I was up until 2am Monday night because I couldn't stop watching this hilarious Harry Potter parody I had stumbled upon. It's a full-blown musical, presented by a couple of die-hard fans wanting to spread the joy of Harry Potter fandom.
The reason I couldn't stop watching wasn't just because it was funny, I had to know how it ended! The story was a fascinating mash-up of all 7 books. It starts with Harry and the gang going back to Hogwarts for their second year, where the 4 Hogwarts houses are competing for the house cup in a tri-wizard tournament...except it's more like a quad-wizard tournament because there are 4 champions; Harry, Draco, Cedric, and Cho.
Professor Quirrell is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts with Voldy on his head, who is plotting to plant a punch-ladle portkey at the Yule Ball that will send Harry to the graveyard. Once Voldy is resurrected and sings a rousing song with his Death Eaters (including Snape), he decides to take over the wizarding world as they know it and the battle of Hogwarts begins.
The part I was impressed with the most were the actor's performances. They didn't imitate anyone from the films. They each put their own spin on their character. For instance, Dumbledore walked around wearing flip flops and spoke like Mel Brooks.
Snape and Malfoy were my favorites in particular. Every time either one stepped on stage the audience would giggle in anticipation.
In addition, the musical numbers were actually very well done. The actors are all accomplished singers, especially Harry, who is played by Glee's Darren Criss. But after a while I found myself skipping through the songs because I wanted to get to the dialogue, which held the funniest moments by far.
I particularly enjoyed this exchange--
Death Eater: Now we've got you right where we want you!
Dumbledore: Yes, but what I don't understand is how?
Death Eater: We had the help of a man on the inside. Someone you trusted. Someone you may have even loved.
Dumbledore: Slughorn? Lockhart? Aberforth? Snape?
Draco: *Enters* No! It was me.
Dumbledore: Malfoy, ya little shit!
That part wasn't even the funniest, it's just the only example I could give out of context.
I also watched A Very Potter Sequel, which is why I stayed up so late. Each musical is about an hour and a half long. So the next time you feel like watching a movie, hunker down in front of a computer and give these a try:
The first one starts off kinda slow, so hang in there...
A Very Potter Musical
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk
A Very Potter Sequel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OepW-AG-Ris
The Very Potter Sequel features Lucius Malfoy as the main villain, though Dolores Umbridge has way more stage time. She's played by a ripped guy in a skin-tight pink dress and talks like Jim Carrey's Vira De Milo.
So I invite you, dear reader, to partake in the hilarity. Scratch that, I dare you to partake. Except you, Mom and Brianne. I wanna watch it with you.
