#tom mackley

[amid-fandoms]

hear me out... tom mackley as wylan van eck in s&b season 2

[chrrycola]

[ohscorbus]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Sunday 17th September, 2017.

No your eyes aren't deceiving you, this is an actual recap! It's been far too long! But this show was something special and it demanded such a post : )

If it wasn’t blatantly obvious to you by now, Albus is my favourite. He means so much to me and so naturally, I was super excited about this week. Why? Well for those of you who don't know, Tom Mackley was on as Albus and I never had the chance to catch his Albus when he was with the first cast so today was a long time coming. It genuinely felt like I was seeing the play for the first time and meeting another Albus was everything I wanted it to be and more. Mackley is so brilliant. He brings an energy that really captures your attention, no matter what role he’s in, and seeing him in a bigger role only confirmed how much of a star this boy is.

Alright, this is going to be 60% Mackley love, 30% Albus comparisons, and 10% Scorbus. Have fun, folks!

(Note: I wrote this a few days after seeing the show but then life got busy and I never got the chance to finish it. I’d rather not try and do that from memory two months later. So this isn’t complete but I thought some of you might be interested in it anyway. She says, like it’s not 3k+ words long. ‘Incomplete’... ha!)

Act One

I have to admit, I did that thing where I was too excited to focus so the first few scenes were a bit of a blur to me. I both love and hate when that happens :’) But it means my very first impression of Mackley’s Albus was overwhelmingly a positive one.

Although there was one thing that bothered me. I was pre-warned about this and I’m glad because it threw me. For some reason, Mackley used a different voice when he was eleven year old Albus. It was younger and squeaker and I can see what he was going for but he didn’t need it. He’s very physical with his acting so I would have picked up on him being younger through other means. For example, the “what is the rumour?” line. He raised his hand as he asked the question to Rose and Scorpius and it made me seem so very small and childlike. The way he was looking to his cousin in particular for answers like a child would a teacher in class. It was really sweet. Little actions like that worked better than the younger voice he never seemed able to maintain. Plus I’ve never seen anyone else do this and apparently he didn’t do it when he was on as Albus last year so I’m not sure where it came from now??? But obviously this is all coming from someone who knows his voice so it stood out to me as odd. I’m sure a first timer wouldn’t have been bothered by it.

EDIT: Apparently he’s no longer doing the voice. I’m glad. He already felt like the youngest young Albus I’d seen. His eleven year old was 100% believable already.

I loved how Albus hovered his hand over his wand and was shouting, “UP!”, repeatedly in an attempt to remove it from where it was stuck in the floor. The direct reference to his future failed flying lesson made sure we were all aware just how much Albus was struggling at school. Like we could forget but you know, it’s always nice to be kicked while you’re down with a severe case of the feels. Thanks Mackley.

You know that bit where Albus walks into his ‘room’ and he’s just lit by a single spotlight? (I mention it in every recap because it’s stunning and one of my favourite moments of the play. I honestly hold my breath and well up every single time. I have zero shame over my emotional investment in this character hahaha.) Mackley was super interesting in this. Well, to me anyway. So Theo walks forward and gets to the front of the stage and just sighs. His entire body just sags. It’s heartbreaking and breathtaking all at the same time. But Mackley put his hands in his unzipped hoodie pockets, then held his arms out away from his body so the hoodie was open, and then walked in a straight line across the stage to his bed. He kept his head down as he watched his feet, stepping one foot directly in front of the other. Like a child trying to walk along a crack in the pavement. It’s such a small and insignificant thing really, but I had an ‘oh there you are’ moment with it. You spend five hours with these characters but occasionally an actor will do something that makes everything else fade away. The character stops being a character and becomes so real it gives me goosebumps. (This isn’t sounding right. They are all superb actors and you fully lose yourself in the story/characters every single time you watch it. But sometimes it’s so much more than that. They do something different and you completely forget that acting is even a thing. That you’re even sat in a theatre at all. The moment you’re seeing simply becomes this real person in the real setting. That wasn’t Mackley performing on stage to me, it was Albus in his room trying to delay packing.) But anyway, it was the perfect combination of innocent child and bored teenager. With Theo’s Albus, you know he’s already not in the mood for this scene. He’s already 100% done and upset before whatever is about to happen, happens. Mackley’s Albus wasn’t like that at all. He was bored and interestingly much more responsive than Sam and Theo’s Albus is whenever his siblings came into his room. It was all kinds of fascinating to then to see how they both go from their different starting points to angrily shouting at Harry. I absolutely loved how angry Mackley took this argument though. It reminded me a lot of Sam’s Albus. I’d missed this level of raw anger. Theo has been taking his Albus angrier and angrier and the way he hits Harry with the blanket these days is one of my favourite things. But Mackley, despite seeming absolutely tiny next to Jamie, got right up in Harry’s face and held his own. 

