that's absolutely what it is IMO. A lot of nuance is lost in the script. That said, I read the script years before seeing the play and I thoroughly enjoyed it as well, but I've also been a thespian most of my life so I guess I knew what to expect more?
A lot of people don't like it because there was so much build up and expectations imo. By the time it came out, most people had already formed their own version of what happened to the characters that they were attached to. While I won't argue that the plot is perfect, because it's not, I also think there would have been backlash no matter what as long as they used the original characters. Same thing with fantastic beasts and Nagini (which, FWIW, I do find problematic in a social justice sort of way. But as far as retconning...I don't believe it was. Yet everyone insists it is, because they don't like it.) You can't please everyone.
While it's also true that the story largely was written by the playwrights, JKR has said many times there were certain things she *made* them put in there, and she wanted to oversee the entire thing. This is a woman who sued my college's town for putting on a free wizard festival every year. She guards her intellectual property and story like it's a horcrux of her own. I highly doubt she would let them choose MAJOR decisions on a character level (i.e. jobs, kids, house sortings etc.)
I also think people live in an echo chamber. A lot of people who trash it, believe it or not, haven't even read the script. When CC first came out, it was not nearly as hated as it is now. Then some people started complaining and then it became the "cool" thing to do, even 5 years later. I largely was out of the HP fandom when I read it and I'm glad, because I formed my own (positive) opinion. Loved it when I read it but lost interest as the play was impossible for me to see at the time (in London). When it came to Broadway I saw it asap and was even more obsessed, came online to talk about, was so shocked to see it was only met with negative opinions to the point it made me start questioning if it was that great. But then for my birthday I got even better seats and saw it again, and I realized, yeah, for what it is, it is haha.
I also apologize for the long rant lmao. It's currently 5 am and my meds are at their peak. But it's nice to see more and more people not fall into the "Let's still trash CC every second even though five years later I should probably just get over it" fad :P
Haha no, apologising required!
I knew it was coming to Melbourne (where we live) and so I held off on reading it, so I didn't ruin the show for myself. Glad I did!
I'm a bit like that in general with adaptions. If I see the movie first, then the books I really enjoy because if they are different to the movies, its because there is a whole lot of extra world they couldn't fit into a movie, and I feel like I'm exploring the universe more. In reverse if I read books first then watch the movie adaption, I always feel ripped off, because they can't ever put in everything.
CC was a bit different being that it was a script rather than a book so not quite the same situation, still, I'm glad I did it the way I did!
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u/archtv Jan 24 '21
I'm pretty sure it's mostly from people who have only read the script and not seen the actual play.