Mischief Managed! Harry Potter: The Exhibition Brought This Muggle Back to the Magical Days of Young Adulthood

Posted on: Jan 17th, 2023 By:

Peek into the magical world of Hogwarts in immersive exhibits such as the entrancing Divination chamber at Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Photo by Randi Tucker.

Review by Randi Tucker
Contributing Writer

For adults who loved the Harry Potter books in the 1990s and were spellbound by the movies in the 2000s (and for their kids who are getting to know them now), HARRY POTTER: THE EXHIBITION is a must-see-and-do experience in Atlanta. But hurry, the magic only happens through February 28, and starting January 17, take advantage of buy-one, get-one-free tickets on Tuesdays.

Billed as “a groundbreaking touring exhibition that celebrates the iconic moments, characters, settings, and beasts as seen in the Harry Potter™ film series and the Wizarding World,” HARRY POTTER THE EXHIBITION was even more magical than this reviewer imagined. Equal parts museum (original costumes and props from the Harry Potter and FANTASTIC BEASTS movies, as well as the HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD play, are on display behind glass cases) and interactive technological experience, the exhibition offers fun for both longtime Harry Potter fans and newer generation guests.

Upon entry, choose your favorite house, wand, and patronus, and enter your identification information to go with it. This will all be important later, so don’t skip this step! A guide takes you into the exhibit and begins the experience with a brief quiz. Here you get a chance to see your name on the Marauder’s Map. Mischief Managed!

Next, take a self-guided tour of the remainder of the exhibit. There are rooms and rooms and more rooms (did I mention many rooms?) of artifacts, information and interactive activities to see and do. Just when you think you’ve come to an end, you turn a corner and the exhibit keeps on going. Conservatively, I’d say you need a few hours to really experience everything. As a huge Harry Potter fan myself, I seriously could have used a half-day here, but my family had other ideas.

Great Hall at Hogwarts in Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Photo by Randi Tucker.

For an extra fee, an audio tour is available as a complement to signs posted throughout the exhibit, and I recommend it for people who have time to linger in each room as it plays. For those who are time-crunched, much of the info can be read quickly on the posted signs.

The exhibit is filled with interesting details in every nook and cranny, so keep your eyes peeled for these details. Holes labeled “Look Here” are not to be looked over. Pro tip: look up and down, not just around (i.e. take note of the floors and ceilings). In addition to marveling at the movie memorabilia, you get a chance to earn points for your house when you practice spells, brew a potion, plant a mandrake, read your future in a crystal ball and hone your quidditch skills. Don’t miss any of these interactive experiences! They are hands-on fun for all ages.

Prepare to be spellbound at Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Photo by Randi Tucker.

Also, there are so many Instagram-able areas of the exhibition. Sit in Hagrid’s massive chair in his hut, perch behind Professor Umbridge’s desk in her puke-inducing pink office, pop out of Newt Scamander’s case of fantastic beasts, place a call in the Ministry of Magic telephone booth entrance and even lie back in Harry’s cramped cupboard under the stairs, for the picture-perfect pose. Take time to also make the magic happen with the elder wand and see yourself in the pensieve. You’ll need someone to capture these extra moments for you, as a selfie won’t do.

Definitely take a look at your professional photos that the staff took of your group at the entrance. Though you might not want to shell out extra dough for the photos on the spot, you will be instructed on how to view the photos later online, and you can also purchase them at that time. Remember that identification information I said would be important later? This is when you’ll need it.

Don’t miss the gift shop and café! In addition to limited-edition, exhibition-specific merchandise, the gift shop offers loads of fan-favorite merch and even bottled butter beer. The café is a great spot to sit a spell and sip on a signature drink (mocktails and cocktails available) and enjoy a meal or snack. There are fun things to read and see in the café as well, so don’t skip it, even if you aren’t hungry or thirsty.

Sip on magical mocktails at Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Photo by Randi Tucker.

Suffice it to say, visiting HARRY POTTER THE EXHIBITION made this muggle’s day!

HARRY POTTER: THE EXHIBITION is located in the 200 Peachtree Building at 155 Carnegie Way NW. More information and tickets are available here. Choose general admission, VIP or flextime tickets for adults, children and groups, based on the day and time of your visit. Prices will vary; and starting January 17, take advantage of buy-one, get-one-free tickets on Tuesdays.

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Really Retro: Lisa Stock Explores an Older, Darker Side of Fairy Tales in Her Play of Neil Gaiman’s SNOW, GLASS, APPLES

Posted on: Aug 22nd, 2011 By:

Carrie Anne Hunt as the Snow White Princess in Lisa Stock's play of Neil Gaiman's SNOW, GLASS, APPLES, which opens Aug. 24.

