In April of 2009, a student musical theater company at the University of Michigan put on their first production - a satirical musical called Harry Potter: The Musical. Later that year, they uploaded it online as A Very Potter Musical, where it can be seen for free by Potterheads around the world. The acclaim and popularity brought a sequel (A Very Potter Sequel, funnily enough) in 2010, and a third installment (A Very Potter Senior Year) was performed at LeakyCon in 2010. The original 2009 upload has over 15 million views, and its songs have been sung by fans at red carpet premiers and conventions around the world. Beyond all the actual success of the musical though, it is honestly just one of my favorite things in the world.
The magic of AVPM and its sequels lies in both the comedic and musical skill of the cast and crew as well as the clear love the creators have for the source material. The jokes rarely come at the expense of actual characters, but more often at extremely hyperbolic interpretations of them or the ways those characters are actually treated in the books. AVPM's Harry is a cocky jerk who has let the magic of the wizarding world (and his fame in it) go to his head. This makes for some excellent jokes, but that is partly because of how it relates to the books. When we see Harry literally incapable of doing anything without Hermione, it feels very familiar. And the idea of an 11 year old boy going from an abusive home to being a magical celebrity without having delusions of grandeur is honestly less realistic than the version we see in the play.
We also see a Hermione who is constantly teased and undervalued, pointing to the fact that she actually is "The coolest girl in the whole damn world" (as she sings in AVPS), and the fact that this isn't recognized by her peers is infuriating. On the other end of the spectrum, Ron's eating at all times and inability to express his actual feelings (besides his devotion to Harry) is hilarious, particularly when we see this coming from an adult actor portraying the childlike character. And Draco! My god, Draco. Played by a very petite woman, Draco's character rolls around the stage attempting to pose impressively, utterly failing at doing so and being completely oblivious to his absurdity. It is taking the braggadocios nature of the character to an absurd degree, but the performance really makes it work, especially after we see the influence of their version of Lucius in the sequel.
Outside of their love for Harry Potter and their hilarious interpretations of the characters, though, it is also clear that the members of Starkid have a deep love of musical theater, which shines through as well. Most of the songs are comedic (or surprisingly emotionally powerful) not only for their own music and lyrics, but also because they fall into the genres that musicals often use. So we have the soliloquy love ballad "Harry," the the four-part harmony of "Not Alone," and the surprising duet between Ron and Draco in "Granger Danger," all parodying Harry Potter and the musical theater genre is ways that show love for both.
Of course, the best example of this is in the relationship between Voldemort and Professor Quirrel. I can only imagine the dilemma of representing a face on the back of another character's head, but Starkid's solution is their biggest stroke of genius: have the actors perform back-to-back, play it up for physical comedy, and use it as the most hilarious take on the odd couple trope that they can. So these two characters who are literally stuck together have to learn to live together, which can be especially difficult when one is a mass-murderer intent on world domination. Their relationship is actually so natural and sweet and hilarious that it is my favorite thing to watch. Seriously, go watch "Different as Can Be" right now - I'll wait.
Back? Great. You're welcome. The rest of the show doesn't quite live up to that high bar, but I promise it's worth a watch nonetheless.
That isn't to say the shows are perfect, of course. Some of the jokes are a bit too crude or simply fall flat, though that's not too common. The worst parts are when they become problematic. The version of Umbridge they use in AVPS is transphobic. Cho Chang is played by a white actor, which is played for a joke but also takes away some of the little representation that exists in HP. Neville is just straight-up bullied for all three shows, making any satire within run stale very quickly.
But overall, these shows are among the few things I partake in when I need to go to a happy place. Seeing a humorous adult take on Harry and his struggles speaks to me, and it makes me so happy that people with so much talent use it for the kinds of nerdy things I love. The first show is my favorite, but I also really love AVPSY, because it takes the time to reflect on what Harry Potter means to its fans, and what to do with your rampant fandom when the book and movies series ends. In a poignant connection to the constant reboots of Spider-Man movies, I'm reminded how important Harry Potter was to me, and how just because the journey is over for me personally doesn't mean that the power is gone. Harry will be there for many people in the future. And with luck, so will A Very Potter Musical.
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