EDIT: Theo has since earned the title of ‘angriest Albus’ in this scene and it was well worth the wait. But I’ll write about this at some point because it does deserve to be acknowledged, explored, and celebrated. Yay!

During the quiz bit when Scorpius is sat down (or rather, Albus manhandles him and pushes him down), Albus was tapping on his knees and then went to full on holding onto his thighs. I mean, sure. Good. Carry on. Nothing to see here. Why am I even mentioning it???

Albus was rubbing Scorpius’s back as he spoke about his dislike of fish. I love it when Albus reacts like this here. Genuine concern. I’ve also missed writing these recaps so I could take this opportunity to once again ponder as to where his hatred of fish came from. I have theories, Samuel is apparently still thinking about it. (I like to think that’s not one of the weirdest questions about Scorpius he’s got at stage door but let’s face it, it’s probably high up there on the list.)

Act Two

Absolutely loved the ‘wizzo’ line. They did it as a sort of echo. (I was having Anthony ‘Hogwarts-warts-warts-warts’ flashbacks.) It was super fun to watch Mackley and Annabel interact by the way. You can tell they’ve been friends for a while now.

Albus and Scorpius had the nerdiest thumb/handshake thing. They held each others hand and then proceeded to play what looked like a thumb war. Dorks.

Albus said (or mouthed?) “that’s my uncle” when Lugo Bagman mentioned Charlie Weasley and that’s an A+ decision. This is why I love Mackley. He adds these things, these tiny almost inconsequential things, and yet they add even more depth to the character. Of course Albus is going to react to seeing these people. Albus loves his family and is very close with them. It must have been so weird (and cool) to see them younger.

What was great about the Jamie G and Mackley combination is that they both ate the chocolate in the hospital wing. I love this cast. They all seem to enjoy eating their props :’)

Act Three

Albus fell out of bed when Scorpius screamed his name to wake him up. Poor boy. He got back up and then literally flopped onto his bed and proceeded to lie there and recover from his ordeal. The fact that Scorpius wasn’t phased by this tells me it’s not out of the ordinary. Albus my dear boy, you need a nicer alarm clock.

The torture scene… alright, this is where I lost Albus. Briefly. One of my favourite things about Albus, one of his greatest traits, is his ability to use his pain to drive himself. It’s evident throughout the play and in particular, this scene. We see him crumble. Completely and utterly shatter. The pain and potential loss of Scorpius kills him quicker than an Avada Kedavra ever could. But he uses that pain to fight back. That’s what Albus does. He doesn’t give in. The boy is a Slytherin through and through, he’ll find a way to save Scorpius and stop Delphi on his own terms. So even though he’s breaking in this scene, what you’re really seeing his him going from strength to strength. But Mackley just… broke. He collapsed to the floor and cried and generally reacted how Sam and Theo have done, to be fair. But there was something about Mackley’s Albus that was too submissive to Delphi. I didn’t feel that strength from him that I expected. Instead of resisting Delphi in every which way, his Albus was on the floor and frantically nodding his head. He was as quick to say yes to Delphi as he was to say no. But Albus would never ever comply. He’d never see that as his only option. So his decision to nod here confused me. In hindsight, he was presumably playing along, hoping Delphi would believe him so that she would spare Scorpius anymore pain. But to me, it just didn’t feel like something Albus would do in that moment. Because agreeing to help Delphi isn’t going to stop her from hurting Scorpius. It’s only going to hurt more people. But then he doesn’t always seem to see the bigger picture when he’s controlled by his emotions... The only way I could make the whole thing work in my head is that Albus is simply acknowledging her request, rather than actually agreeing to it. I just can’t believe he would ever think he could successfully convince her. It had to be just a delaying tactic because they both know Scorpius is his weakness. He’d put himself in harms way before he lets anything happen to his best friend. I think his experience and his emotional state aren’t where they need to be for him to manipulate her back in that way either. Going off in another direction, it’s also interesting to compare this to how quickly Albus complies with his dad in the other timeline when he’s told to stay away from Scorpius. Because yes, he’s agreeing to something against his wishes but he’s doing it to save Scorpius and at a great pain to himself. Complying with Delphi isn’t going to save Scorpius. If anything, it’ll get him killed faster...

