Harry Poppers and the Deathly Swallows: Gurl I am Gagging

Harry Poppers and the Deathly Swallows at Greenside @ Infirmary

Nonstop laughs and fun fill this pure camp pitch perfect parody. Anyone else trying to do a musical parody, take note. This is the way to do it.

Harry Poppers and the Deathly Swallows starts as J.K. Rowling (our narrator) lets us in on a little secret…she’s writing a new novel. It follows Harry Popper, Ron Squeezeme, and Black Hermione (or…you know…just Hermione) after the defeat of Lord Voldemort. But, Harry’s gash has begun to burn again because of the return of Lord Voldemort’s jilted lover, Lord VoldeMay (a thinly veiled drag portrayal of Theresa May). Can Harry defeat the powers of evil once more or is he destined to fall victim to the deathly swallows?

As a musical parody, the songs were used to great effect to highlight the storyline, using classic showtunes to emphasize internal struggles within the main characters. So, if you enjoy showtunes as much as I do, this is a welcome addition. Throughout the script, comments on the current political atmosphere and ideologies were pitch perfect; along with the sexual undertones woven into every fiber of the show, Harry Poppers is a gay fantasia of epic proportions.

There is not a weak link in the cast for Harry Poppers, everyone has their moment, and they execute with comedic precision. Thomas Young is absolutely adorable as the boy who lived. He is a bit of a Jimmy Kimmel; showing little cracks in character when the scenes were particularly riotous, but you love him even more for that. Lady Voldemay, Lawrence Bolton’s “Ah ha!” entrance is still ringing in my head, while her quick-witted quips to other characters were positively sharp, slaying every foe in her path. Simone Cornelius as Hermione steals the finale. I won’t spoil it for you, but the whole show builds the joke to its pinnacle and Simone brings it home. It took me a second, but once I realized what they were doing, I could not take my eyes off her. Lastly, Jax Braithwaite, who played every other role in the show was superb, especially as the house elf Knobby and Snape; expertly navigating multiple characters and never shying away from any moment or flaw in the narrative that she could use to her benefit.

There is not another late night show this Fringe that will deliver the petrificus totalus laugh riot that Harry Poppers serves up; so it’s best to grab your floo powder or nearest port key to buy tickets because they’re going faster than passes to the Quidditch World Cup.