Disclosure: I received two complimentary press tickets to the show. No compensation was received for this post.
Potted Potter, the New York and West End smash hit, has garnered rave reviews from New York to Nashville, Chicago to Mexico City and Critics’ Picks from the New York Times, New York Magazine, Time Out London, Boston Globe, Chicago Daily Herald and the New York Post!
Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real life game of Quidditch) into seventy hilarious minutes. This fantastically funny show features all your favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic!
Even if you don’t know the difference between a Horcrux and a Hufflepuff, Potted Potter will make you roar with laughter. This brilliant family entertainment is perfect for ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed).
We are huge Harry Potter fans in our family, so when the Shakespeare Theatre Company announced they were staging Potted Potter, The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody for Washington D.C. audiences, I was thrilled to attend. My 13-year-old daughter and I went to the press night and were delighted. Here are a few favorite things about the show:
- It’s short — only 70-75 minutes — so even younger Harry Potter fans can stay focused without needing a Howler from mum to stay quiet.
- It’s spoilery but not SUPER spoilery. OK, so I didn’t take my youngest, because we’re not quite done with Deathly Hallows, but it’s not like they spill ALL the secrets. They do mention some of the bigger deaths in the book series, but they don’t have time to cover every little thing. But of course, we recommend taking kids who have read or seen all the books or movies.
- There’s QUIDDITCH: It’s a hilarious ongoing bit, but at a certain point in the production (don’t want to spoil too much), the audience is broken up into two teams and a game of quidditch is played with two young seekers chosen from the audience (sit in the orchestra if you want your child to have a chance to be picked).
- Character jokes, especially Snape and Ron: Two of the funniest parodies are of Professor Snape and Ron Weasley. Gotta love the is he evil or isn’t he gag for Snape and the red wig (ginger jokes are a British thing) for Ron. But all of the characterizations are hilarious. My daughter loved the super low voice Dan used for Hermione.
- Local jokes: The comedy duo knows how to please their local audiences, and they make a few DC-specific jokes, particularly about our current President (who may or may not be compared to You Know Who) and even a favorite local eatery. Well done team for doing their homework.
- General pop-culture references: You don’t have to be a die-hard Potter fan to get all of the punchlines. There were plenty of jokes about everything from Trump to Stranger Things to Game of Thrones to the famous stars of the Harry Potter movies.
- In times of trouble, we all need a laugh: I don’t know about you, but we’ve had a lot of heavy conversations in our home this year, and it was good to just laugh and enjoy the Harry Potter humor for a night. My teenager and I highly recommend Potted Potter to area families. Make sure to wear your House colors and Potter-related accessories!
Watch the two stars on Good Day Washington:
Potted Potter plays through April 22 at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall. Get your tickets here. Save 20% on all three weeks when you use promo code MAGIC20. Tickets range from $59-$99. Estimated run time is approximately 70 minutes, with no intermission.
Parking: http://www.shakespearetheatre.
