About the work
Musical parody of the Harry Potter novels, first staged by the student troupe Team StarKid from 9 to 11 April 2009 at the University of Michigan. The book is by Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Brian Holden, with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A. J. Holmes; Criss also played the title role in the premiere.
Plot
The show retells the first Harry Potter novels in condensed, parodic form: Harry navigates his rivalry with Draco Malfoy, his feelings for Cho Chang and the growing threat of Lord Voldemort, while songs and pop-culture references send up the source material.
Cultural significance
Posted online soon after its stage premiere, the recording became one of the first viral musical hits on YouTube, introducing Team StarKid and Darren Criss — later known as Blaine Anderson on the TV series Glee — to a mass audience. The video spawned two direct sequels and established StarKid Productions as an independent musical theatre company.