Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic

Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic is a 2015 original play by New York-based playwright Matt Cox.[1] The play is a comedic retelling of the Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling, but from the Puffs' perspective. The play premiered at The People's Improv Theater on December 3, 2015. It moved to the Off-Broadway theater New World Stages in 2016. The show has been praised for it's comedy and staging. It was nominated for the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for "Best Unique Theatrical Experience" in 2017.

Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
Off-Broadway Playbill cover
Written byMatt Cox
Date premieredDecember 3, 2015
Place premieredOff-Off-Broadway at The People's Improv Theater in New York City, New York
Original languageEnglish
GenreComedy
SettingA Certain School Of Magic And Magic
http://www.puffstheplay.com

Background

Cox told SyFy Wire that he was currently working on another show he had written and worked on with McCarthy called "Kapow - i GoGo", a play split into three parts that ran about 4.5 hours when put together about different nerdy cartoons, franchises, and "sci-fi stuff" (Cox's words). He tells reporter, Lisa Granshaw, that he came up with the idea for Puffs on a subway ride one night home. He thought to himself "it would've been really terrible to be another student at that particular magic school whenever Harry was there." The whole ride home, he thought about that idea and how every year something bad would happen all because of Potter. He then began to piece together some other ideas from '90s pop-culture references and funny movie flaws that could be an entertaining play. As he began to think about it more, he thought about how easy it would be to sell to "anyone who has never been destined to save the world" (words from the BroadwayHD description of the show).

"Soon after," he says, "we did a reading, which was fun to put together. We kept tweaking it until we moved from the People's Improv Theater to the Elektra and now New World Stages, and it's been a fun time." He told Granshaw that the hardest part about creating the show was to cram seven books, movies, and all the humor into a show that actually wouldn't run for five hours (a line said by the narrator in the beginning of the show). The next step was to make sure that all the characters were interesting and had depth.

Granshaw asked if the play having moved to several different locations changed staging and the play itself. Cox told her that it definitely did because, as each theater grew in popularity, it also grew in size and stage space. He and McCarthy, of course, found it challenging to make it bigger and grander but still remain exciting and interesting, therefore using the technique of the different doors.

When asked what it was like balancing the humor and serious bits of the show, Cox responded with: "That was one of the most important things when we were developing the show, that it still had that sense of really true heart to it, just because, similar to what I was saying earlier, that way it doesn’t just feel like a parody, which would have been very easy to do. That way it’s something that sticks with you, that sense of heart. We all come from theater backgrounds, and it was the only way to make it feel like it was an actual story in the same way the books and movies are. The reason they’ve lasted this long because there’s so many relatable things and putting that in and having there be a reason this story is being told."[2]

Productions

Puffs opened on December 3, 2015, at the off-off-Broadway theater, The People's Improv Theater in New York City, New York,[3] directed by Kristin McCarthy Parker and was scheduled to be just a five-night run. Co-produced by Stephen Stout and Colin Waitt, the production starred Zac Moon, Langston Belton, Julie Ann Earls, A.J. Ditty, Evan Maltby, Madeleine Bundy, Nick Carlillo, Jessie Cannizzaro, Stephen Stout, Eleanor Philips, and Andy Miller. The theater saw how well Puffs was doing and decided to extend the run. It ultimately ran for eight months.[4]

In late 2016, Tilted Windmills Theatricals decided to produce Puffs at the off-Broadway Elektra Theater. The costumes were designed by Madeleine Bundy, the set and props were designed by Bundy and Liz Blessing, lighting was designed by Michelle Kelleher, sound was designed by Cox himself, and the production included original music by Brian (Hoes) Metolius. The cast remained the same except for Maltby, who was replaced by James Fouhey. The production also gained two swings, Jake Keefe and Anna Dart.

New World Stages, an off-Broadway theater, offered to take Puffs in for an open-ended run on their Stage 5. The show transferred to the theater on July 17, 2017, with the same cast, designs, and direction from the Elektra, with the exception of Blessing, leaving Bundy in charge of scenic, costume, and prop design. The production ran until August 18, 2019.

In late May of 2018, Fathom Events announced that they would be broadcasting Puffs live in theaters around the world for two nights.[5] The recording was later uploaded to BroadwayHD where it is still available.

In April of 2019, Puffs announced a new production at The Entertainment Quarter in Sydney, Australia.[6] Lauren McKenna directed and also played Leanne. The Sydney show included re-worked designs by Bundy, Goldman, Cox, and Hoes. It opened on May 17 and included G-rated Saturday and Sunday matinees.

The Canadian premier of Puffs opened on June 7, 2019, at The Lower Ossington Theatre in Toronto, Canada, directed by Seanna Kennedy, stage-managed by Alyssa Obrigewitsch, and produced by Joseph Patrick.[7] It featured set design by Michael Nicholas Galloro, costume design by Rachelle Bradley, and lighting design by Mikael Kangas. It closed on August 4th, 2019.

The show's licensing was released on July 11, 2019, through Samuel French, Inc. (now Concord Theatricals). Four versions of the play were offered: a one-act version that was played off-Broadway (105 mins), a one-act junior version (105 mins), a two-act version (120 mins), and a two-act junior version (145 mins). The non-junior versions are intended for mature audiences. The script includes an introduction by Cox, alternate scenes and monologues, and even a glossary of magic words used throughout the play.

Synopsis

Act 1

A Narrator addresses the audience and begins to tell a tale about a young, orphaned boy with a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt, but quickly dismisses the boy's story. He then introduces another orphan named Wayne who lives with his uncle Dave in New Mexico. One day, an owl drops a letter in Wayne's living room telling him that he has been invited to "a certain school of magic and magic." His uncle quickly tells him about how his parents were wizards before rushing him to the train station. Wayne is then taken to the magic school and finds himself in a sorting ceremony. After watching several others being sorted into different houses ("Braves," "Smarts," and "Snakes"), Wayne tells another student waiting how nervous he is to be sorted and ponders if he has enough personality to be sorted. The student is revealed to be the same orphan boy from the beginning who is called up and sorted into the Brave house. A teacher overseeing the sorting notices Wayne and calls him up. The hat sorts him in the "Puff" category and he is transported to the Puff common room.

The Puffs go around and introduce themselves. Megan introduces herself declaring that her being put into the Puff house was a mistake and that she should be with the Snakes. Cedric Diggory shows up and introduces himself as the group leader. He informs the group that they will be made fun of but quickly assures them that they are still a valid house. He then tells them about the House Cup which the Puffs have never won before. Cedric tells them that to win the cup, the Puffs must earn points for good behavior. When they go to bed, Megan sneaks out to go be with the Snakes. Wayne tries to stop her but she leaves anyway. Wayne and Oliver bond over the fact that they are both new to the school and magic itself and while Oliver worries about the difficulty of magic, Wayne reassures him. However, after a day of unsuccessful classes and many lost points, Wayne begins to lose hope. Later, the Puffs attend the school's Halloween feast but the festivities are ruined when someone announces that there's a troll in the dungeon and they all have to go back to their common room. Everyone goes to bed but Wayne and Oliver notice that Megan is missing and go to find her. She is seen wandering around a forbidden chamber finds her teacher friend, the Fat Friar. She complains about being in the Puffs and tells the friar how she misses her mom. The Narrator introduces Megan's mom, Xavia Jones, who was put in WizPriz for working with the dark lord. Megan finds Wayne and Oliver searching for her and begin to cast a spell on them when Wayne recommends that they should all be friends and make the best of being in the Puffs. She agrees and lets them go but before they leave, they all look into the mirror, where they see their greatest desires. Wayne sees that he becomes a hero, Oliver becomes a famous mathematician, and Megan sees her mom and herself reuniting. When they are caught by another teacher, Megan tells her how Wayne and Oliver came to save her, and the trio is awarded their first set of points. Sometime later, Cedric runs into Wayne and thanks him for inspiring the Puffs to earn more points. At the end of the year, the headmaster announces that the Puffs came in third place and they celebrate. But the headmaster awards more points to the Braves so that the Puffs end up in fourth place again.

The Narrator introduces the second year where a giant snake attacks the whole school. On Halloween, Wayne and Megan tell Oliver that a secret chamber has been opened and that the snake is inside. The defense teacher takes matters into his own hands and begins a dueling club. He selects "Blondo Malfoy" and Mr. Potter to practice dueling. After Malfoy casts a spell, it is revealed that Harry can talk to snakes. The Puffs run back to their common room and J Finch worries about dying. Ernie advises him not to leave the room, but Finch runs away anyway. While he is out in a hallway, he freezes out of shock when he sees the snake. The trio sneaks into the hallway and after Wayne suggests that he kill the monster himself and become the hero of the school. He, however, gets distracted by Ginny. Later, Harry kills the snake and everyone goes home for the summer. In year three, Megan tells her friends that a masked murder is in the school and that she thinks it's Xavia, coming to rescue her. Leanne invites everyone to her slumber party and Sally, believing that Wayne and Oliver are throwing it, flirts with them. She takes off her glasses to get a clearer look at the invitation, and the boys quickly find her attractive. On the night of Leanne's sleepover, Cedric tells the Puffs a bedtime story about how the magic school was founded. Before he can finish, though, the headmaster makes them all go to bed. The trio remains awake and Megan reveals that she feels like a disappointment to Xavia. The headmaster once again arrives to remind them of their field trip the next day where they all get drunk on Butterbeer.

