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 | |
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The People's Improv Theater in New York City, New York | |
Original language | English |
Genre | Comedy |
Setting | A Certain School Of Magic And Magic |
http://www.puffstheplay.com |
Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic is a 2015 original play by
The play premiered at
Background
Cox told
"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 at 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 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 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: "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 is because there’s so many relatable things and putting that in and having there be a reason this story is being told."[2]
Productions
Off-Off-Broadway
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]
Off-Broadway
In late 2015 during the very beginning of the performances, Tilted Windmills Theatricals under the direction of Tony-nominated producer David Carpenter decided to option the play from Matt Cox and ultimately produce Puffs as a commercial production at the
In May 2017, the building which the Elektra was in was condemned and the production was given three months to find a new home. David Carpenter ultimately decided to transfer the production to the preeminent off-Broadway theatre complex New World Stages 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. Puffs broke every record at Stage 5 including, highest single day sales, highest advance, highest weekly sales and longest tenant in the theatre.[citation needed]
In late May 2018, Fathom Events announced that they would be broadcasting a live filming of Puffs live in theaters around the world for two nights.[5] The recording was later uploaded to BroadwayHD, iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.
Subsequent productions
In April 2019, Puffs announced a new production at
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 4, 2019.
A Mexican version is scheduled to open in 2022 in
Synopsis
Act 1
A Narrator addresses the audience and begins to tell
The Puffs introduce themselves in the Puff common room. Megan declares that she was put into the Puff house mistakenly and that she should be with the Snakes. "
The Narrator introduces the
In
Act 2
The Narrator begins the act where it left off. Cedric died during the final tournament challenge. In year five the Puffs are still mourning, but make a promise to not be "too sad." However, 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. 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. In the Dark Lord's lair, he and Xavia are planning to steal Megan from the school and destroy Potter.
At the start of
During the summer, Oliver tells his friends that, for his safety as a "Mug Born," he will not be returning to the magic school for their final year. Wayne and Megan find it very hard to get on without him. When Potter returns to fight the Dark Lord and the Puffs all rush to him. Mr. Voldy tells everyone to bring him Harry or that there will be consequences over the school's loudspeaker. Potter runs off and the Puffs debate what to do. They come to the consensus that they can't fix anything because they are "just Puffs" so decide to go home. Leanne steps up to tell the group that they still matter at the school; everyone agrees to fight with Potter. 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 accepts that she is just a Puff and gives Megan her wand. Sally, J Finch, and Leanne are killed during the battle and the trio goes to help them. Voldy, thinking Wayne is Harry, kills him. Wayne awakens in a white train station with the headmaster, who died in the end of year six. Wayne realizes that he died in the battle and complains to the headmaster that his life was useless. The headmaster counters 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, nineteen years after the battle.
A now grown up Megan walks through a train station where she meets with her husband, Oliver. They panic before they find their son wandering around. The boy is revealed to be 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 Megan what house she thinks he'll be placed in and she tells him, "I have a pretty good idea." Wayne is seen in the sorting ceremony where a 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[9] |
Off-Broadway
2017 |
Sydney
2019[10] |
Toronto
2019 |
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Wayne Hopkins | Zac Moon | Ryan Hawke | Mark Willett | |
Oliver Rivers | Langston Belton | Adam Marks | Scott Labonte | |
Megan Jones | Julie Ann Earls | Angelina Thompson | Rae Bernakevitch | |
Narrator (Wayne Rivers-Jones) | A.J. Ditty | Gareth Issac | Alice Cavanagh | |
Cedric/Mr. Voldy | Evan Maltby | James Fouhey | James Bryers | Joey Graff |
Susie Bones/Harry/Others | Madeleine Bundy | Olivia Charalambous | Sydney Addison Rudat | |
J Finch Fletchly /Others
|
Nick Carrillo | Daniel Cosgrove | Robert Popoli | |
Sally Perks/Others | Jessie Cannizzaro | Kimie Tsukakoshi | Lizzie Moffatt | |
Ernie Mac /Others
|
Stephen Stout | Matt Whitty | John Carr Cook | |
Hannah/Others | Eleanor Philips | Annabelle Tudor | Morganna Marie | |
Leanne/Others | Andy Miller | Lauren McKenna | Brynn Bonne |
Lead characters
- Wayne Hopkins; a nerdy orphan wizard boy from New Mexico.
- Oliver Rivers; a mathematician wizard from New Jersey.
- Megan Jones; daughter of the infamous Snakes house.
- Narrator; The one with all the heavy books.
- Cedric; the lead Puff at the magic school.
- Mr. Voldy; an evil and dark lord who wants to take over the school and kill Harry.
- Brave housewho kills magical beasts and constantly steals opportunities from the Puffs.
- Susie Bones; a Puff who lives in fear of death, because her entire family died.
- J Finch Fletchley; a flamboyant and happy Puff.
- Sally Perks; She goes to school here and is completely blind throughout half the show
- Ernie Mac; a very confident and self-obsessed Puff.
- Hannah; a shy Puff who gets made fun of by the other houses and does not realize what is happening.
- Leanne; a Puff who grew up as an only child, has never seen other children until now and wants to be friends with everybody.
Other characters
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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.)"[11]
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."[12]
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."[13]
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."[14]
Matt Windman from the theater critic's site
Awards and nominations
Off-Broadway production
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
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2017 | Off Broadway Alliance Award[16] | Best Unique Theatrical Experience | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Matt Cox Land". Matt Cox Land.
- ^ Granshaw, Lisa (September 7, 2017). "Inside Puffs, an unofficial off-Broadway play about Harry Potter's loser kids". SYFY WIRE.
- ^ "Peoples Improv Theater | Improv Your Life". Peoples Improv Theater.
- ^ Meyer, Dan (June 20, 2019). "Off-Broadway's Puffs Sets Closing Date". Playbill.
- ^ "Puffs: Filmed Live Off Broadway in Movie Theaters". Fathom Events.
- ^ ""Puffs" Has Announced an All-Australian Cast for Its Sydney Production". www.mugglenet.com. April 17, 2019.
- ^ "Tickets for PUFFS Toronto". www.ticketwise.com. June 7, 2019.
- ^ "'Puffs': Los 'de amarillo' cuentan a carcajadas su lado de la historia". www.vanguardia.com. February 22, 2022.
- ^ BWW News Desk. "The Peoples Improv Theater to Present 'PUFFS'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- ^ BWW News Desk. "All-Australian Cast Announced For PUFFS Sydney Season". BroadwayWorld.com.
- ^ Collins-Hughes, Laura (August 18, 2019). "Review: 'Puffs' Parodies Harry Potter's World". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic | Theater in New York". Time Out New York.
- ^ "Theatre Is Easy | Reviews | Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic". www.theasy.com.
- ^ Kops, Jade. "BWW REVIEW: PUFFS OR SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC AND MAGIC Is A Hilarious Parody For Fans Of The Famous Magic Franchise". BroadwayWorld.com.
- ^ "Puffs Review". www.amny.com. 30 August 2018.
- ^ "'Puffs' Harry Potter play nominated for award and celebrates milestone". Hypable. April 26, 2017.