A Very Potter Musical

So I've (Samantha) been hearing a lot about A Very Potter Musical for quite some time now. However, I am not one of those robe wearing, Griffendor (sp?) tie sporting, wand yeilding Potter fans, let alone a fan period (I've only read half of a book, and seen the first movie), so I never really gave it the time of day. However, yesterday, I was shown a video on the Tube of You of Darren Criss doing a cover of "Part of Your World", and other Disney classic tunes which I really dug (especially his completely original rendition of "Belle", which isn't an obvious choice for a cover, therefore making it all the more special. Find it here: Darren Criss sings "Belle" cover.

So, as most surfers of YouTube know, when you watch one video, there are other related videos on the side, propelling the ongoing cycle of hours of YouTube watching. And low and behold, there it was, a video of the very thing I've been avoiding: A Very Potter Musical. Ironically, Darren Criss stars as Mr. Potter himself, so I decided to give him, and the musical (which he wrote the music for) a chance.

And then it happened.

I sat, enchanted, for about 3 hours. Straight. I stayed up until 1am watching this musical. (You should know, that the musical is of standard length, but with rewinding, pausing, etc, it took about three hours).

I don't know much about "Harry Potter", but I still laughed my ASS off, and enjoyed every expertly-executed second. Sure, these kids aren't the best singers in the world, but the music is wonderful, the book is contemporary, fresh and hysterical, the acting is inspired, and the direction, by co-creator Matt Long, is superb. These are some fancy words for a musical that includes jokes referring to the character of Nevil Longbottom as "Shlongbottom", a bromance between Quirrell and Voldemort, and a "Zefron" obsession shared by Malfoy and Dumbledore. The show pokes fun at the Potter series while paying homage to it, and adds in pop culture references without seeming cheap. They squeeze every last drop of humor out of the script, and the actors clearly bring themselves to every role, and Criss as Potter is especially hilarious with his down-to-earth, surfer-style, and Joey Richter as Ron channels a mixture of Kramer from Seinfeld and Jonah Hill in....well, everything Jonah Hill's been in.

Special shout outs go to the guy who plays Voldemort, Joe Walker, and the girl who plays Draco Malfoy, Lauren Lopez. Yes. A girl plays Draco. They both give incredibly hilarious, inspired, unforgettable performances. But everyone, and I mean everyone, in this show is wonderful.

In essence:

Harry Potter+Superbad+Bat Boy: The Musical= A Very Potter Musical

Do yourself a favor. Watch this wonderfully edited pro-shot series of videos on the Tube of You. Don't give up on it. Watch the entire thing. You will not be disappointed. I don't care if you don't have the time. I don't care if you don't like Harry Potter. I don't care if you don't like musicals. Well, actually, I do care about that. But whatever. Watch A Very Potter Musical.

I'd love to hear what you think here upon watching.

DO IT!!!!

Because, well, if you do, it could be licensed, and we can see this show in NYC damnit! This type of show would do incredibly well at a venue like New World Stages (original home to such hits as Rock of Ages, Altar Boyz, and Toxic Avenger).

Plus then I can be in it.

DONE.