Believe it or not, it's been 20 years since Harry Potter was first released. In the two decades that followed, we were gifted with seven books, eight films, and two theme parks, and now, New York's most magical Off-Broadway play, PUFFS or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic.
To all the people who were saddened to be sorted into Hufflepuff house, and frankly all Potterheads, PUFFS is for you. Now playing at New World Stages, celebrate an afternoon or evening with a loveable group of misunderstood wizards. Continue reading to learn about PUFFS, and I hope to see you at the show!
PUFFS - presented by TILTED WINDMILLS THEATRICALS (John Arthur Pinckard & David Carpenter) – takes a second look at everyone’s favorite world of wizards through the eyes of the Puffs, a lovable group of magical misfits. The sold-out sensation, which originally opened at New York’s Peoples Improv Theater before an extended run at the Elektra Theater in midtown, was called “a fast paced romp” by The New York Times and “a Potter comedy of epic proportions” by Time Out New York. Mugglenet recently exclaimed: “Go buy a ticket immediately. I promise you will not regret it.” The Wall Street Journal called it “an alternate narrative from the underdog.” PUFFS is written by Matt Cox and directed by Kristin McCarthy Parker. Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com.
When PUFFS opened at the Elektra last fall, it immediately started gaining national media attention. The show was praised by Entertainment Weekly as “packed with knowing winks to its source material and a heart all its own” and by The Huffington Post for its “rip-roaring staging, wit and delightful theatrical craft.” MTV News called it “equally laugh-out-loud funny and achingly tender.” Hypable said “come prepared to laugh, but also to cry. The draw is Matt Cox’s brilliant script and the cast’s comedic chops” while Metro US hailed it as “hilariously heartfelt.” Mashable raved “Puffs is, quite simply, hysterical.” According to Nerdist, “As surprised as I was by how much I laughed at Puffs, I was all the more surprised at how it actually moved me.”
When PUFFS debuted at The Peoples Improv Theater in 2015, it was celebrated as “a tremendous comedic feast” by The New York Theatre Review. Hypable called it “totally awesome” and On Stage Blog hailed the show “the best comedy in town, as funny as any of the biggest comedies on Broadway.” Theater is Easy calls it “blissfully hysterical.”
For seven years a certain boy wizard went to Wizard School. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of The Puffs… who just happened to be there too. This is a play for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic is a Potter inspired comedy for anyone who has ever felt like a secondary character in someone else’s story. The play gives you a new look at a familiar adventure from the perspective of three new heroes just trying to make it through magic school.
The show is produced by Tilted Windmills Theatricals (John Arthur Pinckard & David Carpenter), Stamatios Tom Hiotis, John Paterakis, George Stephanopoulos, Invisible Wall Productions, Letter Blue Entertainment, Sally Cade Holmes, Heather Shields, The Harris Brothers, and Alan Koolik/David Treatman, in association with GG Entertainment, Mark & Alison Law, Paul C. Bongiorno, Oliver Baer, Eric Kelhoffer, and Stephen Stout and Colin Waitt. It was originally produced at The Peoples Improv Theater by Stephen Stout and Colin Waitt, and developed in part during a residency with the University of Florida, School of Theatre + Dance, Jerry Dickey, School Director.
PUFFS or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic is pefrormed at the New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10019). The performance schedule is Mondays at 8:00 PM; Fridays at 8:00 PM; Saturdays at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM; and Sundays at 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Both the Saturday and Sunday matinee shows will be special “Family Friendly” performances for audiences of all ages. Tickets, which are on sale at Telecharge.com, are $67.00. Premium seats are $87.
