THEATRE REVIEW: POTTED POTTER, Perth – 14 October 2014

Shane | 16 October 2014 | Reply

THEATRE REVIEW: POTTED POTTER, Perth – 14 October 2014
The State Theatre Centre
Reviewed by Shane & Trulie Pinnegar
7.5/10 for me – who hasn’t read the books. 9/10 from Trulie – who has.

Racing through all seven revered Harry Potter titles in a mere 70-ish minutes is a feat to challenge even the most ridalin-pumped hyperactive obsessive, but Ben & James, on tour from England, rip into it with manic gusto and a slapstick bent that is contagious.

Distilling J K Rowling’s epic tomes into (on average) ten minutes each (excluding the intro and a very dramatic live action game of Quidditch) is no small feat, but for someone like myself who actually struggled a little to follow the movies and has never read the books, it clarified things somewhat.

The lads even throw in a few references to Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars and even a touch of Beyonce to the mix, all to much all-ages hilarity.

The aforementioned Quidditch game became a full contact sport on opening night when a young lad and lass got into the race for the Golden Snitch a little too seriously, and she came off limping from a bash to the ankle after hitting the ground a bit hard. [Cue many jokes from the stage about the feral boy, but thankfully we saw the girl on the way out and she confirmed she was okay. Phew. She seemed to appreciate our approval of her efforts, even though her team didn’t win, and if she’s reading, we hope her foot is better.]

A must for the many die-hard fans of the books, performers Benjamin Stratton and James Percy have an easy going chemistry and succeed in not only making the material fun and interesting, but also in making the theatre experience easily accessible for younger fans.

Hurry though – Potted Potter runs until 19 October at the Perth State Theatre Centre, before it vanishes in a puff of smoke for seasons in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.