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A Very Potter Musical is the first original online musical released by Team StarKid. It is a musical parody of the Harry Potter series and is the first installment of the Very Potter Musical trilogy. It takes its story primarily from the first, fourth and seventh books. The musical ran at the University of Michigan from April 9-11, 2009 and was released to YouTube soon after.

Summary[]

Harry and his pals are in for adventure when the Dark Lord returns from the dead to take revenge on The Boy Who Lived! So take a ride on Voldemort's flying machine and get ready to go back to Hogwarts! Harry and his pals are in for adventure when the Dark Lord returns from the dead to take revenge on The Boy Who Lived! So take a ride on Voldemort's flying machine and get ready to go back to Hogwarts![1]

Synopsis[]

Act 1[]

Harry Potter, the legendary "Boy Who Lived", rejoices that he is entering his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with his best friend Ron Weasley and frumpy nerd Hermione Granger ("Goin' Back to Hogwarts"). Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore welcomes everyone back, skips the Sorting Ceremony and introduces the House Cup Tournament, in which a champion will be chosen on behalf of each House (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin) to fight for the House Cup.

The names are chosen out of a magical trophy by Potions Master, Severus Snape, with Harry being chosen for Gryffindor. The other champions are his crush Cho Chang (Ravenclaw), her current boyfriend Cedric Diggory (Hufflepuff) and Harry's obnoxious rival, Draco Malfoy (Slytherin). Hermione then voices her concern about the bloodstained history of the House Cup Tournament but no one can drop out due to the enchantment on the trophy from which the names were drawn. Draco attempts to intimidate Harry by claiming that he will transfer to a prestigious wizarding academy on Mars called Pigfarts and presided over by Headmaster Rumbleroar, a talking lion, but Hermione threatens him and forces him to back off.

Meanwhile, Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher Quirinus Quirrell is secretly conspiring to revive the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who is parasitically attached to the back of his head after Voldemort's previous defeat by an infant Harry Potter. They bicker about this arrangement, which causes inconvenience to both of them due to their conflicting personalities ("Different As Can Be").

Harry convinces Hermione to do all of his school work for him while he writes a love song intended to win the heart of Cho Chang. He tests out the song on Ron's younger sister Ginny ("Ginny's Song"), while being oblivious to Ginny's own crush on him. Harry, Ron and Hermione use his Cloak of Invisibility to sneak off and investigate what the first round of the House Cup Tournament could entail, leaving Ginny alone to lament her unrequited love ("Harry").

Voldemort convinces Quirrell to go out and celebrate the progress of their evil plan instead of grading papers. Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover that the first round will involve dragons, while also eavesdropping on a conversation by Malfoy that hints at an unrealised crush on Hermione. Voldemort and Quirrell return from a night of drunken escapades, reminiscing on past events and how they have become good friends from their time spent (literally) together ("Different As Can Be (Reprise)").

Harry continues to neglect his preparation for the tournament, and is caught completely off-guard when he is forced to face a deadly Hungarian Horntail in battle, initially having been lulled into a false sense of security as his competitors are allotted dragons such as 'Puff the Magic Dragon'. With no other choice, Harry summons his guitar and serenades the dragon into submission, allowing him to move on to the next round of the competition ("The Dragon Song").

The annual Yule Ball is announced, and Ginny attempts to ask Harry to be her partner. Unfortunately, Harry is dead set on asking Cho and unknowingly rejects Ginny, causing her to run off in tears. Harry plays his song for Cho ("Ginny's Song Reprise (Cho's Song)") but is rejected because Cho has already agreed to go with Cedric, leaving him and Ron as the only two male students without partners. Quirrell relieves Voldemort of his worries surrounding their master plan as the two weigh the pros and cons of their upcoming physical separation. Voldemort realises he has become close with Quirrell, and that he wishes to remain his friend.

