Potted Potter – Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds

Writer: Daniel Clarkson & Jefferson Turner

Music: Phil Innes

Director: Richard Hurst

Reviewer: Paul Couch

The Public Reviews Rating:

You’d have to have been living on Mars for the past 10 years not to have been confronted with the Harry Potter Experience, either at the hands of younger family members or friends, or even one of the vast legions of adult fans. Even if you’ve not engaged personally with Jo Rowling’s epic about the boy wizard’s strife-torn journey from whimsical childhood to menacing maturity, the Potter phenomenon is all-pervading and, even though the tales in cinematic and literary form have drawn to a close, Harry Potter is now so entrenched in our cultural identity that it’s hard to see his popularity wane any time soon.

At the beginning of their two-man/300-character show, Dan Clarkson and Jefferson Turner make it clear – for the benefit of lawyers – that their affectionate treatment of Rowling’s seven-part magical marathon is a parody though, even if it doesn’t have her sanction, it would be small-minded indeed to harbour anything other than the most sympathetic regard for their irreverent take.

The Hogwarts set’s dodgy at best and the costumes the product of a pauper’s dressing up box. The Potter movies’ legendary special effects may be scaled back to silly string and some glove puppets but, oddly, the audience buys right into Clarkson and Turner’s chaotic shoddiness, and their madcap romp through all seven books is crammed into just over an hour.

Potted Potter isn’t a new show – it last had an outing two years ago when, as urban myth has it, JK Rowling herself pitched up at a sell-out Edinburgh Fringe date, only to be turned away. However, Clarkson and Turner have revised and invigorated the show – it could well have been written yesterday.

Audience participation is encouraged and improvised around with slick professionalism. Water fights ensue and even the Potter universe’s favourite aerial contact sport, Quidditch, gets an airing, albeit a typically low-budget version.

The absurdity is multi-levelled, appealing to both children and adults alike, though whether young minds process some of the more grown-up humour is debatable but these consummate performers pull things along at light-speed, proving that producers don’t have to spend a fortune to create a smash hit, just a great idea and some very affable artists.

In August, Potted Potter is heading up to Edinburgh and then transferring to the West End. Its infectious pandemonium is sure to please. Truly magical.