This week meet Scott Hoatson and Brendan Murphy who are the two stars of Potted Potter, a parody that covers all seven Harry Potter books in seventy minutes. Between them they portray 320 different characters, along with flying dragons and a live game of Quidditch. If you do some quick calculations you average 12.5 seconds per character which is pretty generous really. As the publicity says “Even if you don’t know the difference between a Horcrux and a Hufflepuff” you will still enjoy the show. Yes I fall into that cohort.

Originally created by Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, it premiered in 2006 at the Edinburgh Festival with only five books published at the time. Since then it has grown to include all seven and toured the world with a seemingly endless supply of new cast members. This production promises to be a real hoot.

The season at the Seymour Centre runs 12 – 21 April

In 2016 violinist Madeleine Easton returned from Europe with a vision to create a period instrument ensemble that specialises in the music of JS Bach, his extended family of composers and contemporaries. And thus the Bach Akademie was born.

In their upcoming tour, Bach the Benefactor, they have selected a program that speaks to Bach’s desire to compose music to enrich, instruct and inspire the lives of all. They will be performed in churches to embellish the authentic Baroque experience as they would have been in their day (1723).

Two sacred cantatas also involve the Bach Akademie Choir which was added to the musical forces available in 2019, an addition that opened up a vast treasure of repertoire. Between these two cantatas, Easton is soloist in a harpsichord concerto arranged for violin.

You have two opportunities to experience this authentic to Baroque performance.

Friday 12 April at St Francis of Assisi Church (457-459 Oxford Street Paddington)

Sunday 14 April Our Lady of Dolours Church (94 Archer Street Chatswood)

Arts Wednesday 10 April 2024

89.7fm

eastsidefm.org/artswednesday

DAB+