Potty humour
Image: POTTED POTTER. Image: supplied
They’re back.
Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, those two irrepressible muggles who have kept Harry Potter fans “Rowling” in the aisles for four amazing seasons are returning for a fifth round.
Potted Potter, the sensation that has swept across the world like a flying blue Ford Anglia, is heading to Sydney for another season of frivolity, slapstick, poorly performed magic and extreme Harry Potter geekiness.
This 70-minute show crams the plots of all seven Harry Potter books into one amalgamated, frenetic, clump of entertainment. Expect fast-paced dialogue, witty songs, physical comedy, quick costume changes (well, prop and accessory changes, actually) and loads and loads of Harry Potter references.
Plus, a real game of Quidditch. How do they do it? Only one way to find out.
Clarkson and Turner created Potted Potter in an even more concentrated form back in 2005. It was a five-minute performance for fans in a London bookshop who had queued dutifully in anticipation of the arrival of book six in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince.
It went over so well that they fleshed it out into a full-length stage presentation and took it to the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And just like the original book itself, the show became a phenomena, touring countries around the world.
If that’s not enough validation, it also gained residency at Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas in 2019, winning two Best of Las Vegas awards on its debut, and is now in its fifth year.
Much like the Harry Potter franchise, Potted Potter has gained a hard-core fan base while continuing to gather new appreciative audiences.
Unlike the Harry Potter film adaptations, Potted Potter is very low budget, has a minimal, all-purpose set, no lavish costumes or make-up, and is entirely performed by two fairly unknown actors.
Therein lies much of the humour.
You don’t need to be familiar with the Harry Potter books to enjoy this show; in fact, you’ve probably garnered enough incidental knowledge through pop culture saturation. If you don’t know what Hogwarts is by now, you’ve been living under a three-headed dog.
Get down to platform 9 3/4 and jump on the Hogwart’s Express to Potted Potter.
