing rail fare). But I struck gold with this cast board and so this show just demanded a recap. For those of you unaware, it was a special one. We had both a cover Albus and a cover Scorpius! Which, and correct me if I’m wrong, hasn’t happened before? Not here in London at least. Anyway, I’ve seen Ryan’s Albus once or twice before with the previous cast and Luke’s Scorpius just the once a few months back (and yet I already consider him one of my all-time favourites). So basically, this was a dream and I was ready.

ACT ONE, SCENE FOUR: TRANSITION SCENE

Scorpius lingered on the far side of the stage and watched the beginning of the wand dance in awe and it was precious and so very Scorpius. This boy enjoys magic and this tiny moment really got that across. His eyes followed the spark as it shot upwards and then he looked back down at the students, at Albus, and never once stopped smiling. Even as he turned and walked off stage with a bounce in his step.

You know how Jon is a tad bit bitter about Scorpius not being in the wand dance? (Bless him.) Well Luke’s Scorpius just seems happy for them. Instead of imagining Scorpius walking off sulking, I imagine this Scorpius sneakily practising a little bit of magic on his own in the corridor on the way to his next class.

ACT ONE, SCENE SEVEN: BLANKET SCENE

Immediately after Harry said The Thing, he reached out to Albus and while I’ve seen this before, this time he actually made contact. It was almost bizarre to see but thinking about it now, it’s actually even more heartbreaking as it means Albus was probably feeling too much to process. Stepping out of his dad’s reach just doesn’t register quick enough and so he froze, lost in his head. But even though Harry was physically holding his arms, he actually wasn’t reaching him at all. Ouch.

ACT ONE, SCENE TEN: HOGWARTS EXPRESS

I absolutely adore the way Luke’s Scorpius explains the Triwizard Tournament to Albus. He puts on a voice and gestures like he’s telling a grand story to an audience. No wonder Albus calls him a geek. It’s so extra. I love it. Hands down the best version of these lines I’ve ever seen.

Luke’s facial expressions are A+. While Albus was talking to Scorpius, he absentmindedly smacked Scorpius on the chest a couple of times with the back of his hand and Scorpius looked down at Albus’s hand and then gave Albus such a look. Albus wasn’t even looking in his direction and I think that’s what I liked most about it. That Scorpius just pulls these very easily readable expressions right to his face and yet Albus is totally unaware.

This only got better when Albus decided that grabbing Scorpius by the lapels of his robes and getting closer would really drive his point home. Scorpius? Has no idea what to do. Albus? Has no intention of acknowledging personal space. I like this Albus. The hugs in the script tell us Albus is quite tactile. He clearly does not hesitate to get close to those who he loves and trusts. But it’s in these little non-scripted, casual touches that really enforces that. It makes sense that his best (and only) friend of four years would be someone he also loves and trusts. I still don’t believe they’ve never hugged before but even if that’s true, there’s no way this boy has avoided all physical contact. That’s just impossible.

ACT TWO, SCENE SIXTEEN: LIBRARY SCENE

I’ve been watching this show for yeeears and let me tell you, no one does the library scene like Luke. There’s no way I could possibly explain it in words and do it justice. This boy just gets the anger and frustration and lets it all out. This is Scorpius not holding back, not having to repress his emotions or come second to anyone else’s problems. This is about a boy who’s hurting and finally screaming back at the world like it deserves. This scene is pure, raw emotion and it’s captivating. The kind that makes you subconsciously hold your breath and break out in goosebumps. I cannot express this enough; Luke is incredible.

What I also really loved about Luke and Ryan’s version of this scene is, again, their physical contact. This was as close to ‘wrestling’ as I’ve ever seen an Albus and Scorpius get when they’re fighting over the Time-Turner. It wasn’t delicate, it was rough. Like they were fighting for more than just the object. Which really, there are. It’s Albus’s heart versus Scorpius’s mind. These two are such a team that it makes this moment even more painful. But it also makes them real. Best friends clash and fight and these two are no different to you or I.

There was a point when Albus poked Scorpius really hard in the chest to get his point across and you could see Scorpius’s anger levels rise to a whole new level. That was the breaking point I think. Before that he could have come back and regained control but Albus pushes him (quite literally) into this new territory. It was only seconds later before Scorpius started talking back and poked Albus equally as hard in the chest in return. Albus barely had time to register this unusual action before Scorpius stepped even closer and pushed him back with both hands in sheer frustration. It was so un-Scorpius like that I LOVE IT. I think it says so much about Scorpius. He’s the sweetest, kind-hearted boy you’ll ever meet. But everyone has a breaking point. Albus is so careless with his touches and this Scorpius just doesn’t know what to do with them. But here it’s like he’s throwing it all back in his face. It’s an anger fuelled instinctive rejection that’s suppose to hurt, and it’s fascinating to see Scorpius give as good as he gets. He’s been rejected by society, by his fellow students, and now Albus wants to do this without him too? Well not if he pushes him away first. That self-preservation (especially when hurt) is so very Malfoy and it’s always fascinating to see this sunshine boy be more ‘Draco’ than ‘Astoria’.