SNOW WHITE has a reputation for being a cheery story about a cute princess and seven mostly affable dwarves, but the only time I ever hid my eyes in a movie as a child was when the evil stepmother queen transforms herself into a hideous wicked witch in the Walt Disney version. Trust author Neil Gaiman (SANDMAN, AMERICAN GODS) to cleverly latch onto the darker side of that familiar tale and consider that mere jealousy might not be sufficient motive to drive the queen to murder by poisoned apple. And maybe the prince wasn’t exactly your normal kind of hero either. “I was reading Neil Philip‘s [PENGUIN BOOK OF] ENGLISH FOLKTALES, and a rereading of a version of SNOW WHITE made me stop and wonder what kind of person she was, and what kind of person sees a dead girl in a glass coffin and wants to keep her…,” Neil said in an email last week when asked what led him to write the short story, SNOW, GLASS, APPLES. Now Snow White’s white skin, blood-red lips and coffin-sleeping take on a new meaning with disturbing erotic implications, and the queen becomes a protagonist with a difficult moral choice.

Lisa Stock. Photo credit: Jaclyn Cook.

Originally published as a benefit book for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in 1994, SNOW, GLASS, APPLES captured the imagination of so many readers that it was reprinted in two anthologies—TWICE BITTEN: LOVE IN VEIN II (1997), edited by Poppy Z. Brite, and Neil’s own collection SMOKE AND MIRRORS (1998). One of those readers was Lisa Stock, who like the storytellers of old, had her own thoughts about taking the tale in a new direction from page to stage. Through a few mutual friends, the then-New York-based writer/director for theater and film politely asked Neil nicely for a chance to have some fun with his story of bloodlust and mistrust. Charmed by her vision, the idea of seeing his creation come to life and the fact that all proceeds would benefit charity (East Atlanta Community Association), he granted her wish. “I love live theatre,” Neil said. “There’s a magic you cannot get from anything else when it’s good.”

While this real-life fairy tale so far may seem more CINDERELLA, it’s Atlanta audiences that really are the lucky ones. SNOW, GLASS, APPLES has its world premiere here Wed. Aug. 24 through Sun. Aug. 28 in the unusual venue of the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, re-envisioned by Lisa as a dreamlike Spring Fair. Artists and photographers also will have a chance to draw and photograph cast members in costume and preview the phantasmagoric sets during a Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School Atlanta field trip on Mon. Aug. 22. Performances are rated “R” for simulated violence and adult themes, but a special family-friendly show will be held Aug. 28 at 6 p.m.

ATLRetro recently caught up with Lisa to find out more about what drew her to the dark story, crafting a truly unique audience experience, why it’s the perfect fit for a Dr. Sketchy and a little about her other mythic projects, including the upcoming independent feature film TITANIA.

For those unfamiliar with Neil Gaiman’s SNOW, GLASS, APPLES, without giving away too much, how is it different from the Disney version of SNOW WHITE we grew up with? And more like the original darker versions that date back to Medieval times?
For me, Neil Gaiman’s version reflects the earliest forms of the tale, some [of which] trace back to the myth of Persephone (eating pomegranate seeds and falling into a half-life in the Underworld). The tales were originally much darker in nature and true morality tales. SNOW, GLASS, APPLES for me is just that—a cautionary tale about trusting or mistrusting your instincts. It’s also about self-preservation in a brutal world, and how you deal with the choices that have been handed to you. Our protagonist doesn’t get saved and have all that’s hers by birthright returned to her. She makes her own decisions—for better or worse—and goes out to protect, on her own, what she holds dear.

How did you discover SNOW, GLASS, APPLES and what drew you personally to the story?
I discovered SNOW, GLASS, APPLES through a haunting illustration by Sarah Coleman of the princess that led me back to Neil’s story. I love new perspectives on old tales and those that speak to human instincts. Instincts are such a basic, fundamental part of being human, and yet we often ignore them. The Queen does that in this tale; I’ve done that more times than I can count. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve been defeated. We all have. And I think this short story brings out a side of us we may not want to own up to—it talks about fear and failure, but also responsibility and integrity. Though Neil has made the Queen the protagonist, she hasn’t lost any of her edge or her darkness. Instead, with the perspective in her corner, we recognize that in ourselves.

I also love all the visual reminders of her fear in the story: the vampiric princess who keeps coming back to life, the princess’ heart strung above her bed, the forest folk disappearing, nothing is as it seems, reminders to look deeper. Think about it. What are you afraid of? It takes up a lot of your time and space. That’s our nature. And in Neil’s story, the Queen goes out to do something about her fear; whether she’s successful or not, she tries to survive it. Was it the right thing to do or not—that’s for each of us to decide.

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