Buffalo Theater: ‘Laughing Troll’ is as much about Rowling as the books’ characters

By Melinda Miller
(L-R, Sandra Roberts, Samuel Fesmire and Sabrina Kahwaty Garcia. Photo by Jay Rosado)

 “The Laughing Troll Café,” being presented through April 25 by Buffalo United Artists, is and isn’t a play about Harry Potter. 

In this comic/drama by Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola, the grownup Harry and his friends have left Hogwarts far behind; years later, they are meeting in a cozy coffee shop in modern-day London. As the play opens, we see they have changed, and not the way you might remember.  

The playwrights show a refreshing lack of reverence for the canonical version of adulthood found in the conclusion of the Potter books. Their Harry, Hermione and Ron are much more imperfectly “human” – and much less reliant on spells and potions. 

But fear not: These three still bring out the affectionate feelings that fans always have had for the trio, who in “Troll” are still trying to do the right thing. No surprise there – the famous wizarding heroes are, by default, beloved and good.

Which brings us to the fourth character in this little gathering: J.K. Rowling, the real inspiration for “Laughing Troll.” 

Rowling torpedoed her reputation several years ago by broadcasting anti-trans opinions that many Potter fans saw as directly opposed to the attitudes in her uber-popular children’s books. Even the actors who were made famous in the Potter films were obliged to publicly condemn Rowling’s positions.

And that set up an enticing premise for Elmegreen and Fornarola: What if Rowling also had to answer to her own characters? Daniel Radcliffe can wash the scar off his forehead and have a great career on Broadway, but what of Harry Potter? What about his image? 

So …. after surviving seven very chunky books full of monsters, mysteries and perils — facing down the Dark Lord himself — Harry and his friends come to the Laughing Troll to confront this formidable challenge.

They are staging an intervention. The plan is to ambush “Jo,” whom they call “Mum,” and get her to rethink and hopefully retract her “vile and hateful propaganda” about transgender people.  

In the spirit of BUA’s mandate of recognizing all genders, Harry is given a spirited portrayal by Sandra Roberts; Sabrina Kahwaty Garcia and her curly hair are intensely perfect as Hermione; and Samuel Fesmire channels his inner Jeff Spicoli to elevate Ron Weasley to a new level as their stoner sidekick. 

That leaves it to Caitlin Coleman to bring us Jo, a formidable self-made woman who has no regrets and makes no apologies. She defiantly demonstrates the power she has over her creations, able to rewrite them with the stroke of a pen, no wand necessary. 

Under the direction of Mike Doben, the bright dialogue lands in the right spots, with appreciation for the running jokes about X and the clever observations on the source material (raise your hand if you didn’t think Hermione should wind up with Ron) without heavy underlining. The actors’ interpretations of the characters, though necessarily new, are also valid and authentic.

And, in the end their reputations and friendships remain intact. 

Buffalo United Artists presents the world premiere of “The Laughing Troll Cafe” by Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola in the Compass Performing Arts Center, upstairs at 545 Elmwood Ave., through April 25. Shows are Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30; $20 for students with ID, at buffalounitedartists.org or at the door.  (This is not a children’s show.)