All too soon he’d calmed down and the Scorpius everyone else sees came back. But for a few minutes, we got to see the messy Scorpius inside and that’s what I need from actors when they play Scorpius Malfoy here. His pain, his heritage, his Scorpion King ‘potential’. All unleashed. Luke is simply phenomenal at it.

This whole interaction then tied in with the ending when Albus stepped forward and put his hand out and said, “Friends?”, and Scorpius flinched backward. Scorpius isn’t a fighter. There’s nothing more he wants than a friend and a split second later, once he’s registered what Albus has asked him, he leaned in and accepted wholeheartedly. This Scorpius is very open with his physical awkwardness and I love the way Albus refuses to tiptoe around it. He goes in for that hug and even though he can probably sense (and knows from experience) that Scorpius doesn’t know what to do, he decided to prolong the hug anyway. It’s interesting because it tells you he knows when and how to push him and does so. It contrasts wonderfully against the moment we’ve just seen. An example of where this went wrong followed by an example of it going beautifully right. Albus is such a loving and caring boy and he’s always expressed this in his actions and this is a gorgeous example of that. He knows Scorpius.

Anyway. I got distracted. Albus prolonged the hug by resting his head on Scorpius’s shoulder and while Scorpius’s whole being may have appeared to be saying he’s confused and uncomfortable, I don’t believe he hated any moment of it. It was like going back to being them. Albus and Scorpius. And if that didn’t do it, the way Albus’s hand lingered on Scorpius’s side as he pulled out of the hug and Scorpius’s face as he looked down at the offending hand and then back up at Albus, was definitely them going back to ‘normal’.

ACT TWO, SCENE NINETEEN: GIRLS’ BATHROOM

Oh gosh, the gillyweed! Now I’m sure this wasn’t a choice he’s made for his Scorpius and it happened purely because Albus was given too much gillyweed and took too little for himself, but Luke ended up with A LOT. Bless him. It was hanging out of his mouth, falling everywhere. How this boy did he lines amazes me. He ended up going down the sink with his head thrown back, mouth wide open, gillyweed everywhere. It was rather funny. Our ridiculous Scorpius was definitely back.

ACT THREE, SCENE ONE: UMBRIDGE’S OFFICE

The complete lack of expression on Scorpius’s face in front of Umbridge is exactly what I want here. This boy is a Malfoy. That mask is hereditary. He can stand there and give nothing away. He’s grown up watching his dad do just this. (And I love that clearly some of those things Draco has consciously and subconsciously instilled in him has stuck.) But he isn’t the Scorpion King. So when she mentioned he was athletic, Scorpius forgets himself and that mask slipped because he just has to question that. Clearly he’s never heard of the phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’.

ACT THREE, SCENE NINE: FORBIDDEN FOREST

Luke gives us a full body reaction that’s pure horror when Ron and Hermione lost their souls. He had his hands over his mouth and he was slightly hunched over. He was so visibly shaken and sickened that it makes sense that the lone dementor found him so quickly.

ACT THREE, SCENE FOURTEEN: SLYTHERIN DORM

Oh Luke. Bless you for always climbing onto Albus’s bed and chilling. I will forever fight for this because I can’t imagine best friends who live together not hanging out in each other’s spaces! That’s just what happens when people are comfortable with each other, and in this case, when said friend just doesn’t want to get up. Seriously, this Albus did not want to sit up. He was quite happy lying there wiping the sleep out of his eyes as he listened to Scorpius ramble on. He did eventually sit up and Scorpius went on over and sat on the end of his bed beside him. He crossed his legs and tucked his feet under him and made himself quite at home. He even leaned over and nudged Albus a few times with his elbow to emphasis whatever point he was making. Again, it was a really nice continuation of Scorpius’s boundaries. He’s getting physically more comfortable and actually initiating contact himself and getting into Albus’s personal space for once.

ACT THREE, SCENE NINETEEN: QUIDDITCH PITCH

Ryan does this scene so brilliantly. The way he just curls up and sobs. So good. He makes this scene entirely his own just the way Luke does with the library scene.

My favourite aspect of this scene for me was their opposite reactions to Craig’s death. (Sorry Craig.) The second Albus heard the start of Delphi’s curse, he turned and never once looked back. He refused to look at Craig. His whole body was turned away, down, tucked in, and shaking with sobs. Whereas Scorpius was turned fully towards Craig. He watched the whole thing and barely blinked. He faced it head on in stillness. Two complete opposites. It says so much about these two boys and how they deal with things.