In year four, the school holds a special three wizard tournament with two neighboring schools. Names are drawn from a cup to decide who will participate alongside the other schools. Cedric's name is drawn but the excitement is quickly halted when Potter's name is drawn as well. Wayne gives Cedric a book featuring all kinds of different creatures Cedric might have to face during the tournament. The first challenge is held: the student must take the golden egg from a dragon's lair. Cedric uses one of Wayne's spells and comes in second place, just behind Potter. Cedric approaches Wayne with the prize from the challenge. He tells Wayne that the egg is a riddle and he can't figure it out. Wayne tells Cedric that he thinks the most while taking a bath. In the bathtub, Cedric encounters Mrytle and they figure out that the egg was telling them what the second challenge will be. Oliver and Megan go to a Christmas ball together where they awkwardly attempt to have fun. The next day, the Puffs attend the second challenge which proves to be quite boring, but Cedric wins and they celebrate. When Wayne struggles with a spell, Cedric tells him that the best he can do is try. Cedric also promises to teach Wayne all the magic he knows after the third challenge. At the third challenge, the Puffs see Cedric emerge victorious but he falls over. The Narrator stops the show and gives the audience an intermission.

Act 2

The Narrator begins the act where it left off. Cedric crosses the finish line and they go to see him but they realize that he died during the challenge. The Narrator brings the audience into year five where all the Puffs are still mourning. They make a promise to not be "too sad" but it is quickly broken when a drunk Wayne enters yelling that there is no purpose in attending school without Cedric to guide them. Some of the Puffs have been inducted into Albus' Army and practice their fainting spells, unintentionally fainting each other. At the end of the year, Megan and Oliver kiss for the first time and reconcile their friendship with Wayne. It is announced that the Dark Lord has returned and that nobody is safe. The Narrator then brings the audience to the Dark Lord's lair where he and Xavia are planning to steal Megan from the school and destroy Potter.

At the start of year six, Wayne is hoping to get a girlfriend and get onto the sports team. However, when Wayne is at the sports tryouts with several other Puffs, the rude coach, Zach Smith, declines them all. Sally attempts to flirt with Wayne and, though at first she is unsuccessful, he agrees to go on a date with her. Elsewhere, Megan is following directions from a note she thought was written by Oliver. Although, it is revealed that Xavia wrote the note and is planning to take Megan hostage. Oliver and Wayne get caught as well and Xavia appears, telling Megan that it's time for them to leave. But, she tells Megan that she must kill Wayne and Oliver first. Megan can't bring herself to kill them and Xavia calls her "nothing but a Puff" and that she is a disgrace to the Dark Lord. Xavia angrily begins to cast a death spell to kill all of them but she gets the spell wrong several times and Megan realizes that her mother isn't as evil as she seems. Xavia accidentally releases them and the trio retrieve their wands to fight her. She vows that they will regret this and vanishes. Megan realizes that deep down, both her and her mother are just Puffs but begins to accept who she truly is. When the trio is leaving, they stop by the mirror they looked at in year one. They see that their other wishes have vanished and see that now, their only wish is to remain friends forever.

During the summer, Oliver tells his friends that, for his own safety, he will not be returning to the magic school for their final year. Wayne and Megan find that it is very hard to get on without him but their worries are quickly forgotten when the Puffs announce that Harry has returned to fight the Dark Lord and they all rush to meet him. Mr. Voldy tells everyone to bring him Harry or that there will be consequences over the school's loud speaker. Harry runs off and the Puffs debate what to do. They eventually come to the consensus that they can't fix anything because they are "just Puffs" so decide to go home. Leanne steps up for the group telling them that they still matter at the school and they everyone, even Megan, agrees to fight with Harry. During the battle, Oliver shows up to help his friends. Xavia also sneaks in, now prepared to kill Megan. She accidentally kills one of Voldy's fighters and immediately feels guilty for it. She accept that she is just a Puff and gives Megan her wand. Sally, J Finch, and Leanne are all killed during the battle and the trio goes to help them. However, Voldy, thinking Wayne is Harry, casts the death spell and ends up killing him. Wayne awakens in a white train station with the headmaster, who died in the end of year five. Wayne realizes that he died in the battle and begins to complain to the headmaster about how useless his life was. But the headmaster counteracts that argument by pointing out that Wayne was the hero in his own story. Wayne finally accepts his fate and the Narrator closes out the story, informing the audience that Harry killed Voldy and was once again hailed as the hero of the school. But before he lets the audience leave, he takes them to one final destination that takes place nineteen years after the battle.