EDIT: I hear there’s been some mixed opinions on this. I haven’t read anyone else’s recaps (I rarely do until I’ve posted my own), but I find it super interesting how differently people seemed to have interpreted this. But hey, all our opinions and interpretations are valid. *Scorpius voice* If my adventures in this fandom have taught me anything, it’s taught me that.

Like I said, I never had the chance to write about act four (or finish act three properly) and it would be unfair to do so from memory now. Even though I have notes. So many notes. Mackley is the kind of actor who gives so much on stage that you can’t not write thousands of words about him. He’s that good, and if you’ve not seen the show then you’re probably not aware of that and it’s a crying shame. He’s a fluffy ball of energy and completely steals your attention whenever he’s on stage. Whether he’s playing Albus, or part of the ensemble and kissing pumpkins and telling the Beauxbatons ladies he loves them. Hell, even bringing on props ready for the next scene in the dark. You know it’s him. Nobody swishes their robes quite like Mackley. He’s electric on stage and you can tell he belongs up there. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the main seven but honestly, this show wouldn’t be what it is without the ensemble. It’s why he’s one understudy I would absolutely go out of my way to see again. 

I’ll end this with some general observations and some random points I apparently felt the need to make a note of during the intervals. It’s a jumbled mess. Sorry : /

I feel like the ‘dry humour and Albus-y’ line was written for Mackley’s Albus because the dry comedic tone in his voice was spot on. He definitely takes it to a level Sam and Theo have never reached. There were lines in there that had the audience laughing that I’ve never heard an audience laugh at before and it warmed my heart. It felt like the audience were seeing what Scorpius sees in his best friend. He has his troubles yes, but underneath all his daddy issues and dwindling self esteem, he’s a kid with a big heart and enough sarcasm to fill the lake twice over. Scorpius loves that about him. Harry loves that about him. I love that about him. To hear an audience get that and react so positively to him, just as much as they do with Scorpius every single show, was beautiful. I feel blessed, and I have no shame in telling you it brought tears to my eyes in the theatre.

On the same note, Samuel is also brilliant at getting the audience to laugh so as you can imagine, these two together were a riot together. I’ve never seen two actors so thoroughly enjoy being on stage. They had so much fun up there, particularly in part two, and it shone through in their performance. It was genuinely a fun experience and one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve had the pleasure to watch.

For example, Albus doing a silly slow motion walk towards Scorpius in Godric’s Hollow as Scorpius explained his ‘plan’. It was one of those silly little things best friends unconsciously do around each other because they’re comfortable letting themselves be themselves in the others presence. It tells us how much time they do spend together. How close they are. How fun and silly Albus can actually be when he’s not dealing with stuff. Or at least when Scorpius is around to distract him from it all temporarily. But that’s what I love about their relationship. They’re each other’s escape and safety net and gravity. They really do need each other.

*whispers* Can we also talk about how his feet didn’t fully touch the ground when he’s sat on the edge of his bed? Or how he managed to curl up onto the pew without looking squished? I know I love to exaggerate how tiny Albus is when I write about him but Mackley made all of my dreams come true.

Ron’s jumper is so big on him that he started to flap his sleeves after he’d been turned back into himself again. It was adorable. It also gave me Albus and his hand-me-down clothes feels. That bit was a little more painful.

Act Four Scene Fourteen was all robe swishes and funny voices. It was mayhem to the nth degree. If every day is like that then I can see why Scorpius loves school so much.

It’s easy to see Scorpius as a follower, it’s something else to see Albus as a leader. Mackley definitely has that pull over Scorpius. Not to a point where they’re unbalanced, but he’s a whirlwind. A force impossible to stop once he’s got something in his head. You can see how/why Scorpius caves so easily. Especially since Albus seems totally unaware of it all... mostly. Scorpius has a choice, he just chooses Albus.

