The Weasleys are back—oh wait, and Harry! But not as you remember him…

PLC Presents presents a hilarious mash up of all seven books in sixty minutes. As ridiculously short a time as that is, POTTER was an excellent performance which quickly captivates the audience and sends them on another whirlwind wizarding adventure to Hogwarts.

POTTER features the sassiest Harry Potter you will ever see (Peter D’Alfonso) and a compassionate Lord Voldemort (Carli Stasinopoulos). This parody takes us down a path less travelled as Harry and Voldemort prepare to fight it out for the final time; as neither can live while the other survives.

Harry isn’t the only character to have changed however, Bellatrix (Lachlan Tyler-Dowd) has also taken on a new and improved role. Before, she was just Voldemort’s cruel, lovesick puppy, but now it seems that the role has been reversed. Bellatrix seems to think that she is in charge, or at least would do a better job of it. She treats Voldemort with contempt and teases him constantly about not being able to kill the boy when he was just a babe.

Everybody in the play seems to be highly dramatised and lively which makes for a comical performance. Despite Harry and Ron being cruel to the girls, Hermione (Maddie Summers) and Ginny (Elena-arie Aloi) still pine after their sweethearts. Harry can’t get Ginny’s name right half of the time and thinks that she is just some silly little girl writing in her diary but she still loves him. Ron on the other hand, seems more open to the idea of Hermione, even sharing a kiss which, he later regrets due to her subsequent infatuation. It’s almost as if the boys have worked love potions on them.

Giving the characters slightly altered personalities and bringing out Harry and Ron’s bromance serves to engage the audience more fully as the story slips away from its traditional boundaries and enters comedy territory. The show is great fun, and I would say, almost better than the films.