Writer reviews Harry Potter exhibit in Boston

[Michael]

The Harry Potter exhibit is traveling around the United States and is currently in the Boston Museum of Science (through February). Here is one writer's review of the exhibit.

I was lucky enough to attend HP:tE on a day that was surprisingly not very crowded. At the fist stop, the group entering the exhibit was greeted by a woman in Hogwarts robes who chose a volunteer to be sorted by the one and only Sorting Hat. From there, we were directed into a room where a short introductory film was played, showing scenes from the first five films, I suppose as a way to get everyone pumped up for what they were about to see. (My friends and I needed no extra encouragement, for we are the type that camp out for midnight showings of the movies.) We entered the galleries via the Gryffindor Common Room Door and were literally transported into a whole new world. Every inch of the exhibit hall was covered in sets from the films, like Dolores Umbridge's garish pink office (the only time in my life when kittens seemed scary) and Hagrid's Hut, complete with an oversize arm chair and a dragon egg. There were piles and piles of props, like the joke candies designed by Fred and George Weasley and the sleek (dare I say sexy?) Firebolt owned by Harry.

Some aspects of the Exhibition were interactive. For instance, in a corner dedicated to Herbology, patrons could pull a Mandrake Root out of the ground and hear it's high-pitched scream. In the Quidditch gallery, there was the opportunity to attempt to throw a quaffle into one of three hoops, which reminded me of skeeball, but there were no prizes being given out for high scores. The darker characters of the Harry Potter world make their mark on the Exhibition, as well. In addition to showing Draco and Lucius Malfoy's costumes, the grave where Harry is chained in Goblet of Fire is on display, as is a Death Eater costume, and a Dementor model. That section was easily creepier than any haunted house I've ever seen.

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