By MITCHELL PEARL
“Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic” is a 2015 original play by New York–based playwright Matt Cox. The show played in off-Broadway theatres in New York City for three years, and was nominated for the off-Broadway Alliance Award for “Best Unique Theatrical Experience” in 2017. The play is a parody of the Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling, but from the perspective of the Puffs—inspired by the Hogwarts house, Hufflepuff. The Puffs just happen to be at a certain school of magic at the same time as a certain well-known boy wizard. Since its run off-Broadway, the play has become one of the most popular plays to be performed in high-school theatre programs around the country. Many fans come in costume.
Otter Valley Theatre Director Jeffery Hull has wanted to produce “Puffs” since he first found out about it. It has a smaller cast than some of the larger Walking Stick Theatre productions, but with the arrival of Katie St. Raymond to direct a separate play featuring middle school students—“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” just three weeks ago—it was now possible. The play features just 17 student actors from the high school, and several additional students handling the backstage and technical aspects.
According to director Jeffrey Hull, the challenges in this production are many of the technical aspects, sound effects, magic, lighting, and props. There are a lot of them, and they really add to the fun of the show. The actors have really gotten into creating the characters, the story, and the humor. Rehearsals of this fast-paced play are full of energy and laughter. One review of the play says that it “never goes more than a minute without a laugh.”
Playwright Matt Cox said that he came up with the idea while riding home one night on a New York City subway. He thought to himself “it would’ve been really terrible to be another student at that particular magic school whenever Harry was there…every year something bad would happen all because of Potter.” The play “Puffs” is not “authorized, sanctioned, licensed, or endorsed” by J.K Rowling or any of the folks associated with the Harry Potter franchise. Indeed, it is decidedly “unauthorized,” and, according to the play’s own promotional materials, it exists only due to the “magic” of the U.S. copyright laws—it is a parody of Harry Potter, and many of the names are changed, often to comic effect.
“Puffs” will be presented at Otter Valley this weekend, Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1 at 7:30. It is the last Walking Stick Theatre production of the year, and tickets are only $5. Whatever your connection to the Harry Potter world, this parody is sure to get you laughing.
“Fate: It’s never kind to a hero,” the narrator says in “Puffs.” “But who does fate hate even more? The side characters.”
Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic
