Special Review: A Very Potter Senior Year by Team Starkid

If you are unaware of Team Starkid and their Harry Potter parody musicals, then I suggest, nay, urge you to take your good self over to YouTube and sort that out.

Last night, there was a moment. A moment we, as a fandom, had been looking for forever. The premiere of A Very Potter Senior Year. The third and final musical adventure for Harry Potter and his friends. Here is my rambly review-esque thing.

And it was totally awesome. 10/10

This version of AVPSY that Starkid present us with is not a polished production, like their other works, but a staged reading. Basically, it is the show as it would essentially be but the actors are holding their scripts, and stuff may (did) go wrong.

But to be honest, in true Starkid style, this only adds to the charm of their shows. Every person that takes part in their shows does it because they love it, and they are all friends together, and it just shines through.

In fact, the lack of rehearsed-ness, I think either made the moment funnier or more emotional. One of the funniest moments is when Moaning Myrtle (Chris Allen) has to leave stage. Myrtle is supposed to be dead (this is a flashback scene) and while s/he is dragged off s/he loses her hair and helps herself off stage. We, the audience, are dying with laughing as are the other actors on stage. Comedy gold. And on the other side, when Harry (Darren Criss) says goodbye to Hogwarts (and Criss, to Harry), his voice cracks and I cry with him.

Starkid are brilliant at creating shows that are not just trying to get big laughs. They're fans like the rest of us, and lovingly poke holes in the plot and bring emotional heart to, what is quite frankly, a ridiculous plot of their own. I also loved the little references to the previous shows. Starkid are nothing if not able to make fun of themselves.

As it is the last Potter musical Starkid have said they will do, it was like a last hurrah. While there were some new, brilliant characters like Gilderoy Lockhart (AJ Holmes) and Hagrid (Brian Holden), beloved old characters made at least brief appearances, like Snape (Joe Moses) and Cedric Diggory (Tyler Brunsman). It's like seeing old friends after a long time apart.

The music was, as usual, great. The new songs were catchy, while the old favourites were brought back and adapted to the story. Seeing the cast sing Get Back to Hogwarts is just so heartwarming... if you don't think so, I'm not sure we can be friends ;).

Starkid have done what we all wished we might have done with this thing that we all love: made something amazing with their friends. And the best part is, is they shared it with us! The members of Starkid are just one of us. They are fanboys and girls who got lucky. But we are also lucky that they got lucky. If that makes sense! I can't imagine the Harry Potter fandom now without Starkid. I can't even watch/read Harry Potter without referencing AVPM.

One of the songs is called 'Everything Ends' and while this might feel like the end, I'm pretty sure it's not. The last Harry Potter book came out nearly 6 years ago! And the last film nearly 2 years ago! But we are still here. And thanks to stuff like AVPSY, it is still going.

Thanks Starkid, it has been and always will be totally awesome. I can't wait to see what you all do next.

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