Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (The M. Clifford MOD)

The M. Clifford MOD

I'd like to think that I understand the wizarding world...

I've read the novels many times, written seven full-length books of canon-compliant fanfiction, and have been a Potterhead for 20 years (unlike Jack Thorne, the original playwright). Most fans would agree that Thorne doesn't necessarily feel like one of us. He doesn't know the ins and outs of this world as intricately as we do. Could a part-time fan best him in a trivia contest? Probably. Yet, he was charged with writing the finale. And paid handsomely to do so.

With that said, I don't think it would be fair for me to take the Epilogue and develop whatever story I want and call it "my take on Cursed Child". You can't fairly judge a rewrite as a criticism. It's not. That would be considered fanfiction based on a simple premise. Instead, I think it's only fair that I take the bones of the play script and see if I can retool things a bit. Which is why I'm calling it The M. Clifford MOD.

As a definition, MOD is short for Modification. It is a term, borrowed from the video game world, where someone could hack a game down to the code and make alterations in order to create a more enjoyable playing experience for others, with a special touch from a dedicated fan who has a unique perspective on what made that property enjoyable and significant.

Original Vision

So, if we're going down to the code, let's start at the very beginning — the original concept — a script that "had the sensitivity, intensity, and intimacy" that JKR thought was "appropriate for bringing Harry's story to the stage." I could spend time here discussing why that statement didn't fit with what we got in the play, but this is less about what was done improperly and more about what I think the original intention may have been. More importantly, what I think JKR would have produced had she done all of this on her own. Because somewhere in the collaborative writing process, the foundation of a great story was lost.

I think I understand the characters and magical history well enough to tell a difficult, challenging, emotional tale that falls in line with what she originally wanted. Something that could be considered the 8th story without us being told that it is, because the final script would appropriately reflect the seven books that came before, and perhaps discover a hole in the overall narrative that needed to be filled.

White Board

It goes unstated that this play needs to be my version — distinctly the same and distinctly different from the original. I don't think it would be fair to tweak the story just enough to satisfy what the fans desired. I need to consider this as a deconstruction. And that I, M. Clifford, have been given the very serious and awesome task of reimagining the insanely famous and popular story.

I could easily start from square one and write a new play. That would be a copout. Anyone could do that. Were I to develop an entirely new story, I don't think it would be right for me to title it HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD. The other option is to print out the whole thing, transpose it, and then alter a few of the more irritating elements. That would be considered copyright infringement. Instead, I'm going to adapt what we were given, as if I were brought in as a secret fourth member of the writing team.

(Working under an Invisibility Cloak. Tripping Thorne whenever he walked into the room holding a mug of scalding hot tea. Y'know...productive stuff.)

To achieve this, I pictured myself being escorted into the writer's room and seeing the big whiteboard full of plot points and callbacks, where JKR and Co. were brainstorming all that they wanted to include in the play. I saw a pad of paper on the desk with the word HELP written in Jack Thorne's scratchy handwriting.