Theatre Review by Catherine Siggins
Did you know there are 3407 pages in the complete Harry Potter saga? In a feat of creative magic only possible to the finest performers, two-time Olivier award-nominated actors Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner have pruned down and transfigured every page into Potted Potter, a blisteringly funny 75-minute play, keeping the gist of the stories intact, while adding a big dollop of their own absurd theatrics. Having already potted Pirates and Panto, ex-CBBC (Children’s BBC) Dan and Jeff have again successfully created a kid friendly show that doesn’t forget the grown ups in the audience, nay, even encourages them to join in the mirth. You don’t even need to be a Potter fan, as plenty of others who are will surround you, and some with wands and in costume.
In the tradition of the best of British comedy duos such as Morecambe and Wise, or Mayall and Edmondson, Clarkson and Turner craft a wonderful rapport with the audience through their storytelling and off-the-cuff remarks. The audience is invited to witness the actors’ grand plan to recreate all seven Harry Potter books with the aid of an assortment of ingenious, if unsuitable, props and set, as they multi-role play all the characters, with unending energy at it’s most silly and uproarious. They even succeed in boldly staging a game of Quidditch with the help of the audience, who are divided up into rival teams, without anyone becoming airborne. There are many priceless moments when things on stage don’t quite go as rehearsed, resulting in much laughter from Dan and Jeff as well as the audience, and it is a delight to watch how they brilliantly ad lib their way out it.
The show managed to lure Monty Python’s Eric Idle into the audience, and from his obvious enjoyment of the evening’s playful antics it would be fair to say Clarkson and Turner continue to proudly fly high the flag of Great British comedy.
Potted Potter ends its run at the Wallis Annenberg Theatre in Beverly Hills on Sunday. For last minute tickets, visit www.thewallis.org
Catherine Siggins is an English-born, Irish-raised, half Polish Actress in LA. Find her on Twitter @cathsiggins
