A Very Potter Musical

Some of you may remember the rumor that circulated a few years back about a Harry Potter Musical being in the works. Like many people, I thought it a terrible idea, and was relieved when nothing came of it.

Indeed, I still believe that a poorly concieved, mass-distributed Potter musical would be a terrible idea. But A Very Potter Musical, the production that has been making a splash on YouTube and Potter fansites, is the exact opposite of that--produced by a group of college students calling themselves Star Kid and performed as a live audience production which was recorded and posted on the internet, it is the epitome of a classy tribute. Fan concieved, it pays homage to the original material while using it as a springboard for some friendly jibes and artistic exploration. In other words, A Very Potter Musical is faithful to the books, while also remaining an astonishing parody in its own right.

The props and musical numbers are extremely sophisticated for a novice production. That is to say nothing of the acting and character portrayal, which is so accurate and impassioned it blows my mind. It would be impossible to pick my favorites out of a strong supporting cast which features the fabulous Lauren Lopez as Draco Malfoy, Joe Moses as Snape, Richard Campbell as Neville, and Devin Lytle (Cho Chang). The main characters are too awesome for words, with Darren Criss, Joey Richter, and Bonnie Gruesen, adding tuneful verve and hilarity to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, respectively, with Jaime Lynn Beatty as Ginny (that's Ginevra) Weasley, and Dylan Saunders as a squeaky Albus Dumbledore. But the real show-stealer is Joe Walker as Voldemort and Brian Rosenthal as Quirrell, his body and buddy.

The script consolidates all seven books into a few hours, and does it masterfully. The focus is on books, one, four, and seven, with Voldemort's possession of Quirrell, the Triwizard Tournament, and the final scenes of Deathly Hallows getting special attention. This narrower focus helps tighten the story, which doesn't have to focus on too many things at once, and therefore takes time to explore, with a somewhat (not quite) straight face, the thoughts, and interactions, and motivations behind the characters's actions. I must warn you that I was laughing hysterically--out loud--while watching the installments on YouTube. It's pure genius. And what's more--it doesn't attempt to impress or ensnare, simply to entertain. Which it does magnificently. Goes see for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk&feature=PlayList&p=C76BE906C9D83A3A&index=0 (be warned: does contain gross college boy humor.)