Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (SPOILERS)

[susyhomewrecker]

I'm sure their friendship was effectively over after that incident. However, they WERE friends before that, and I don't understand why it didn't occur to anyone that maybe he regretted losing her friendship, or maybe felt a twinge of remorse for handing over a former friend to Voldemort.

[Deleted]

I don't think anyone other than Dumbledore knew Snape told Voldemort about the prophecy. Since Pettigrew was the secret keeper, he always gets the blame for James and Lily's deaths. I also get the feeling that the prophecy only became known among the Order in OotP so they could protect it.

If that's the question you are asking, the reason no one connects Snape with Lily anymore?

[susyhomewrecker]

In HBP Trelawney tells Harry that Snape interrupted her interview with Dumbledore. Harry knows that this is when the prophecy was made, and figures that Snape was the Death Eater who overheard it and passed along the information to Voldemort. Dumbledore confirms this, but tells Harry that doing so was probably Snape's greatest regret. Harry later relays this information to his friends and a few members of the Order. Lupin says that he doesn't believe that because (I'm paraphrasing here) Snape hated James so much and was probably happy to give Voldemort a reason to go after him. Harry adds, "And he (Snape) didn't think my mother was worth a damn either, he called her a mudblood."

In general, it bothers me that Lily's past wasn't developed the way James's was, and that Harry doesn't ask any questions about her, even though Harry knows several people who knew her. I'm sure that's because her friendship with Snape needed to be a big reveal at the very end of the last book, but it's the only plot point that made me go "WTF" when I went back and reread all the books. Granted, for a seven-book series that's about 4,000 pages long, that's pretty good.

[proper stranger]

FINALLY finished DH last week, which I guess isn't too bad, seeing as how I had barely started GoF when DH was released.

I wish we'd gotten to know more about Lily, too. It also would've been nice to see a bit of the transformation of James from "arrogant toerag" to the man that Lily fell in love with. Sirius told Harry that James matured (which is obviously true), but it would have been good to see. I mean, I know it's called "Harry Potter" and not "Lily and James Potter", but still.

From waaaaaaaaay back in the thread, but

missjennifer said:

Well, the theory I formulated when I read Book One--Snape's unrequited love for Lily--turned out to be true! (When I first read Book One, I thought of the song "Lily's Eyes" from the musical "The Secret Garden", thought of Snape singing Neville Craven's part, and the theory just clicked.)

I felt like such a musical theatre dork when I got to that part of DH, 'cause I totally thought of that song, too! ;D

[Deleted]

I read yesterday on mugglenet that there is talks of a Harry Potter musical. Surely not!

[missjennifer]

borokat said:

I read yesterday on mugglenet that there is talks of a Harry Potter musical. Surely not!

Why ever not?

[C. Montgomery Burns] You might just as well have a musical about the common cat or the king of Siam! [/C. Montgomery Burns]

Seriously, though...why not? As long as there's a good writer to adapt the book, a good composer and a really good lyric writer (and this is important--even gorgeous music can be done in by forced, clunky rhymes) I don't see a problem with it.

After all, other stage and film musicals based on children's books, like The Secret Garden, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz have all been so ROTTEN, right?

It would be a mistake to fall into what I call the "Springtime for Hitler Fallacy"...that musicals are inherently fluffy and substance-free. Musicals can and do treat serious moments and serious subjects with dignity...many without having tap-dancers or kick-lines. (And even A Chorus Line managed to do just that...WITH tap-dancers and kick-lines.)

The one caveat is that they shouldn't try to squash all the books into one show. That, from what I understand, is what did in the LOTR musical they tried in England...they crammed all three books together instead of just focusing on the best musical version of Fellowship they could make and taking it from there. So that's what I would do if it were up to me...just focus on making a really good musical Sorcerer's Stone and seeing how it went over before trying any others.

The other pitfall to avoid would be in making it an eye-popping special-effects extravaganza, at the expense of a plot and character-driven story. Spectacle can work against musicals...all everyone remembers from Miss Saigon is the helicopter, but they forget how musically and dramatically gripping the scene PRECEDING the helicopter was.

[susyhomewrecker]

I'm sure they COULD make a good Harry Potter musical, but it just seems like overkill to me. The movies are okay and everything (even though I wish they had waited until all the books were out to make them) but now that the books are done people are talking about musicals, cartoons, and movie (not book) sequels/prequels. Milking Harry for all he's worth.

That said, if there is a musical, I hope it's not something like this: Hogwarts Dance Team

[lulu622]

Wouldn't it be slightly difficult to adapt seven books into a musical or would they only want to do one of the books? Look I love Harry Potter more than most things in this world, but I can't see myself running out to see it. Besides, Lord of the Rings, the musical got such bad reviews, I can't imagine Harry doing much better.

I can't wait to reread the book...for the fourth time.

[plainjane]

Personally I think fantasy + musical = totally heinous. They are too genres that require an incredible suspension of disbelief but together it is too much for the audience to deal with.

[Deleted]

See, I just picture a singing Voldemort and cringe. It will take a heaping amount of imagination and a total shift in tone and theme. I guess I should not judge before I see it, but I just don't know how they would ever be able to do the TriWizard tournament or the giant spiders. And would the fight between Death Eaters and the supporters of Harry turn into a West Side story-type snap off?