I’m late to the game on this one (like three years). Yes, and I’ll admit it. I overlooked this fan-made musical because, well, I assumed it was a ridiculous piece of fan fiction — and it is, of course it is, but it’s also immensely entertaining.
A VERY POTTER MUSICAL was performed April 9-11th, 2009, at the University of Michigan and is currently available to watch online. It was directed by Matt Lang with music and lyrics by Darren Criss (apparently funny, nerdy, and talented, not just another GLEE drone) and A.J. Holmes. It starred Criss as Harry Potter, Joey Richter as Ron Weasley, Bonnie Grueson as Hermione Granger, Lauren Lopez as Draco Malfoy, Brian Rosenthal as Quirrell, and Joe Walker as Lord Voldemort.
The story of A VERY POTTER MUSICAL is a mash-up of Philosopher’s Stone, Goblet of Fire, Half-Blood Prince, and the Deathly Hallows. That seems like a weird mix of books — the first, fourth, sixth, and seventh — but it works surprisingly well. It’s another year at Hogwarts, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione are optimistic that everything will be “totally awesome,” and that no one will die between classes. Almost immediately, Harry is chosen to be the Gryffindor champion (à la the Triwizard Tournament) in a competition against Slytherin Draco Malfoy, who has a crush on Hermione, Ravenclaw Cho Chang, and Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory. Quirrell (with Voldemort attached) is the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year, and the two Death Eaters develop a warped bromance as they wait for their opportunity to murder the Boy Who Lived. There’s also a running gag where Severus Snape constantly attempts to murder Albus Dumbledore.
The characterizations in A VERY POTTER MUSICAL pay homage to the visual aesthetic of the films in how the actors appear and deliver their lines, but it’s clear that Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden, the writers, adapted their musical from the books. Harry is kind of a megalomaniac, clueless but keen. He and Ron just want to have fun, but the Dark Lord and Hermione (persistent in her nagging and “frumpy”) always seem to get in the way. A VERY POTTER MUSICAL is both approachable and humorous if you’ve only seen the films, but there’s an extra layer of appreciation if you’ve read the books.
Below is Darren Criss and co. singing the first half of the opening number, “Back to Hogwarts,” my favourite song from the production. The rest of A VERY POTTER MUSICAL is available online in parts, and you can download the soundtrack online from their website. There is also a sequel to the musical, A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Holy shit! That is all.
I didn’t know this was online! It is amazing.
It is, it is!
It’s also quite sad how quickly I learned the lyrics to the opening number.