So to sit inside the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium of the RCBC
Tower in Makati City for the opening night of Potted Potter, The
Unauthorized Harry Experience—A Parody by Dan and Jeff, is a must.
Also, we
Potter fans could be quite obsessed, even long after the book and film series
ended. I admit I still follow the lives of J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe and
Emma Watson. Do you think so too, Yana Dotarot (my little sister who was my date for the night)?
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| Sisters. Say "Hi!" to my pretty little date. ;) |
But I was surprised to realize that Potted Potter left no room for bittersweet
nostalgia, even after successfully condensing and reviewing all seven books into only 70-minute+ show. I found myself literally laughing from beginning 'til ending of the parody.
A little backgrounder first. Potted Potter was created by Daniel Clarkson and
Jefferson Turner in 2005 only as a five-minute parody for fans waiting the
release of the sixth Harry Potter book at a London bookshop. Maybe it was magic thereafter because the show then
grew into a full-length stage production. It was first seen at the Edinburgh Fringe
Festival 2006.
From that humble beginning, Potted Potter has
now toured internationally--and continues to do so--with sold-out seasons at Adelaide, Melbourne,
London, Toronto, New York, New Zealand, and finally Manila!
Delighting Filipino Potter fans, Potted Potter toured here for a very limited season of 10 shows from August 28 to
September 2.
If you are a Potterhead and you did not catch it, awwww, I'm so sorry for you. But if you are not a fan and you were able to watch it, you did the right
thing! You now have all the reasons to start reading the books, and watching
movie marathons.
Now off the show. Being one of the first audience to the parody, I
immediately realized why Potted Potter is winning the hearts of many. It is witty,
candid and very hilarious—thanks to the only two comedians slash actors. Never underestimate
the power of two, namely British Jesse Briton and Irish Gary Trainor.
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| Gary and Jesse. These two have pretty hilarious tricks up their sleeves! Never a boring moment. |
Waiting for the show to start, Jesse roamed around the
auditorium and talked to plenty of kids—kids at heart included. Meanwhile, Gary
sat silently on the stage while deeply immersed in a Harry Potter book.
This immediately hinted the comedians’ characters.
Jesse was the livelier of the two, at many moments almost
crazy since he was even laughing at himself. He was everyone’s source of
LOLs especially with his habit of making fun of Gary. But I wouldn't underrate the significance of the serious Potter geek Gary, for without him,
I’m sure Jesse would totally lose it.
Without giving away too much—especially for the benefit of
those who will watch Potted Potter upon return to Manila—I would only tell that the show
hilariously journeyed everyone back to Harry’s adventures, better yet
misadventures. I will not divulge details.
Basta, from book one to book seven, major characters, memorable
duels, sad deaths, kissing scenes, fire-breathing dragons, and many more
magical events were rehashed, and nothing was ever serious, believe me. However, the interesting part of it all, was that many parts did felt true, despite the
jokes weaved into it. Which made writers Clarkson and Turners really adept
about Harry Potter.
Also, when you think Boracay, Eraserheads and Ateneo have
completely nothing to do with the boy wizard, well think again. Apparently,
they all had in Potted Potter, earning loud cheers from the audience.
The highlight of the show was the Quidditch match. Yes, we
played Quidditch sans the broomsticks. How it happened? You’ll just have to
wait for Potted Potter and see for yourself.
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