As technology and social media develop, it is only natural for entertainment to follow. With the growth of video streaming websites, it is now easier than ever to watch movies, TV shows and everything in between.
Enter Team StarKid—also known as StarKid Productions. Although some may not recognize the name, true veterans of the internet will remember the group from the internet phenomenon “A Very Potter Musical,” a musical comedy based on the best-selling “Harry Potter” series. Now, more than 10 years and 11 shows later, the group is ready to release “Black Friday.” Before the long-awaited release of the new horror-comedy musical, let’s take a look back at the group’s beginnings.
The group was first formed in the University of Michigan theatre department when they put on the show that would change their lives forever. “A Very Potter Musical” became a phenomenon across the campus, selling out each of their performances and eventually filming and posting the show to watch on their YouTube channel. Starring actor Darren Criss, the show spread like wildfire, influencing theatre and Harry Potter fans alike.
Often, Team StarKid shows provide a social commentary unlike anything you see elsewhere in musical theater. Discussions on climate change, the loss of loved ones, individuality, powerlessness in the wake of disaster and finding a family in the people around you takes the spotlight in these shows. Even in a world where a small bug wants to grow up to be a starship ranger, you find yourself reexamining what makes you a human and a hero.
Moving forward, the group continued the trend of writing parody musicals with an adult edge. “Holy Musical B@man!” and “Ani” are based on the often serious DC comics and Star Wars franchises, giving them a comedic and ironic edge as the play becomes more self-aware of the conventions of the genres as well as the fan following around it.
One of the group’s better-known shows is “Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier.” Starring Dylan Saunders, the show tells the story of your favorite antihero Ja’far as he navigates the world of Agrabah. It provides a cynical view of a world where you must “dream a little harder” to get what you want in life. With jokes and jeers about the Walt Disney Corporation, magic and mayhem take form in new and exciting ways.
In 2018 a new trend began in Team StarKid shows, as the group began a trend of horror-comedy musicals with the jukebox style “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.” When an alien parasite crashes down on earth in Hatchetfield’s Starlight Theatre, the deadly symbiote spreads destroying everything in its path as life becomes a musical. Inspired by the sci-fi-horror movies of the late 1930s, the show twists and turns in new and expected ways.
Now, this month we will be getting another look into Hatchetfield as “Black Friday” approaches. The show centers around the national shopping day and this season’s favorite toy: Tickle-Me Wiggly. As chaos envelops the town, everyone must fight to survive or else.
The show will be posted on their YouTube channel on Thursday Feb. 20.