He walked into Godric’s Hollow with the string from his hoodie in his mouth while he kicked the snow. Another reason why he’s the most believable fourteen year old Albus I’ve seen too. It seemed to come so natural to him. While Theo has perfected Albus’s heart and headspace, Mackley has got his headstrong petulant teenager side down to a T. His stance, his faces, his tone... despite being the oldest to play Albus, he easily comes across as the youngest.

There was just something so down to earth and effortless about his Albus that I loved. I wish I could put it into words. He was so natural in his performance that it didn’t even seem like a performance, you know? I particularly loved the delivery of his lines. There was something about it that even made me love the words/lines that have always felt a little odd to me. I sat there and thought, ‘oh! so that’s how it’s suppose to sound.’ (I’m wondering whether it’s an accent thing? I have theories.)

I’m going to end this with a conversation I overheard during the interval. There were two middle aged ladies in front of me in the toilet queue talking about Albus. One of them stopped the other mid-gushing over how brilliant the ‘young lad’ playing Albus was to inform her he was in fact the understudy. She couldn’t believe it. She said she got the impression he’d been playing Albus for a year and not just for the week. This only spurred her on and she continued to talk about his brilliance, probably until Act Two started. Needless to say, I was beaming like a proud idiot. Spending the rest of the months food money on a ticket just to see him was definitely a good decision. I can say this now, two months later, having lived through weeks of basic cheap food :’)

[madmazmind]

Albus Severus Potter 3x

Lets talk about Albus. 

This is a character that I’m incredibly excited to see different interpretations of. He can be perceived as anything from a stroppy teenager to a hurt child. I think that whoever is playing Albus is showing a lot of skill by conveying what Albus is feeling and making the audience like him. I’ve been lucky to see this being done in three VERY different ways: it’s actually quite incredible how different Sam, Theo and Tom are. 

Here are some thoughts and feelings that the fandom has about the brilliant actors who have played Albus. (Anything not in quotations are my opinions!) 

“I think it’s super interesting how all the Albus’s can be Albus? Like I never really know which one is THE ONE, it’s like when I make my headcannons, at the start I instantly choose which Albus I’m going to use because it’s just a completely different direction to take, but they all work within the same play with the same script. It’s fab” - Manon (@yomoony)

Sam Clemmett

“About Sam, well actually for me Albus is Sam.” - Jen (@IdBeAUnicorn)

I have very vidid memories of Sams Albus making me cry A LOT. Like he hit a nerve with me that I really wasn’t expecting to get from a harry Potter play. Perhaps Sams Albus felt a little older than 14 but this worked in a sense that he felt like he’d had to grow up fast. He had more or less given up on his relationship with his dad by 4th year. 

“There were so many lines with a real hint of sarcasm which made the audience realise what his coping mechanism was during his turbulent time at school and at home. His surly and sullen nature demonstrated in his scenes with Jamie really made the audience feel like they could connect with him as a character as I really believe that everyone was like that at some point in their teenage years.” - Lucinda (@lucinda_chaplin)

I think there’s something about Sams Albus that, as a 20-somethings, made me reflect on how I dealt with certain situations in our childhood. He showed us that very lost, confused teenager that was volatile and heartbreaking. It was something really beautiful that has only been enhanced by seeing the other interpretations of this character this year.

“Albus is a hard character to like straight off the bat, and yet I did. Sam Clemmett imbued a sense of vulnerability to the stubborn and impulsive Albus. His hurt was my hurt.” - Susy (@susybumblebee)

The comparison of Sam’s Albus’s relationship to his dad compared to that with Scorpius, showed how important Albus and Scorpius’s relationship was.

“His chemistry with his onstage family was like none i’ve ever seen before. He’s the reason I fell in love with this character and why i have this unique bond with him. His Albus was a moody & angsty young man but his bond with his best friend was beautiful.” - Gemma (@scoutin_g)

“His chemistry with Anthony made his happiness about having a friend really shone and this made his loneliness in act 2 even more heartbreaking as his body language, facial expressions and the way he delivered his lines really made us in the audience so sorry for Albus as we really believed that he had lost the one thing that made him so happy.” - Lucinda (@lucinda_chaplin)

And we were all on board with the Angst and having him rip our hearts out regularly. 