At the Yule Ball, the normally-unattractive Hermione suddenly shows up with a gorgeous makeover, causing Ron and Malfoy to suddenly realise their feelings for her ("Granger Danger"). Harry develops an attraction to Ginny and asks her to dance, leaving Ron to get "drunk" on Butterbeer and fight over Hermione with Malfoy, causing her to lash out at both of them. Harry pulls back from a kiss with Ginny, stating that they cannot be together because of his friendship with Ron. Ginny leaves in tears and a flustered Harry attempts to regain his dignity by cutting in with Cho, causing him to get into a fight with Cedric. As the guys argue over who will get a thirsty Cho a glass of punch, they both grab the enchanted ladle that Quirrell had planted earlier, teleporting them to a mysterious graveyard.

Quirrell appears, killing Cedric with the Killing Curse and using the full Body-Bind curse on Harry. Snape then appears; while Quirrell and Voldemort submerge themselves in a large cauldron, Snape uses his own hand and Harry's blood to complete a ritual that successfully revives Voldemort, who joyfully celebrates with his Death Eaters ("To Dance Again!"). Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange arrives to welcome back her master and former lover, and reveals their plan was to use Quirrell as a scapegoat for the murder of Harry. Heartbroken at the betrayal of their friendship, Quirrell falls out with Voldemort and is taken to Azkaban. Before Voldemort can kill Harry, Harry manages to use the ladle to escape back to Hogwarts, where he exclaims in horror that Voldemort has returned.

Act 2[]

The Ministry of Magic doesn't believe that Voldemort's back, despite proof such as Voldemort's new vlog and his review of 17 Again, with the star Zac Efron. Meanwhile, Harry, consumed by the stress this situation is causing him, pushes his friends away by acting egocentric. Malfoy tries to make fun of Harry, but he's once more humiliated in front of the student body and he promises revenge. Ginny tries to make sense of her relationship with Harry, but he explains to her that as long as Voldemort is around, they can't be together because he wants to protect her. When Ginny runs away in tears, Dumbledore in disguise calls Harry to his office to discuss Voldemort.

Snape reveals himself as a Death Eater undercover and meets up with Voldemort, who's in a deep depression after his fight with Quirrell. Snape introduces Draco Malfoy to the Dark Lord, who informs him about a secret passage leading to Hogwarts in exchange for a rocket to Mars (“Pigfarts, Pigfarts, Here I Come”). Voldemort makes Draco sign a magical contract to make him kill Dumbledore. Harry, Ron and Hermione get to Dumbledore's office for the meeting. There, Dumbledore explains that Voldemort possesses some Horcruxes that make him immortal as long as they exist, he reveals that he has already destroyed five of the six Horcruxes and tells Harry to find the last one, hidden right there in Hogwarts. At that moment, the Death Eaters break into Dumbledore's office and arrest him. Malfoy is ready to follow through with his part of the deal, but after a speech from Dumbledore, he finds himself unable to give him the final blow. Snape takes the initiative and kills Dumbledore, traumatising Harry who declares he has to kill Voldemort on his own.

Voldemort successfully takes over the Ministry of Magic, but he's still sad about the loss of Quirrell. Voldemort, Quirrell and Harry lament all the people they lost (“Missing You”). After that, a Death Eater informs Voldemort that Hogwarts has fallen, and Voldemort gets ready to leave for Hogwarts.

Ginny finds Harry and tries to convince him that he has the power to save everyone, but Harry is pessimistic and he complains about all the unrealistic expectations and the pressure on him for being the “Boy Who Lived”. Ginny reassures him that he's not alone in his fight against evil (“Not Alone”) and he makes up with Ron and Hermione. With Malfoy's help, who regretted his choices, Harry and Ron go to Dumbledore's office to destroy the last Horcrux, while Ginny and Hermione try to contact the Order of the Phoenix. Before they separate, Ron apologises to Hermione for his behaviour at the Yule Ball and the two share a passionate kiss.

Harry, Ron and Malfoy find out that the last Horcrux is Zac Efron's poster that Dumbledore kept in his office. The Horcrux tries to turn Ron against Harry by taking the form of Voldemort and Hermione and relying on his insecurities. Ron fights against it and destroys the Horcrux, rekindling his friendship with Harry.

