My ten-year-old daughter is a regular Potterhead; she has read all of the books in the Harry Potter series, each one several times; she’s seen all the movies; She can beat anyone in a Harry Potter trivia challenge. This is why I was excited to take her to see Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic, now playing at New World Stages. Must See – Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic
Puffs is a play which is a parody of the Harry Potter series. It follows several kids at a school for wizardry over a period of seven years. They’re called Puffs as they are in the house of Hufflepuff. They’re not exceptionally brave or smart; they’re just average and their main goal in life is to win third place (out of the four houses).
The play actually begins before the show starts. As you enter the theater you can see decorations on the walls like paintings, school notices, etc. While waiting for the show to begin there’s a recording of school announcements.
The show itself is funny and fast-paced, with lots of things happening very quickly. Adults with very little prior knowledge of Harry Potter (I only read the first book and didn’t watch the movies) will enjoy the general jokes but kids, especially an eight-year-old, are better off watching all seven movies beforehand. There’s no need to read the books if you’ve seen the movies. The 11 -person cast does dead-on impersonations that are absolutely hysterical, especially the ones of Snape and Voldemort. Some of the visuals are similar to the ones in the films.
The original show is more adult-oriented but the weekend matinee performances have been modified for kids. As mentioned, the show moves very quickly so a kid under 8 may struggle keeping up. Potterheads, however, will be absolutely delighted and laugh out loud at the clever parody.
What I loved about the theater is that it’s really small – only 9 rows in the orchestra, plus two rows in the mezzanine. No matter where you sit you will see well. We were in the second to last row in the orchestra and were able to see all the details and expressions of the actors’ faces.
The show is one hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
When: M-F at 8pm, Sat at 2pm & 8pm; Sun at 3pm
Where: New World Stages
350 West 5oth (btwn 8 & 9 Ave)
Price: $67 and up
To purchase tickets please click here or call (212) 239-6200. You can also purchase at the box office at New World Stages.
Photos by Hunter Canning
I was not compensated for this post. I received tickets to the show.
Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been living in the New York City area for seventeen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 10, 8 and 5) and loves finding great products for her family.
Leave a Reply