“I love how angsty sam plays albus, no ones quite got it like him!” - Megan (@meganwestie)

I think the moments that Sams Albus cried (it didn’t happen every show) felt like we were being handed something special, because he didn’t give his emotions out freely, which is something I can related to.

“Sams albus is so touching… I have the feeling he is albus and is not playing him. He perfectly fit in this role and I love seeing him” - Sarah (@justseera )

Something I found really exciting about watching him was his anger towards Harry. I always sat up when the blanket scene was coming up or the library scene, to see how far it would go. 

Tom Mackley

Toms Albus is very fun and really heartbreaking. He’s incredibly well balanced in a sense that I understand why Scorpius loves being friends with him but he’s also definitely going through some emotionally heavy stuff. 

“I absolutely adore how he brought out the vulnerability in him, And how he made Albus seem genuinely young.” - Chrissy (@AceYoursTruly)

Toms act 1 is brilliant. His journey from a chirpy, optimistic eleven year old to an out of place 14 year old is so poignant. His Albus, in particular, is only really angry with Harry, which I love. Before the blanket argument, he smiles at james and Lily, like he feels part of a family with them, but Harry just can’t get through to him and that’s beautiful to watch.

“The bedroom scene where James and Lily walk in with their presents is just beautiful to watch. He laughs at his brother as he sees his hair is pink and he’s happy for lily with her wings, Theo and Sam played it very differently.” - Gemma (@scoutin_g)

“I also find that Tom changes his Albus more between the first scene where he’s entering first year, and then second year, and third year, and fourth year. at the very beginning, he sort of sits and speaks like a younger kid, both in his voice and in the way he reacts generally, and then gradually changes it.” - Maya (@LesMisMcFly4)

Whilst talking to people about Tom, his torture scene came up over and over as something that had stood out for them.

“His torture scene makes me cry every time. It looks like he’s giving into Delphi but it’s all just working in his head how he has to save his best friend. It’s wonderful.” - Gemma (@scoutin_g)

“I just love Mackley, like he was sobbing in the scorpius torture scene, I’ve never seen any of them be that emotional, he is a-ma-zing!” - Megan (@meganwestie)

“He is reluctant to show true emotions until the torture scene, where we really saw Tom shine. I cried because his reaction was so heart wrenching-we hadn’t seen Albus cry until that point and so it was a wonderful contrast and presented the strength of their friendship beautifully.” - Immy (@_itsimmy)

I really feel the relationship with Scorpius is real and natural. I think it’s a shame that we never get to see Tom with his own Scorpius, as their relationship is such am important thing to me as I’m watching, but he always connects to the Scorpius opposite him in really cool ways. Thats something that I really respect and makes him an amazing cover.  

“And that Irish jig on st patrick’s day, iconic.” - Megan (@meganwestie)

Theo Ancient

His Albus has this childish optimism about him that slowly gets crushed that makes him loveable, and his story incredibly gripping. 

“I remember being suuuuuuper excited about Theo in June… I mentioned him 3 times in my interval thoughts notes.” - Jen (@IdBeAUnicorn)

The first time I saw Theo, it was after seeing Sams Albus A LOT. There was a big adjustment period because he is so different, so much more openly emotional and presents Albus at a different angle and this has made me understand Albus a lot more deeply. 

“Theo has completely captured the ‘essence of Albus’. He perfectly portrays Albus’s raw vulnerability, making it look effortless yet so full of pain and emotion.” - Amelia (@alohomora_book)

“Theo’s Albus is just remarkably beautiful, he isn’t afraid to show his emotions -which young boys in particular are often told is deemed “unmanly”. It doesn’t weaken Albus in the slightest, if anything his projection of emotions shows hidden confidence and boldness (and provides a really touching performance).” - Immy (@_itsimmy)

Theo’s Albus shows his relationship with his dad is so strained even though they’re both trying so hard to make it work. It’s like they’re not seeing one another clearly, even though they’re shouting what they need at each other. 