ACT THREE, SCENE THREE: DRACO’S OFFICE

Draco went to put his hand on Scorpius’s heart, hesitated and hovered, then pointed* a finger at his heart instead. This isn’t new for this Draco, but it’s interesting considering this Scorpius’s reactions to touch. It’s almost like he knew he’d already crossed a line with grabbing him across the desk and, even though this touch is completely different, he knew better than to try it again. I wonder how much a flinch from Scorpius would have hurt Draco at this point?

(*Because of the angle I was sat, I can’t be 100% sure he didn’t actually make contact. But if he did, then I also think that’s a great link back to Albus’s finger poking him in the chest. The two most important people in his life. Two very highly emotional and eye opening conversations. And a lot has happened since then. So either way, there’s a connection there all the way through that’s personal to Scorpius and I love that.)

ACT FOUR, SCENE FOUR: HARRY’S OFFICE

This scene hit me really hard today. I cannot even put it into words. James made some subtle changes in the way he delivered some of the lines and it was simply beautiful. I really felt his pain and love for Astoria and my heart ached for this man and his happiness that’s once again slipping through his hands. Have you read what he wrote about this scene? You can see it’s true, and it made seeing him get his son back later on even more delightful.

ACT FOUR, SCENE FIVE: GODRIC’S HOLLOW

You know how Albus is sat down by the door when this scene starts? Well today he remained seated for far longer than usual. (I was definitely sensing a theme with Ryan’s Albus by this point.) Scorpius’s response? He just went over and crouched down next to him. Again, it was lovely to see Scorpius make that decision to put himself in Albus’s space.

ACT FOUR, SCENE EIGHT: GODRIC’S HOLLOW

Story time: Samuel’s Scorpius would always figure out that St Jerome’s Church was the ideal location way before Hermione finished talking and would cheekily point it out. It was really sweet and so very Scorpius. While Hermione was listing off the points today, Luke’s Scorpius leaned in and whispered something to his dad. Now presumably it was simply ‘St Jermone’s Church’ because this boy has already worked it out, but whatever it was, Draco looked at him with the ultimate smug Malfoy/proud dad face. It was glorious and also a really beautiful moment. We get so little positive father-son moments between these two that this just brought a tear to my eye. For just a moment there wasn’t anyone else around, there was no danger. It was just father and son reunited in every sense. It made my heart soar. It’s always been this small family against the world and here they are again. They make a good team and I think they’re both finally at a point where they realise that. It’s wonderful.

ACT FOUR, SCENE FOURTEEN: HOGWARTS

The last hug was really lovely because you could see the moment Scorpius decides to do it. (Luke’s ability to switch from mask to transparency is one of my favourite things because that mix is how I’ve always imagined Scorpius being.) He had already put quite a bit of distance between them so his slow walk was longer than usual and it meant you felt his purpose as he went towards Albus and leaned down into the hug. Albus was once again sat down and remained so for the duration of the hug. It was like they had gone full circle. We started with Scorpius standing up on the train and Albus quickly pulling him into a one-sided hug. To now, with Scorpius not waiting for Albus to stand (because clearly he knew from experience he wouldn’t) and calmly going in for the hug first and Albus happily accepting it.

Ryan’s choice to have Albus so unusually relaxed is interesting in its own right though. It’s not laziness on Albus’s part, but I think a reflection on how comfortable he is around Scorpius. He can be ‘just Albus’ around him. So he can stay a little longer in bed or sit on the floor with his guard down because he’s with Scorpius. And isn’t that wonderful?

ACT FOUR, SCENE FIFTEEN: GRAVEYARD

I can’t not mention the fact Ryan did a pigeon noise at Harry. Because he did. It was something else.

EXTRAS

Fun fact: Ryan is taller than Luke so this was a tall!Albus and small!Scorpius combo and I’ll admit it was weird at first but I soon loved every second of it. 

Talking appearances, Ryan’s Albus had his hair up off his face in part one and I swear he doesn’t usually? I mean, every Albus has their hair down. It’s kind of his thing. They literally make them get their hair cut for this. So I was confused. Especially since it was down for part two.

Because Ryan was cover Albus with the last cast too it meant he still has the old hoodie and let me tell you, I had tears welling up in my eyes when I first saw it on Albus again.

To summarise, Luke and Ryan? Double wizzo! Their Albus and Scorpius were a wonderfully compatible combination that highlighted each other’s characters quirks and sparks and darkness brilliantly. It was surprising to hear they hadn’t really rehearsed it all together because they were very much in sync and their interpretations matched together almost perfectly. They were the same but opposites and while that makes absolutely no sense, I promise you it’s real and it works spectacularly.

…I was going to finish there but actually, can I say just one more time how much I love Luke’s Scorpius? Seriously, I want a solid year of this boy on as the main Scorpius. He’s awkward and messy and bright and still very much a Malfoy. It’s such a strange and complicated mix to get right and this boy nails it. I cannot praise him enough and trust me, I really do try at stage door!