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Puffs
The script of the smash hit Off-Broadway comedy PUFFS is now yours to own! For seven years, a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs...who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. The New York Times proclaims PUFFS, "A fast-paced romp though 'Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.' For POTTERphiliacs who grew up alongside Potter and are eager to revisit his word, PUFFS exudes a jovial, winking fondness for all things Harry!" PUFFS (TWO ACT EDITION) is the two act script of the play Puffs. It features a forward by playwright Matt Cox, deleted scenes, additional Zach Smith monologues by Nick Carrillo, and a glossary. This publication contains adult language.
134 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 13, 2018
12 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 27, 2022
Puffs is the physical incarnation of the middle aged person whose entire personality still revolves around Harry Potter and it's beginning to weird out all their friends. It is the concept of cringe taken form.
It's bad.
I think the only thing bolstering it is the Harry Potter parody aspect drawn from godawful tumblr headcanons that 30-year old millenials have been sharing since the 2000s. It never rises above the base level of meme-ry. Were this about any other property it would have died as the small project it began and then forgotten. I don't understand why this blew up as there isn't much literary or artistic value beyond pointing it and exclaiming, "LOL! I understood that reference!" and the target audience for those references are definitely elder millenials as the script is just riddled with extremely dated media references.
The dialog is painful and the only positive I can really give it is that it doesn't suddenly want to pretend it ever had an emotional core at the end when half the cast dies. The post-death scene is still tongue-through-the-cheek-and-into-a-nostril and doesn't suddenly get saccharine. In terms of parody, it's about a MAD TV-level sketch. Maybe you'll like it if you love Harry Potter.
It's bad.
I think the only thing bolstering it is the Harry Potter parody aspect drawn from godawful tumblr headcanons that 30-year old millenials have been sharing since the 2000s. It never rises above the base level of meme-ry. Were this about any other property it would have died as the small project it began and then forgotten. I don't understand why this blew up as there isn't much literary or artistic value beyond pointing it and exclaiming, "LOL! I understood that reference!" and the target audience for those references are definitely elder millenials as the script is just riddled with extremely dated media references.
The dialog is painful and the only positive I can really give it is that it doesn't suddenly want to pretend it ever had an emotional core at the end when half the cast dies. The post-death scene is still tongue-through-the-cheek-and-into-a-nostril and doesn't suddenly get saccharine. In terms of parody, it's about a MAD TV-level sketch. Maybe you'll like it if you love Harry Potter.
September 7, 2019
What it's about: While many people know the story of a Certain Boy who Didn't Die and Discovered He Could Do Magic, that kid wasn't the only one to attend a Certain School of Female Magic and Male Magic. In fact, there were a whole lot of other students there who were, well, not nearly as good at things. This is their story!
What I thought: Some friends and I went to see this play off-Broadway and it was WONDERFUL! If you have any affinity for the world of a certain boy magic-user, you should make it your goal to check out this play. I added the script to my collection so I could relive the excellent performance we saw.
Be forewarned, the "regular" edition is not family-friendly; it would not make a good gift for the young fan in your life. But there is a "One Act Edition for Young Wizards" that should fit the bill!
Why I rated it like I did: This script is just a treasure-trove of '90's nostalgia and wonderful satire. But it also has some really deep moments sprinkled in, especially toward the end. It's wild, it's zany, and the script alone had me laughing out loud.
What I thought: Some friends and I went to see this play off-Broadway and it was WONDERFUL! If you have any affinity for the world of a certain boy magic-user, you should make it your goal to check out this play. I added the script to my collection so I could relive the excellent performance we saw.
Be forewarned, the "regular" edition is not family-friendly; it would not make a good gift for the young fan in your life. But there is a "One Act Edition for Young Wizards" that should fit the bill!
Why I rated it like I did: This script is just a treasure-trove of '90's nostalgia and wonderful satire. But it also has some really deep moments sprinkled in, especially toward the end. It's wild, it's zany, and the script alone had me laughing out loud.
November 22, 2021
Puffs is a pitch-perfect Potter parody, and I stand by that.
June 5, 2022
This play finally lets the Hufflepuffs take a bow! Speaking for my house I have to say this show is such a love letter to Hufflepuffs and just the Harry Potter stories in general. It’s mostly a comedy but don’t worry about the later books being too light, they do give those moments proper room. So if you or someone you know has ever been made fun of for being a Hufflepuff, look no further! Your salvation is here! Have fun!
February 8, 2019
Excellent! I saw the filmed version of the Off-Broadway production during the summer of 2018 and fell in love with it. I was thrilled to find out that this digital download is now available and even more thrilled that this show can now be licensed! As soon as I have an opportunity to direct another show, this one is it!
