Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A parody by Dan and Jeff opened this week in Zilkha Hall at The Hobby Center. This internationally touring production of potted potter brings magic, humor, and… well, mostly humor to the Hobby Center. Potted Potter is a great show for the entire family during this holiday season. From the moment you step foot into the Zilkha Hall lobby you are drawn into the vaguely magical world of Potted Potter. With the twinkling, ethereal music and programs rolled into scrolls, there is an air of mysticism felt upon entering the theater. However, as soon as the first line of the show, this mysticism is broken and the audience is brought into the reality that the show is simply two friends attempting to reenact the entirety of the Harry Potter series live, with minimal props and set.
Although described as a parody of Harry Potter, more than simply highlighting the key points of the books, Potted Potter was still quite entertaining. Potted Potter attempts to recreate all seven books of the Harry Potter series in 70 minutes, in a casual environment inviting the audience into the show along with the actors. This show would be perfect for a family-friendly holiday activity, with most of the interactions and comedy written for younger children except for a few more mature jokes that likely did not land with the children in the audience. The show encouraged the audience shouting out suggestions at certain moments and whenever kids made loud comments outside of these times, the actors would acknowledge and respond to these remarks in character. This made a very welcoming environment for theater goers of all ages, especially those that would have trouble sitting quietly through a 2-hour mainstage production in Sarofim Hall.
Scott and Brendan have a chemistry you will only find in a comedy of this sort. They played off of each other so well that the audience couldn’t tell what was improv and what was scripted. While much of their interactions were likely scripted, there were clearly moments when they were both about to break character and had to cover with improv, brought on by slight differences from what they were expecting, such as more water flung onto Scott “than usual”. Both Scott and Brendan brought such life to their characters that it felt more like watching a pair of ambitious friends hanging out and attempting to recreate Potter than a scripted performance.
If you have any young, budding wizards in your family, Potted Potter is a great holiday treat for all ages. Potted Potter is onstage at the Hobby Center through January 2nd, with performances most afternoons and evenings. For more information about Potted Potter and other upcoming Broadway shows at the Hobby Center shows, please visit www.TheHobbyCenter.org. For more Houston theater updates, tune into my KTRU specialty show “Showstoppers” weekly on Sundays from 1:45 to 2:45 pm on-air and online at ktru.org.