Harry Potter Stage Improv: Fun for Families, Not Fanatics

By Leslie Combemale (aka Cinema Siren)

Editor's note: Cinema Siren knows Harry Potter. Through her film gallery, ArtInsights, alter ego Leslie Combemale has promoted the art of Harry Potter since the first book came out all those years ago, right down to repeatedly taking part in the only HP panel at the San Diego Comic-Con.

The fandom borne from the Harry Potter books and films has become a thing of literary legend. From the beginning, J.K. Rowling's literary wizard world has inspired creativity in almost all corners of the artistic world.

Movie series production designer Stuart Craig, book cover artists Mary Grandpre and Kazu Kibuishi? Check. Harry Potter Puppet Pals? Check. Starkid? A Very Harry Potter Musical? Double check. Wizard wrockers Harry and the Potters, the Whomping Willows, Ministry of Magic, and scores of other bands that write songs relating to the series?…Check.

This fandom continues to be alive, loyal, inventive and, some might say, obsessive about all things Harry Potter. Cinema Siren owed it to these fans to see if the new stage show, playing through Sept. 15 at the Shakespeare Theatre Co. in Washington, is worth seeing.  

"Potted Potter," which is described as a live two-man parody featuring all seven Harry Potter books, is the creation of Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner — or Dan and Jeff, who are known for their children's programming at the BBC — and began as a five-minute street skit commissioned to entertain those in line awaiting the midnight release of, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," the sixth book in the series.

The spirit of that origin has been kept and added to through the release of the seventh book. The production has grown to more than 70 minutes, and been transferred and staged on theaters worldwide. It has now reached the states and is looking to cast a spell over audiences all over the country.

Fans will flock to this show just through a sense of continued loyalty, but does it measure up to other famed Harry Potter creations? The experience of watching "Potted Potter" is very much reminiscent of street performance in Covent Garden. If you've been curious about street improv in London and want to experience it without spending the cost of an airplane ticket, here is your chance. This is both its blessing and curse. 

This 70 minutes that use what I'd call a loose tether to Rowling's stories is not what I'd call smart. It is broad and it is silly, with connections to the series only serving as a jumping off point for laughs, and without using them in the way that can make the best comedy improv so transcendent and memorable.

It is missing the sharp wit or layered meaning devotees of the Harry Potter series have seen in the diverse fan-created fine and performance art online. As silly as Wizard Wrock, fan fiction and Harry Potter musicals may seem, Potterheads in attendance will believe better wit and satire can be found there. If you don't believe me, find out for yourself. 

A Google trip to the best artistry Potter fandom has to offer is just a few keystrokes away. To those who would argue that parody has no nuance, I would suggest a trip to the library is in order. Some research or a good librarian might treat you to a delightful literary surprise.

On the other hand, the casual or enthusiastic readers of the series and those who have made reading Harry Potter part of their family tradition will enjoy "Potted Potter" very much. Consideration of material best suited for those with a short attention span and jokes younger audiences will appreciate are woven together with a skill that clearly shows programming and presenting to kids is nothing new to these two performers.

They drew frequent uproarious laughter from the kids surrounding me in the audience. At the curtain call, the families in attendance applauded with enthusiasm, making me believe "Potted Potter" might be a perfect introduction for budding theatre-goers in your family.

The beauty of live theatre, and art of all kinds, is there's something for everyone.  Families can enjoy "Potted Potter." Potterheads deeply rooted in the fandom should crack open some Butterbeer and watch "A Very Harry Potter Musical" online again instead.

For local and nationwide touring info, go to http://www.pottedpotter.com/tour-dates.

The Shakespeare Theatre Co. has several plays full of wit in the offing this season, not least of which is Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." For a complete list of the 2013-14 season, check http://www.shakespearetheatre.org.

More from Cinema Siren on all things Harry Potter:

• Web interview with production designer for HP series
• Interview with Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, graphic artists for the Harry Potter series
• Harry Potter fandom panel at San Diego Comic-Con with Darren Criss
• ArtInsights at the Harry Potter Exhibition in New York
• ArtInsights at the Deathly Hallows premiere in London

Leslie Combemale, "Cinema Siren," is a movie lover and aficionado in Northern Virginia. Alongside Michael Barry, she owns ArtInsights Animation and Film Art Gallery in Reston Town Center. She has a background in film and art history. She often is invited to present at conventions such as the San Diego Comic Con.  In 2013 she will moderate "Legendary Animators of Classic 60s Cartoons" at SDCC. She previously moderated "The Art of the Hollywood Movie Poster" and is a perennial panelist on the Harry Potter Fandom panel. Visit her art gallery online at www.artinsights.com, and see more of her reviews and interviews on www.artinsightsmagazine.com.