A group of Death Eaters led by Bellatrix arrives in the office, after having captured Ginny and Hermione. Snape is revealed to be Dumbledore's agent and tries to save the students, but Bellatrix kills him. At that moment Ginny and Ron's mother, Molly Weasley intervenes and kills Bellatrix. With his last breath, Snape reveals that Harry became a seventh Horcrux the night his parents died.

Voldemort has arrived at Hogwarts and demands that the student body delivers Harry to him in exchange for their lives. Harry realises that he has to die to save everyone else and he turns himself in to Voldemort, who kills him. In a realm between life and death, Harry meets Dumbledore, who explains to him that by killing Harry Voldemort involuntarily destroyed his seventh Horcrux. Dumbledore makes Harry return to the world of the living before leaving for Pigfarts riding Rumbleroar, the lion who acts as Headmaster at the Mars school.

Ron and Hermione gather the other Hogwarts students and convince them to fight because that's what Harry would have done (“Voldemort is Goin’ Down”). When Harry shows himself still alive, everybody cheers, but Voldemort bursts into the room, shocked that Harry isn't dead. Harry explains that his sacrifice made the Hogwarts students immune to Voldemort's magic, and that Voldemort's disregard for other people is eventually going to be his demise. Voldemort tries the Avada Kedavra curse, but Harry counterattacks the spell and kills him.

The student body celebrates Voldemort's death, and Neville Longbottom finds Dumbledore's will in which the Headmaster awards Gryffindor with the House Cup and nominates Harry as the new Headmaster. Harry kisses Ginny after Ron gives them his blessing, and all the students throw a party.

At Azkaban, Quirrell hears about Voldemort's death and he's devastated. However, the last residue of Voldemort's soul comes to make amends with Quirrell, and the two gloriously reunite (“Not Alone (Reprise)/Goin’ Back to Hogwarts (Reprise)”).

Development[]

While reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Nick Lang and a few others attending the University of Michigan discussed the possibility of Draco Malfoy having a crush on Hermione Granger because of him constantly bullying her, and created the concept of a song "Granger Danger", which led to the idea of making a Harry Potter musical. When the script was being written, they asked Darren Criss if they could use his songs "Sami", which was originally written for the web series Little White Lie, and "Not Alone", which they ended up using as a model for the show.

The show was performed as Harry Potter: The Musical at the University of Michigan in April 2009 and soon after, the group posted the entire musical on YouTube. The show rapdidly gained popularity and gained widespread notice across the internet. Following notice from Warner Brothers and potential legal action, the show as taken down and edited to make it less inappropriate for the younger audiences, but was posted again, slightly edited and under the new name A Very Potter Musical in late June 2009. Due to the nature of the musical, Team Starkid is allowed by Warner Brothers to host the musical on their channel and owns the rights to the songs and script, but as they do not own the rights to the Harry Potter characters they cannot make money off of the production, nor can they give the rights for the show to any other production company: the University of Michigan version is the only "official" production. This has not stopped unauthorized productions from being performed elsewhere, also done non-profit.

Cast[]

Actor (*) Character
Julia Albain Vincent Crabbe
Jaime Lyn Beatty Ginny Weasley
Tyler Brunsman Cedric Diggory
Cornelius Fudge
Richard Campbell Neville Longbottom
Britney Coleman Bellatrix Lestrange
Hufflepuff Student
Darren Criss Harry Potter
Bonnie Gruesen Hermione Granger
Lauren Lopez Draco Malfoy
Devin Lytle Cho Chang
Lily Marks Pansy Parkinson
Molly Weasley
Ravenclaw Student
Death Eater
Joe Moses Severus Snape
Jim Povolo Gregory Goyle
Death Eater
Rumbleroar
Joey Richter Ron Weasley
Brian Rosenthal Quirinus Quirrell
Dylan Saunders Albus Dumbledore
Sango Tajima Lavender Brown
Death Eater
Joe Walker Lord Voldemort

