Inspiration Destination: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the House of Mina Lima

While spending time in London, I stepped into the magical wizarding world and saw Harry Potter come to life on stage. 19 years after the last book ended, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins. After having read the screen write, I knew I had to see it come to life on stage. I was absorbed in the art and magic the minute I crossed the street and approached the theater.

The numerous outside windows to the theatre were breathtaking with impressive attention to small details. I was especially drawn to the play’s logo. The title of HARRY POTTER melded perfectly with the rest of the series titles. Harry’s famous lighting bolt shaped scar was the baseline of the P. The way the other letters were written made the impression of the magic beams coming out of the wands. Each letter was different, creating the impression that they were hand written by a wizard. The secondary title, AND THE CURSED CHILD had very sharp sheriffs that complimented the main title.

As I stepped into the theater, I stood silently and took it all in. The interior was Victorian with roman arches over the seats and embossed gold detail everywhere you looked. I found my seat amongst all of the deep red chairs, and the excitement overwhelmed me. The red seats were a nice contrast to all of the gold. I waited as patiently as I could for the magic to start.

This show did not disappoint! The actors and actresses were phenomenal! The magic they performed was realistic, as was the stage art and scenery. I truly felt like I was in the wizarding world. There were some amazing special effects; I had absolutely no idea how they were done. I gave up trying to figure out how it was done and just enjoyed the whole experience. The stage props and costumes worked well throughout the performance… even the stage crew wore costumes. Stage crews are usually dressed in black and try their best not to be noticed. At this play, they wore cloaks and anytime a prop was taken away, they dramatically covered it with their cloaks making the illusion they magically got rid of the set. It was very effective, showing how the smallest of details can make a difference to a play.

Because 6 hours of Harry Potter wasn’t enough for me, I went to the House of Mina Lima afterwards. Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima are the graphic designers for all of the Harry Potter films, including the Fantastic Beast series. Their shop has a 3-story exhibition showcasing some of the work they did for the movies. The small, creaky, winding staircase was a perfect fit. Seeing the detail put into these props up close was amazing. As you walk up the staircase, the walls were lined with pages from the Daily Prophet, which is the newspaper used in the movies. Mina Lima took the time to write something different on every page instead of filling it with lorem ipsum. Even the books that were used had each page filled. This attention to detail was impressive.

The wizarding world is a truly magical place. Bringing it to life through acting and magic on stage, creating intricate design pieces used in the movies, and the attention to detail in these art forms really makes me appreciate the hard work everyone does to keep magic alive. It is amazing and definitely worth the trip!

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