Something Magical

THE SCIENCE OF SPECIAL EFFECTS IN 'HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD'

- Ben Silver

We all know magic isn't real. Or is it? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play that explores the wizarding journey of the next generation of Hogwarts students, including the children of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Malfoy. Written by British playwright Jack Thorne, the play has dazzled audiences in London's West End since 2016 and on Broadway in New York City since 2018. It now plays in theaters all around the world, from Toronto, Canada, to Tokyo, Japan.

While the play's story has been lauded as a brilliant addition to the world of Harry Potter, its live special effects and magical illusions put it in a category all its own. Flames fly out of wands, a Time Turner floats in midair, and Ministry of Magic visitors disappear inside a phone booth. Before our eyes, Polyjuice Potion transforms kids into adults. Dementors hover over the audience, eerily aglow.

The entire set is distorted as the main characters travel through time. Awe-inducing effects and illusions like these happen in every performance. How do they do it? Believe it or not, no real magic is necessary. Engineers, lighting designers, flying specialists, illusions experts, and the actors work together to make it happen. Each trick works thanks to science. From chemistry to physics to psychology, it's the science behind the magic that brings Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to life.

Fire

If you know one thing about wizards, it's that they use wands to cast spells. Wands can be turned into flashlights or deployed against your worst enemy. In Cursed Child, Harry's son Albus casts the Incendio spell, in which a bright burst of flames shoots out of his wand, only to quickly disappear.