(*) Bold names denote the actor's onstage Starkid debut

Band[]

Name Position
A.J. Holmes Piano
Carlos Valdes Bass
Joe Carroll Drums

Creative Team[]

Name Position
Nick Lang Book
Matt Lang
Brian Holden
Matt Lang Director
Nick Lang Assistant Director
Darren Criss Music and Lyrics
A.J. Holmes
Britney Coleman Choreography
A.J. Holmes Music Direction
Emily Stromberg Stage Manager
Marguerite Woodward Costume Designer
Lisa Griebel Set Design
Mary Clare Blake Booth Lighting Designer
Matt Glenn Sound Designer
Rachael D. Albert Light Board Operator
Matt Lang Editor

Songs[]

Act 1 Song Sung By Duration
Goin' Back to Hogwarts A Very Potter Musical Cast 9:53
Different As Can Be Voldemort and Quirinus Quirrell 2:15
Ginny's Song Harry Potter 2:29
Harry Ginny Weasley 2:29
Different As Can Be (Reprise) Voldemort and Quirinus Quirrell 1:05
The Dragon Song Harry Potter and the Dragon 2:16
Cho's Song Harry Potter 0:40
Granger Danger Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy 3:50
To Dance Again Voldemort, Quirinus Quirrell and the Death Eater 4:06
Act 2 Pigfarts, Pigfarts Here I Come.... Draco Malfoy 1:45
Missing You Harry Potter, Quirinus Quirrell and Voldemort 2:44
Not Alone Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger 4:18
Voldemort Is Going Down Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and the DA 2:19
Not Alone (Reprise) A Very Potter Musical Cast 1:45

Recording[]

Main article: A Very Potter Musical (album)

A cast recording of the production was released on July 29th, 2010, through Bandcamp. The album is currently available as a free download, though donations are requested when possible to avoid running out of the limited number of free downloads allowed by Bandcamp.

Critical reception[]

Entertainment Weekly named the musical one of the 10 Best Viral Videos of 2009[2].

Trivia[]

  • The original stage production began with Bonnie narrating a prologue where the audience sees Voldemort murdering Harry Potter's parents
  • Joe Moses had a cold during the show, which caused the wheezy voice which he then had to fake during all future appearances
  • Ron wears a headband because Joey Richter found that it helped the wig stay on better
  • Joey kept eating during rehearsal which turned into the insider of Ron always eating onstage, and in the performance recorded for YouTube, Ron's onscreen eating is Joey's actual dinner because he didn't get to eat all day before the show
  • The bullet points Dumbledore uses to run through all the information he has to give Harry were from and for Dylan Saunders because he didn't learn his lines
  • Rumbleroar asking Dumbledore if he remembered his spacesuit was ad-libbed by Jim because Dylan had genuinely forgotten it
  • The line "supermegafoxyawesomehot" was made up of different words each night of performance
  • Joe was so excited on the first day of rehearsal that he accidentally threw a fork into the ceiling and broke one of the lights, and it took the rest of rehearsal to clean it up
  • The song "Voldemort Is Going Down" was added the day before opening during the dress rehearsal
  • Before Dylan joined the cast, Joe Walker was intended to play both Voldemort and Dumbledore
  • Brian Rosenthal was at one point considered for the role of Harry and Lauren was considered for Hermione
  • Crabbe was almost a hand puppet controlled by Goyle
  • Joe put out a trashcan fire dressed as Voldemort during a performance
  • They were given a budget of a $100 by Basement Arts (through which it was produced)
  • They only had two weeks of rehearsals, of which they could only use one because they were also putting up another show (Summertime) at the same time. This resulted in them to not be able to have a run-through, making the opening night the first time they saw the entire show.

References[]

  1. https://www.teamstarkid.com/a-very-potter-musical
  2. Lyons, Margaret. "The 10 Best Viral Videos of 2009" Entertainment Weekly, December 29, 2009. Retrieved on July 14, 2011.
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