Walton Arts Center is being taken over by wizards this weekend.
All seven Harry Potter books will be performed in 70 minutes by Dan Clarkson and Jeff Turner in “Potted Potter, The Unauthorized Harry Experience: A Parody by Dan and Jeff.” Clarkson says it is “a tongue-in-cheek parody and loving homage” to the whole series of books and films. Turner plays Harry Potter, which leaves Clarkson playing all the other characters.
“In Book One alone, I go from Ron to Hermione to Snape to Draco Malfoy to Voldemort in a matter of seconds,” Clarkson, 34, says.
He jokes that Turner, who is 32, looks a bit “like Daniel Radcliffe on a bad day.”
“Potted Potter” came about eight years ago with the launch of the sixth book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Clarkson and Turner performed all five books at midnight at a London bookstore to entertain the crowd waiting in line for the book, Clarkson says.
The show includes props, costumes, hats and wigs grabbed from different parts of the set. Clarkson says his favorite book to act out is “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” The pair have to reenact the Quidditch World Cup and the scene where Harry faces Voldemort in the graveyard, facing the challenges on stage of fighting a dragon, diving down into the school lake and going through a maze, Clarkson says.
He notes that his favorite character to portray is Voldemort because there is something about playing the villain that is so much fun.
“I stand by that he’s a little misunderstood and maybe all he needs is a good hug andeverything would be OK,” he says.
He feels a bit sorry for the character and adds that being defeated by an 11-year-old schoolboy is “not going to be good for anyone’s ego.”
Clarkson wanted to do this show because he was a huge fan of the books. He used to read them to his younger brother as a bedtime story and found that he carried on reading after his brother fell asleep. Fans of the books and films often come to “Potted Potter” in costume and get the Potter nuances, but peopleshow up who have never read the books or seen the movies also seem to really enjoy it, he says. The production is geared toward all age levels.
Whats Up, Pages 17 on 02/15/2013