A Very Potter Musical

       

Yer a Wizard, Harry!

    Hello you crazy cats! Welcome back to another review. This week we're doing something a little different than regular. I'll be discussing A Very Potter Musical: The Fan Made Musical, a musical based on various plots from the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. This musical has never made a Broadway appearance. It was actually created by a group at the University of Michigan (more on that in the History section!). 

    I'm so so so so so excited for this review. If you're a fan of Harry Potter, you're sure to love this musical. If not, prepare yourself, because there's a lot going on in this show that might be a bit confusing. I encourage you to sit back, relax, and jump right in to this review with me!

StarKid Productions

A Very Potter Musical

History

    A Very Potter Musical was performed on April 9-11, 2009 at the University of Michigan. The book was written by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. A.J. Holmes and Darren Criss created the music and lyrics, with Criss also starring as Harry Potter. The musical was produced by StarKid Productions, a musical theatre company founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan. The performance was filmed, and is now free to view online. 

    A sequel, A Very Potter Sequel, was produced in 2010, due to the popularity of the first musical, and a final installment, A Very Potter Senior Year was produced in 2012, rounding out the trilogy. Due to the popularity of A Very Potter Musical, StarKid Productions has created many other musicals, unrelated to Harry Potter, but popular and successful in their own rights. 

Who's in the Cast?

    Darren Criss stars as the main character, Harry Potter. His best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, are played by Joey Richter and Bonnie Greusen, respectively. Ginny Weasley is played by Jamie Lyn Beatty. In a bizarre deviation from the traditional story, the male Draco Malfoy is played by female actress Lauren Lopez. Joe Walker played Lord Voldemort, Dylan Saunders portrayed Albus Dumbledore, and Joe Moses played Severus Snape. Brian Rosenthal portrayed Quirinus Quirrell, and Britney Coleman played Bellatrix Lestrange. Others in the cast played multiple roles as well as ensemble members. 

Overview

    Our show opens with Harry Potter, a 12-year-old wizard, waiting for summer to end so he can return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, his school of magic. He meets up with his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Ron's little sister Ginny is attending school for the first time, and she wants to be friends with the three of them. The school bully, Draco Malfoy, approaches and declares that next year he'll be attending a prestigious school called Pigfarts, located on Mars, whose headmaster is a talking lion. The trio ignore him and take the train back to Hogwarts (Goin' Back to Hogwarts). 

    At Hogwarts, the new students are sorted into 1 of 4 Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The headmaster, Dumbledore, introduces himself to the students. One of the professors, Quirinus Quirrell, announces that there will be a year-long tournament for the students, and that one "champion" from each house will be selected to complete events and attempt to win the House Cup Tournament. Quirrell wears a mysterious turban, and when he gets too close to Harry, the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead starts to burn. Severus Snape, another professor, enters to announce the champions. From Gryffindor, Harry, from Slytherin, Malfoy, from Ravenclaw, Cho Chang, and from Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory. Hermione is worried that the events of the tournament will be dangerous and asks Harry not to participate, but Dumbledore says he has full confidence that Snape will choose good events. Malfoy tries to bully Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but Hermione fights back. Malfoy reflects on his feelings and tries to ignore that he likes her.

    Meanwhile, back in his room, Quirrell removes his mysterious turban, revealing the evil wizard Voldemort living on the back of his head. Quirrell had found Voldemort's defeated soul in the forest, and accepted the soul into his body until Voldemort had the strength to re-form into a man. The two begin to adjust to living together and plot how to restore Voldemort to his former evil glory. They bond (Different As Can Be (When I Rule the World)).

    Harry is writing a song to profess his love to Cho Chang, even though she is dating Cedric Diggory. He sings it to Ginny as a "trial run", and she falls in love with him (Ginny's Song). Ron tells Harry, Hermione, and Ginny that he saw mysterious cages being brought to the dungeon, and Hermione decides they need to sneak out and see what's in them, thinking it'll be part of the first challenge of the House Cup Tournament. Ron refuses to let Ginny come, saying there's not enough room under Harry's invisibility coat for her. Ginny is upset about being left out, and also wishes Harry would see how she feels about him (Harry). In the dungeon, the trio find goats. Dumbledore and Snape are discussing how the goats are food for dragons: the real first task. Hermione tries to prepare Harry to fight a dragon, but he blows off her training. 

    Quirrell and Voldemort decide to get drinks for a fun night out. When they come back from their night out, they're drunk. They come to the realization that they're becoming friends (Different As Can Be (Reprise)). 

    On the day of the first task, Harry has to fight a dragon. He subdues it by playing his guitar and putting it to sleep (The Dragon Song). After the fight, Snape announces that the Yule Ball is that evening, and encourages students to buy Yule Ball wreaths to give to their crushes. Ginny gives one to Harry, but he takes it from her to give to Cho Chang. She's crushed. Harry professes his love to Cho with the song he wrote, but Cho rejects him because she's going to the ball with Cedric (Ginny's Song Reprise (Cho's Song)). Harry and Ron realize they won't have dates to the ball. Quirrell enters the ballroom with a special punch bowl filled with Squirt, a drink despised by everybody but Harry. The handle to the punch is a Portkey: an enchanted object that will transport whoever touches it to a predetermined location. The plan is for Harry to be transported to a graveyard, where Voldemort can finally return to a human body. The two reflect on their time together and promise to still be friends once Voldemort is restored. 