A now grown up Megan walks through a train station where she meets with her husband, Oliver. They freak out when they realize they forgot their son but they find him wandering around. The boy is revealed to be none other than the Narrator, now twelve years old and named Wayne. His parents tell him that while the school may be scary and dangerous, he is named after one of the bravest students ever and they send him off on the train. Oliver asks her what house she thinks he'll be placed in and she tells him that "I have a pretty good idea." Wayne Jr. is seen in the sorting ceremony where an elderly hat is placed on his head. After hearing what house he's been placed in, he looks out to the audience and smiles.

Casts and Characters

Character Off-Off Broadway (2015)

The PIT Theater[8]

Off-Broadway (2016)

The Elektra Theater

Off-Broadway (2017)

New World Stages

Entertainment Quarter (2019)

Sydney, Australia[9]

Wayne Hopkins Zac Moon Ryan Hawke
Oliver Rivers Langston Belton Adam Marks
Megan Jones Julie Ann Earls Angelina Thompson
Narrator (Wayne Rivers-Jones) A.J. Ditty Gareth Issac
Cedric Diggory/Mr. Voldy Evan Maltby James Fouhey James Bryers
Susie Bones/Harry/Others Madeleine Bundy Olivia Charalambous
J Finch Fletchly/Others Nick Carlillo Daniel Cosgrove
Sally Perks/Others Jessie Cannizzaro Kimie Tsukakoshi
Ernie Mac/Others Stephen Stout Matt Whitty
Hannah/Others Eleanor Philips Annabelle Tudor
Leanne/Others Andy Miller Lauren McKenna
Swings N/A Anna Dart

Jake Keefe

Brooke Rayner

James Haxby

Lead Characters

  • Wayne Hopkins; a nerdy wizard boy from New Mexico.
  • Oliver Rivers; a mathematician wizard from New Jersey.
  • Megan Jones; daughter of the infamous Xavia Jones who thinks she should be in the Snakes house.
  • Narrator (Wayne Rivers-Jones); A graduated Puff from the magic school who retells the story of his parents and their friends.
  • Cedric Diggory; the lead Puff at the magic school.
  • Mr. Voldy; an evil and dark lord who wants to take over the school and kill Harry.
  • Mr. Potter; a famous student in the Brave house who kills magical beasts and constantly steals opportunities from the Puffs.
  • Susie Bones; a Puff who lives in fear of death, due to the fact that her entire family died.
  • J Finch; a flamboyant and happy Puff.
  • Sally Perks; a timid Puff who just wants to belong at the school.
  • Ernie Mac; a very confident and self-obsessed Puff.
  • Hannah; a shy Puff who gets made fun of by the other houses.
  • Leanne; a Puff who grew up as an only child and wants to be friends with everybody.

Other Characters

Note: all actors play Death Buddies

Critical Reception

The New York Times's Laura Collins-Hughes wrote: "The fun of Puffs, though, is in its intersections with the story we know from J. K. Rowling's books and the movie adaptations. The one Puff with any panache is Cedric Diggory, played by Evan Maltby with such lovable good-guy warmth that when he dies, in an episode the narrator (A. J. Ditty) calls "Year Four: The Puffs and the Year They Mattered", it’s actually rather sad. (Again: You didn’t already know that Cedric dies? Not the show for you.)"[10]

Diane Snyder from Time Out says: "But even Potter virgins will enjoy the show’s witty wordplay and well-executed physical comedy. At times, the pacing is so frenetic that jokes can’t find a place to land, but there’s heart as well as humor here."[11]

Theasy.com wrote: "Puffs wisely avoids special effects or high-tech gadgetry—the show begins with an overhead projector!—and instead uses inventive movement and plenty of (theatrical) magic."[12]

Jade Kops of BroadwayWorld said: "Cox cleverly highlights the flaws in the books and the movies and neatly skirts around the Potter/Gryffindor centric storyline that everyone knows by not even presenting Ron and Hermione as real people. Professors are presented with enough recognizable traits to not require names to be used and events easily tie together for well versed fans."[13]

Matt Windman from the theater critic's site AM New York wrote: "By the end, Puffs comes to resemble a Saturday Night Live skit that has gone on way too long, feeling rushed in its storytelling and long-winded in its execution. Many jokes fail to land, and the humor may be too tame for its own good... Nevertheless, Puffs offers a good deal of harmless fun and manages to embrace a cute riff on a popular franchise."[14]

Awards And Nominations

Off-Broadway Production
Year Award Category Nominee Result
2017 Off Broadway Alliance Award[15] Best Unique Theatrical Experience Nominated

References

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