Harry Potter: the Musical! — Page 5

I can just see it...a Quidditch match on Heelys...in the style of "One Day More"...and everyone will play their own instruments. Lord help us. I love Harry Potter but I don't see how a musical of it would NOT be laughable...Although I do like the idea of Drew Sarich as Snape or Sirius...but thats just because I love Drew Sarich. The only thing this is good for are hilarious song titles.

...But while we're on the subject, there is a song that reminds me of the 7th HP book. "I Fought in a War" by Belle & Sebastian. Some of the lyrics:
"I fought in a war and I left my friends behind me To go looking for the enemy, and it wasnt very long Before I would stand with another boy in front of me And a corpse that just fell into me, with the bullets flying round...I fought in a war, and I didnt know where it would end It stretched before me infinitely, I couldnt really think Of the day beyond now, keep your head down pal Theres trouble plenty in this hour, this day I can see hope I can see light"

Updated On: 1/18/08 at 03:55 PM

Though I know I'll be shot down into hell for this but,

i've been trying to find the right formula for compressing Harry Potter's seven books into a 3 hour musical.

I know it sounds idiotic and stupid, but I think I found the way:

1-Do it serious, full out, and make it big! So Xanadu like way of crafting it!

2-I was thinking of a way to compress the years. My idea? Start the musical right at Hogwarts, the first night. Then have a number with Harry as he explains the road which he's taken, ending with a ballad for him on what he's supposed to do with his life.

3-Make it that all wizards go to wizarding school at age twelve and attend for FOUR YEARS

Here's how the years would be compiled:

NOTE: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

Musical Year One:
Books One & Two
Since both were about finding a hidden place in Hogwarts, why not make it one place with one item?

Musical Year Two:
Books Three & Four
Book three is basically the search for Sirius Black, so why not combine it with Book four, which has voldemort come back (in a dramatic act one finale)

Musical Year Three:
Books Five & Six
Start Act Two with the wizarding world reacting to Voldemort possibly returning and having the ministry responding. now introduce Umbridge as the Inquisitor, NOT A TEACHER. Have the students prepare on their own, causing Dumbledore to be tracked down by the Ministry. Then, Dumbledore begins to send Harry bits of information on the Horcruxes. This ends with Dumbledore dying.

Musical Year Four
Book 7
Simply put, with more on Voldemort being found out, and include a song where Snape explains that he is good and it was Dumbledore's orders to kill him (Insert here Lily's eyes song). Also, the musical should totally end with the epilouge, however, Harry should get onto the train with everyone else and as the last few notes are played, close the doors, lighting up Hogwarts in the distance.

4-Here's how I would envision the casting. Naturally it would be a large cast, however the adult featured rolls (Secondary teachers, secondary adults, and maybe even characters which appear in mainly one act (Like Voldemort, Sirus, Umbridge, and the Death Eaters). Each child part would be played by two actors, one older teenager, and one slightly younger child (Imagine Henry hodges now, or JJ singleton). Some child characters could be played by one actor if they are rather featured (Luna, even Ginny).

5-Get a good, solid, English songwriter and and American songwriter to work on this together. All songs should be written in the style of Les Miz or Phantom, as in classical meets today.

6-The set for this show would be chalenging, since there are other places conveyed other then the school. So, I decided to make the school set rather large (Think Poppins house big), and the others rather minimalistic (More like the sets other then the barricades in Les Miz), as well as various sets which could be interchangable (An elevated walk way, a large trapdoor, smoke machines)

Any comments/questions?

bump

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Why is this stupid thread taken seriously?
Ivan the Wonderful is a troll.

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on subject of casting

Norbert Leo Butz as Dobby.

Just a thought

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Bump

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But WHY?!

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I think I'm still in the minority who believes this could be done really well. I say that if they're going to do it, make it a full-out spectacle - and don't try to compress all seven books into one show. If I had a say in the creation, I'd suggest that the powers that be make it into a three-part series ala The Coast of Utopia.

Another idea I had for this thread:

Stage the show in an environmental setting, by having (at least part of) the orchestra level turned into the seating for the Great Hall, and have audeicne members sit along side actors for certain scenes while still sitting in their own respective houses. The tables, in scenes other than the Great Hall, could also be used as mini stages/ runways for other scenes. Another quick idea for the opening sequence of the first act:

Open with the boats sailing into Hogwarts and then fade into the sorting hat ceremony, where we first see Harry Potter. after he's sorted, we go to the Gryffindors being shown to their common room, where Ron, Harry, and Hermione accidentally go to the corridor on the third floor only to find Fluffy guarding the trapdoor. They find their way back to the common room, where, after Hermione dismisses the boys, we see Harry sing of how he wants to live up to his fame. After a transistion scene, where they learn Winggardium Leviosa (and the one kid blows up his feather), we see the broomstick practice, where Harry chases Malfoy for the Rememberall. Immediately after, McGonagall asks him to join the Quiditch team with a reprise of Harry's earlier song. The next number is the Quidditch match, where Harry's broom is bewitched by Snape (or so they think). After they ask Hagrid about Snape, he blurts out that he's a trusted member of the staff, who is currently guarding the third floor corridor.

Though I haven't thought of much after that, I thought it was certainly a good start. Any thought on the pacing?

Even though I doubt this would work, I really do like the ideas brought forward by jagfkb. I never thought I'd read a way of condencing all the books into one show (especially when they have trouble even condesnscing one book into one movie), but this seems like the best way.

Oh, and whoever suggested LuPone/Esparza/Shindle - pure genius. I don't know which I like more actually. Okay, that's a lie - it's a tie between Shindle as Bellatrix Lestrange (perfect) and LuPone as Umbridge. In fact I just got back from the first night of Patti's new tour, Gypsy In My Soul, and there was this part where she had whip this and was screaming and that actually reminded me of Dolores Umbridge (not that SHE carries a whip, but still).

So yeah - not the worst idea in the world, but really who in their right minds sat down in their theater chair while watching Legally Blonde, Catch Me If You Can, or Bonnie and Clyde and thought "Well this will make an excellent musical one day"? It just doesn't happen. It takes real genius to take some other piece of art (comics, movies, books, plays, operas) and adapt it into glory.

A little penicillin will take care of those hogwarts.

Shuler Hensley as Hagrid would be amazing!


I could picture Brian D'Addario playing Harry in a few years.


Now, I'm in no rush to bring this to the stage, but I would be interested if it ever came along.

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Did you know this ? It's already done !!!
HARRY POTTER THE MUSICAL