    When the ball starts, Hermione shows up in a dress, looking beautiful and shocking everyone. Ron and Malfoy reflect on their feelings for her (Granger Danger). Harry realizes that he's developed feelings for Ginny that were hidden by his love for Cho. He asks her to dance, and they kiss before he decides he can't be with her because he's too good of friends with Ron. Harry then cuts in on Cho and Cedric. Cedric fights him, and they grab the punch bowl handle together, which transports them to the graveyard. Quirrell and Voldemort are there, along with some Death Eaters, Voldemort's evil followers. They kill Cedric, then perform a ritual that restores Voldemort to his human form. Voldemort, overjoyed at being human again, performs a tap dance (To Dance Again!). Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater, reminds Voldemort that their plan was to frame Quirrell for murder and send him to Azkaban (the wizard prison) so Voldemort's return would remain a secret from other wizards. Quirrell, heartbroken, is arrested and taken to Azkaban. Harry grabs the Portkey and escapes back to Hogwarts, where he tells everyone that Voldemort is back.

    Act 2 starts with the news spreading that Harry fought Voldemort. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, denies Voldemort's return. Quirrell has been sentenced to life in prison for Cedric's murder. Harry tries to ask Ron for help dealing with Voldemort, but Ron is still tied up in his confused feelings for Hermione. Ginny wants to form a relationship with Harry, but he tells her they can't be together because it's too dangerous for her to be close to him with Voldemort on the loose. Dumbledore tells Harry that the only people he can trust are himself and Snape. Harry thinks Snape is secretly a Death Eater, because he now has a hook in place of his hand, and Harry remembered a Death Eater cut off their hand as part of the ritual to revive Voldemort. Dumbledore still trusts Snape wholeheartedly, revealing that he loves him. 

    Snape goes to visit Voldemort, acting as a double-agent. Voldemort is depressed without Quirrell. Snape tells him he has figured out how to help the Death Eaters infiltrate Hogwarts, but he can't tell because he made an Unbreakable Vow not to disclose information. Snape brings in Malfoy to tell Voldemort how to enter Hogwarts. Malfoy forces Voldemort to make an Unbreakable Vow with him: Malfoy will lead the Death Eaters into Hogwarts and Voldemort will give him a rocket ship with enough fuel to travel to Mars. 

    At Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit Dumbledore in his office. Ron and Harry immediately fall in love with the Zac Efron ("Zefron") poster on his wall. Dumbledore tells the trio about Horcruxes, which are pieces of a wizard's soul placed into inanimate objects. This way, if the wizard is killed, pieces of his soul still remain alive and the wizard cannot die. Dumbledore tells Harry that Voldemort had 6 Horcruxes, but that he's already killed 5, so it's up to Harry to kill the last one with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. Dumbledore gives Harry a "Horcrux-seeking medallion" to help them find the last Horcrux. Suddenly, the Death Eaters break in. The trio hide under the invisibility cloak, and the Death Eaters, accompanied by Draco Malfoy, confront Dumbledore. Snape enters and kills Dumbledore. Harry tells Ron and Hermione they have to leave him for their own safety.

    Voldemort and his Death Eaters kill Cornelius Fudge and take over the Ministry of Magic. Bellatrix insists Voldemort should be thrilled, but he still misses Quirrell. Harry reflects about missing his parents, while Quirrell remembers his time with Voldemort (Missing You). Voldemort discovers that Dumbledore is dead and heads out to Hogwarts to take over. 

    Ginny tries to reassure Harry that he can beat Voldemort, despite Harry telling her to leave. Harry feels overwhelmed with all of his responsibilities, and Ginny reassures him. Ron and Hermione find them, and they all find comfort in each other, despite Death Eaters taking over the castle (Not Alone). Harry asks how they navigated the castle, and Ginny says that Malfoy helped them. He tells them that he's changed and he's "good" now. The trio doesn't trust him, but he tries to prove he's changed by letting Ron and Harry into Dumbledore's office. Hermione and Ginny try to contact the Order of the Phoenix, a group of good wizards, to help them fight. Ron pulls Hermione aside to apologize for treating her poorly. They kiss before parting ways to fight. 

    In Dumbledore's office, Malfoy is enamored with the Zefron poster. Harry uses the Horcrux-seeking medallion to find the Horcrux, but they can't find it. Suddenly, to their horror, the medallion detects that the Horcrux is the Zefron poster. Voldemort's soul takes over the Zefron poster, and Ron stabs it with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor to kill it. The Death Eaters, led by Bellatrix, enter the room with Hermione and Ginny as prisoners. Snape comes in and betrays the Death Eaters. Bellatrix attacks him with a snake that bites him, poisoning him. Suddenly, Molly Weasley, mother of Ron and Ginny bursts in. She kills Bellatrix, and tells the kids that the Order of the Phoenix arrived to help fight. As Snape dies on the floor, he tells Harry there's another Horcrux, and that Harry is the Horcrux. He dies before he can tell Harry what to do. Harry leaves the others and decides to sacrifice himself to Voldemort so nobody else has to die.

