Condensed Harry Potter themed stage show 'Potted Potter' coming to Dubai

The show squeezes all seven of JK Rowling's books into a 70-minute comedy performance

'Potted Potter' is coming to Dubai with performances at the Theatre by QE2 in October. Photo: Theatre by QE2

A condensed retelling of Harry Potter is coming to the UAE this autumn.

Potted Potter is a stage show that summarises all the major plot points of the seven Harry Potter books into one comedy performance.

Created by, and starring, Olivier Award nominees Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, the show features all of JK Rowling's most popular Harry Potter characters, with a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, a game of Quidditch, comedy costumes, songs and work arounds to bring Hogwarts magic to life.

Potted Potter is coming to Dubai with two shows a day on October 22 and 23 at the Theatre by QE2.

The show, which was first conceived to be performed in a London bookshop and then taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006, has been seen by more than one million people in theatres around the world in the years since. It has enjoyed two runs over 30 weeks off-Broadway, along with five West End runs and has been toured in North America and Australasia.

"The duo casts the perfect spell over the audience," The New York Times said of the show, while Time Out London described it as "gloriously irreverent. A very loveable romp through Rowling’s back catalogue."

The show is described as a "must-see for Potter addicts and a great introduction to the series for anyone who’s ever wondered what all the fuss is about".

The show is written by Clarkson and Turner, and directed by Richard Hurst.

Potted Potter is not the only show coming to the Theatre by QE2 in the coming months. Irish comedienne Joanne McNally is bringing her stand-up show to Dubai in January, and the run of three shows each sold out within hours of tickets going on sale.

"Joanne has remarkably become the UAE’s fastest-selling comedian selling out her headline show within two hours of on-sale," says Peter Green, owner of GME Events.

McNally, 39, is known for her popular podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me, which she co-hosts with presenter Vogue Williams. The podcast consistently has more than one million downloads each week. A UK television regular, she has appeared on a host of shows, including The Jonathan Ross Show, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and Channel 4’s The Big Fat Quiz Of Everything.

'Potted Potter', 3pm and 7pm, October 22, and noon and 4pm, October 23; Theatre by QE2, Mina Rashid; tickets from Dh140; theatrebyqe2.com

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