I loved the movie Once.
So much that I boycotted the musical when it opened off-Broadway . The original stars weren’t in it — how could the musical compare?
My heart was closed.
Then the show moved to Broadway, and the TV commercials began. Yes, ‘guy’ and ‘girl’ were different, but their voices, the harmonies were as beautiful as the movie that inspired them. So I decided to give the show a shot.
Last night I was in the audience for Once on Broadway. I loved the staging, a working Irish bar — they even served drinks during intermission — that was transformed throughout the evening by creative lighting. Every actor also played an instrument, so there was no orchestra pit.
Most importantly, every voice, every note was perfection. There were a lot of tears in the audience. (People were talking about it as they left the theatre, so it wasn’t just me.)
The only thud in the production — which occurred at the start of the play and made me sad — was the playwright’s need to ‘funny up’ the script, making the characters extreme stereotypes of themselves. This was especially true of ‘girl,’ who was a quirky, jokey one-liner, which was counter to her gentle spirit in the movie.
But once she and ‘guy’ began to sing, she softened and the music drove the show, as it did the movie.
And all was forgiven.
Broadway Harry
Potted Potter, the parody of the seven Harry Potter books now on Broadway, was tailor-made for kids.
It’s only 70-minutes long, is super high energy, and even features a quidditch match with audience participation.
No wonder I liked it so much.
Brits Dan Clarkson and Jeff Turner, who also wrote the show, bring all the characters to life with minimal props, costumes and staging. The humor is decidedly British as well, but Potter lovers — and the family and friends who they drag along — will find it easy to translate.
Obviously some plot points are skipped in such a short synopsis, but the ones that made the cut are treated with high hilarity. Favorites include Lord Voldemort, the dragons from book four, and the bigger-than-life quidditch snitch.
Dan and Jeff cracked up a few times during the show, but the reason was pretty obvious –
They are as wild about Harry as the audience.
→ Leave a comment
Posted in Books, Broadway, Comedy, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life
Tagged audience participation, books, British humor, Broadway, comedy, commentary, costume, Dan Clarkson, dragons, entertainment, golden snitch, Harry Potter books, Humor, Jeff Turner, life, Lord Voldemort, Manhattan, New York City, parody, Potted Potter, props, quidditch, staging, two-man show, wild about Harry