Harry Potter spoof is a must-see
Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner with the Skenderi and Gupta kids of Roslyn and Little Neck, after a performance of "Potted Potter" at The Little Shubert Theatre in Manhattan. (handout) Credit: Newsday/Beth Whitehouse
Cynthia Skenderi’s favorite part of “Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience”? “When the chocolate came out of his nose,” said the 7-year-old first-grader from Buckley Country Day School in Roslyn.
For her younger brother, Christopher, 6, the funniest part was “when he pulled out the underwear.”
Chocolate out of his nose? Pulling out of underwear? I’ve read all seven "Harry Potter" books and seen all eight movies and I don’t remember any chocolate in anyone’s nose or anyone pulling out their underwear.
“When we played Quidditch I liked it,” says Vikram Gupta, 8, a third-grader at the school.
Quidditch! Something I recognize!
That’s the fun of “Potted Potter,” a two-man slapstick parody performed through Aug. 12 at the Little Shubert Theatre in Manhattan. The show condenses all seven "Harry Potter" books into 70 minutes, and, while it has lots of "Harry Potter" jokes, a lot of other gags and one-liners are thrown in to boot. Some of the funniest parts have nothing to do with the Potter storyline, as the young fans will attest.
The show’s duo, Brits Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, came out to talk to the group from the Buckley school after a recent show simply because they requested to meet the cast. “I’ve just been cleaning out my ear,” Clarkson joked with them, alluding to the chocolate cake mess he gets into.
“Didn’t you feel like it was a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch of ‘Harry Potter’?” Caterina Skenderi, 34, Cynthia and Christopher's mom, said to fellow parent Monica Gupta, 36, of Roslyn. Gupta agreed, saying it was an unusually interesting family show. “Usually the kids are enjoying it, and we are like, ‘OK, when is this going to be over?’” Gupta says. “This just flew by.”
Check out this Q and A with Clarkson and Turner.
Photo: Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner with the Skenderi and Gupta kids after a performance of "Potted Potter" at The Little Shubert Theatre in Manhattan.
