A Very Potter Musical is a university production parodying the beloved Harry Potter series. Performed in 2009 at the University of Michigan, the performance was uploaded to YouTube because it was easier and cheaper than making DVDs. The clips quickly went viral, clocking up over 2 million views in a few weeks. The show’s popularity launched the career of Glee star Darren Criss, and established production company StarKid as an exciting troupe who continue to tap into the elusive youth market.

Coming to A Very Potter Musical almost ten years after the fact is an interesting experience. Does A Very Potter Musical live up to the hype? The first of 23 videos on YouTube, presumably the clips are split and presented in a playlist to prevent legal issues with Warner Bros, has now amassed over 14.5 million views. As you go through the list, the view numbers decrease substantially, though remain in the millions.

Thanks to the continuous laughter of the in-person audience, A Very Potter Musical is great fun. Everybody in the room is clearly having a great time. If only we could apparate and use our time turners to go back to the University of Michigan in 2009.

Watching the YouTube clips in a playlist is a frustrating experience. Every 5-10minutes, there is a gap in the playback as the playlist switches to the next video. Occasional pop-up ads also interrupt the flow.

The quality of the capture is also less than magical. Shaky camera work, shots that cut off action that the in-person audience clearly finds hilarious, and poor sound mixing make for a frustrating viewing experience. Some actors are not wearing microphones, and fight to be heard above the enthusiastic on-stage band.

The show itself is a mixed bag. A loving homage to the Harry Potter series, A Very Potter Musical is clearly made with a lot of heart, enthusiasm, and, a lot of raw talent. A.J. Holmes and Darren Criss’ pastiche score is full of delightful pop, rock, and Broadway inspired tunes. The placement of songs is patchy, and Nick Lang, Matt Lang, Brian Holden’s book tends to drag through long non-musicalized scenes.

A Very Potter Musical is full of pop culture references, swearing, and sexual innuendo. Darren Criss is a charming Harry Potter. He is ably supported by Bonnie Gruesen as an earnest Hermione Granger and Joey Richter as a rather unlikeable Ron. Lauren Lopez plays a delightfully drollish Draco Malfoy, and Joseph Walker delivers a campy, though sometimes strained, Voldemort. In an attempt to comment on racial stereotypes, Cho Chang is played as a Southern Belle which unfortunately serves to reduce the racial diversity amongst the leads.

While the overall performances are earnest, many of the actors often fall into the trap of screeching their emotions which does not read well on camera. There are moments of delightful stage craft and clever use of simple props, but overall the production is like watching a community production.

If it weren’t for the Harry Potter zeitgest, it is hard to imagine how A Very Potter Musical would have achieved the cult following that it did. And yet, several years after the musical was released online, amateur groups around the United States were (illegally) performing their own versions, despite cease and desist letters from Warner Bros, and StarKid themselves.

A Very Potter Musical provides a great case study for the Filmed Live Musicals database. Few productions are professionally filmed and released freely online to the public. Although initially released online as a means to share the show with the creators' friends and family, the cult following of the musical has established StarKid as an innovative musical content creator. 

Catch A Very Potter Musical on YouTube if you have a deep love for the Harry Potter series, or have a crush on Darren Criss.

You can also learn more A Very Potter Musical in the Filmed Live Musicals database. ​