    He meets Voldemort in the forest, and Voldemort casts the Killing Curse on Harry. The Death Eaters are thrilled, but Voldemort once again thinks of Quirrell, and saddens. Harry awakens in a sort of "dream state" where he meets Dumbledore. Dumbledore tells Harry that years ago, when his mother died to protect him from Voldemort, her love created a shield that would protect him from dark magic, which was the reason Voldemort was unable to kill Harry. He tells Harry that since Harry died to protect all of the people at Hogwarts, Voldemort can no longer harm them either. Harry is able to return to life, and leaves Dumbledore. After Harry is gone, Dumbledore is greeted by Rumbleroar, the talking lion headmaster from the fabled Pigfarts. Rumbleroar asks if he would like to tell Harry he's not actually dead, but Dumbledore declines, climbs on the lions back, and heads to Pigfarts. 

    Voldemort announces to everyone that Harry is dead, and orders the survivors to submit to his orders. Ron tries to assemble all of the survivors in Dumbledore's office and attempts to rally them to fight (Voldemort is Goin' Down). Harry runs in and truly rallies the students. Voldemort breaks into their hideout and is shocked to find Harry alive. Harry confronts him and tells him all of the Horcruxes are killed. Harry tells Voldemort about the love shield and how he can't kill anyone anymore. He tells Voldemort to try to find something in his life he regrets, and for a moment Voldemort thinks of Quirrell, but pushes him out of his mind. Voldemort tries to kill Harry once more, but Harry summons his wand. The spell rebounds and kills Voldemort. 

    Harry and Ginny kiss, and Ron gives his blessing. Neville Longbottom, a fellow student and Gryffindor, runs in holding Dumbledore's will, which states that in the event of his death, Gryffindor wins the House Cup Tournament. All of the students celebrate the defeat of Voldemort.

    At Azkaban, Quirrell is released after his name is cleared, having not actually murdered anyone. A Dementor informs Quirrell that Voldemort was killed, and he breaks down. What appears to be the spirit of Voldemort enters, telling Quirrell that even though he was defeated, he can't move on, because a part of him lives in Quirrell's heart. They reconcile.

    The show concludes with a fully ensemble rendition of Not Alone. 

Thoughts

    There is not enough good things I can say about this musical. I honestly think it might be my favorite of all time. It's so easy to forget about because it's not a big-name Broadway show, but it's an incredible show with the perfect amount of hilarity and meaningfulness.

    I do believe you need to understand the world of Harry Potter fairly well before viewing this performance. I will always recommend reading the Harry Potter books, but watching the film adaptations should be sufficient. A Very Potter Musical incorporates elements from various Harry Potter books, specifically The Sorcerer's Stone, The Goblet of Fire, and The Deathly Hallows. 

    If I could describe this musical in one word, it would be: genius. I don't even know where to begin. The comedy at having a woman play the role of Draco Malfoy was funny enough, and when she turned out to be the only using a British accent, the hilarity was increased. Having Ron and Malfoy both fall in love with Hermione for a duet? The concept of an extra Horcrux disguised as a Zac Efron poster? Voldemort and Quirrell falling in love? Cho Chang adopting a southern accent? Harry using his guitar to defeat evil? Dumbledore's love for Snape? Draco's obsession with Pigfarts and a talking lion named Rumbleroar? It just doesn't get better than that. The sheer CREATIVITY is astounding. I truly can watch this over and over and over and never get tired of it.

    And I haven't even mentioned the music! For what appears to be a rag-tag performance, the songs are catchy and well-done. I find myself meowing the lyrics from time to time. 

    This is such a hard review to write because there are so many incredible things to talk about. I truly recommend hopping on YouTube right now and watching the show, whether you've seen it before or not. Harry Potter fans are sure to love it. If you're not familiar with Harry Potter (how have you made it this far in the review if you're not??) you need to familiarize yourself with it right now. Please. You can thank me later.

    AND THERE WAS A CAT! Rumbleroar, the headmaster from Pigfarts, is a lion who makes an appearance in the show. In a show I already loved, the sight of a cat only enhanced the experience. Yay!

Ratings

Find the rating scale here.

Soundtrack          ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Acting                  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lighting               ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Set                        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overall                 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cat rating             ⭐⭐⭐

Best song: Goin' Back to Hogwarts

Best actor: Lauren Lopez

Best set: The Great Hall

Fun Facts!

• The actors who play Ron and Draco, Joey Richter and Lauren Lopez, are engaged to be married. 
• Evanna Lynch, who portrayed Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies, reprises her role as Luna in A Very Potter Senior Year.
• Darren Criss, who played Harry Potter, went on to star on Broadway as J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as well as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.