“Theo made me fall in love with the way he played Albus after the “I wish you weren’t my son” scene. There was so much emotion in that scene and I’m pretty sure I forgot to breath.” - Jen (@IdBeAUnicorn)

“His scenes with Jamie, even when he’s not talking, really show that Albus just wants to be understood by his dad and he just can’t get through to him no matter how hard he tries.” - Lucinda (@lucinda_chaplin)

“The emotion he puts into the sad and upsetting scenes is amazing, it makes me want to just give Albus a big hug.” - Katie (@_1D_Youtubers_ )

I have seen tears falling from his face to the floor before. He is so brave with his emotions. On the other hand, His relationship with Scorpius brings his Albus so much joy that it lights up my day to see how they smile at each other.

“Theo’s Albus shows me it’s okay to react to things in your own way, and every way is okay. Anger, sadness, grief, everyone feels these emotions differently and even if your family members struggle with understanding your own feelings that doesn’t mean they’re not valid.” - Anna (@annacgk)

“If we could have Sam’s teenage angst (he really embodied the isolated boy, too), Theo’s emotion and physicality (he manages to look so small and timid unless he’s around Scorpius my little bABY) and Tom’s sass and exquisitely subtle facial expressions; that would be the most perfect Albus (in my opinion!).” - Immy  (@_itsimmy)

“Actually (And this is what I appreciate the most): Seeing one Albus made me want to go back and see the other again.” - Chrissy (@AceYoursTruly)

Thinking and writing this post had made me realise just how much I love Albus and that I may not have seen everything Sam’s Albus was giving last year. I’m so excited to take what I’ve learnt from Tom and Theo forward to New York and get to know his character so much more. 

Heres some links to more muse-y essays I’ve written:

-Scorpius Malfoy 4x -Sams Albus -Theos Albus  - (Toms Albus is in progress and will be linked here when i’m done! Sorry it’s taking longer for me to write a whole post, since I only get to see him every few months!) - The Scorbus/Scorose debate and heteronormativity 

[drhorriblessingalong]

Tom Mackley is on as Albus today! Plus Danny Dalton as Ron, it's been brilliant so far!

[yourenofun]

So basically I’m super late to the party but I’ve just returned from my trip a few days ago (now back in Argentina and severely missing London) but these pictures are from the day when I (finally!!!!) saw Cursed Child, August 16th 2017. I promise I’ll upload a review of the show as soon as I can (though I can tell you that it’s the most wonderful thing I’ve EVER seen) but in the meantime here’s some of the stage door pictures. Apart from everyone in the pictures, also had a lovely chat with Martin Johnston (who is HILARIOUS btw), the adorable Rupert Henderson, and also got the program signed by Emma Lowndes who was apparently in a hurry and couldn’t stop for pictures and the like. As you can see from the pictures, Gideon Turner was playing Harry (and he absolutely smashed it, he was fantastic, but more on that later when I upload the review. And also more about other amazing understudies) and he was super nice and kind at stage door. Tom Aldridge is wonderful, super kind and funny to all of us waiting and he took the time to speak to everyone. Rakie was so so so great and I love her, and she was super excited when I told her I was from Argentina, said I was the first fan from Argentina she met (most of the cast was super great and thankful when I told them I had travelled all the way to get to see the show which was really lovely). James Howard is A MA ZING and super fun to talk to and he was great (also, his Draco. WOW). Theo was absolutely wonderful to talk to and we talked about how great Albus is (it’s great to see that the character is in the hands of someone who truly understands him). Samuel is absolutely, 100% adorable. He’s kind of shy at first but he’s very grateful and kind (I kept complementing him on his performance and he was blushing. ADORABLE i tell you). Leah who played Polly that day was fantastic to talk to, she’s 100% a Potter fan so hearing her experience about being a part of the play is great and she was super nice. James Phoon was also super great and we were all commenting on his RuPaul shirt hahaha.  I hoped Tom Mackley would come out to the Stage Door but he didn’t :( and neither did April Hughes who was playing Delphi that day and did a wonderful job. All in all however it was a fantastic experience! Promise I’ll upload the review soon enough. Glad that I finally get to contribute my own experience to our Cursed Child appreciation group!! :D

[starsbtts]

Cursed Child spoilers! After seeing the play this song will now forever make my heart brake it went so well with the Stair case scene watching the two boys who can’t speak to one another long for one another with this in the background it’s not just acting that make scenes music is so important!

[the-eighth-story]

It’s the Albus bromance ❤

You’re welcome! 😂