December 19, 2019
Fun content about Harry Potter not written by a TERF
August 10, 2019
I first heard about this play a few years ago and was very excited to get a copy of the published script this year at SDCC. As far as Harry Potter fan parodies goes, this is in a similar vein as "A Very Potter Musical" through it contains opportunities for improv rather than songs. Where it falls short for me is the fact that all seven years of magical education have been squashed into a 100-ish minute play, meaning that each individual scene is VERY short, and so much time is spent just covering ground that there isn't as much development of the original characters as I would have liked. The story follows three students sorted into Puffs the same year that Harry starts at school. Their house motto is "third or nothing!" based on the common occurrence of coming in last in every house tournament. They idolize Cedric Diggory and are deeply shaken by his death. Aside from the friends switching to AOL instant messaging to communicate in the summers and chatting about mid-90s movies and bands the story didn't bring me very much new stuff to get excited about. I've only given the script 2 stars, but I do think it would be much better seen live, and I would still see it given the opportunity. I just wouldn't plan a whole trip to NYC around seeing it.
June 7, 2022
Well, that was awful.
February 10, 2020
For whatever reason, the Harry Potter series has always had strong ties to the theatre world. Even before "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" premiered on London's West-End, fan-made parody tributes in the form of plays were surprisingly common. There's the one-man show, "Potted Potter," the more obscure "Harry's Hotter at Twilight" and of course, Team Starkid's incredible "Very Potter" musical trilogy. "Puffs" is the newest. As a fan of Harry Potter and a fan of reading plays, I knew I'd enjoy this, but as a DIRECTOR of theatre, I went in curious if it has any potential for a wider audience. For example, would this play be something worth bringing to a school competition or other festival? In my childhood and teenage years, Harry Potter was THE dominant fictional saga in the collective conscious, much like how Star Wars and Lord of the Rings were in previous decades. Even if you weren't personally a fan of the series, you were familiar with its characters and world. The Harry Potter books and films are still beloved by many, but they aren't quite the pop culture powerhouse they used to be so the effectiveness of a parody like "Puffs, isn't as guaranteed as it was 10 years ago.
So, after reading Puffs, could it appeal to non-Potterheads? Kinda. Maybe. I found the best parts of the play to be the original characters and the story elements that grew around them, but there are still A LOT of jokes and plot points that assume familiarity with Harry Potter canon and fandom in-jokes. With the right cast and director, some of the jokes could still work on the merit of their wacky absurdity and thanks to the narrator, the plot isn't hard to follow. However, it's still clear that Puffs is a play by Harry Potter fans and for Harry Potter fans. And that's ok because it's a great one. One of the best of its kind. Most parodies don't have the heart that Puffs does.
(Side note: I'm very torn on the ending. I won't spoil it here, but I can't decide if it's meanspirited or thematically appropriate. It's the only reason I can't decide how many stars Puffs actually deserves, but I'll leave it at 5 for now.)
So, after reading Puffs, could it appeal to non-Potterheads? Kinda. Maybe. I found the best parts of the play to be the original characters and the story elements that grew around them, but there are still A LOT of jokes and plot points that assume familiarity with Harry Potter canon and fandom in-jokes. With the right cast and director, some of the jokes could still work on the merit of their wacky absurdity and thanks to the narrator, the plot isn't hard to follow. However, it's still clear that Puffs is a play by Harry Potter fans and for Harry Potter fans. And that's ok because it's a great one. One of the best of its kind. Most parodies don't have the heart that Puffs does.
(Side note: I'm very torn on the ending. I won't spoil it here, but I can't decide if it's meanspirited or thematically appropriate. It's the only reason I can't decide how many stars Puffs actually deserves, but I'll leave it at 5 for now.)
October 9, 2020
This is a very funny play for people who are fans of the Harry Potter books and movies with an endless amount of jokes and references that are specific to that universe. The idea of learning about the action from the perspective of the Hufflepuffs is brilliant and several moments had me laughing out loud. The Hufflepuffs celebrating finally not getting last in the house cup right before Dumbledore starts awarding random points to Potter and friends was so good.
I almost wish the play would have ended after the death of Cedric instead of continuing on through the rest of the parallel to the books. It started to feel a little forced after a while and didn't seem to give us a natural perspective of life in the Puff house, but instead forced the main characters in to Potter's storyline - the battle at Hogwarts and Wayne's appearance at the station in particular did not work for me.
However, there's plenty to love in this tale about our favorite underdog house of loyal, Herbology-loving friends.
I almost wish the play would have ended after the death of Cedric instead of continuing on through the rest of the parallel to the books. It started to feel a little forced after a while and didn't seem to give us a natural perspective of life in the Puff house, but instead forced the main characters in to Potter's storyline - the battle at Hogwarts and Wayne's appearance at the station in particular did not work for me.
However, there's plenty to love in this tale about our favorite underdog house of loyal, Herbology-loving friends.
March 31, 2019
It started funny. Then quickly got tedious. It could be that scripted improv just doesn't work. It is a show of not that funny one liners. It's too long, and requires the audience to know too much about both the movie and the book. For diehard fans, I guess it would be fine. But as someone who read the book series a long time ago, and only watched the movies out of sequence on TBS when nothing else was on... I just didn't care.
May 13, 2019
A Gut-Wrenchingly Funny Parody
Everyone knows the story of Harry Potter, but have you ever heard the story of the Puffs? Puffs is a delightfully funny and very loving play that tells the u told story of the fourth house of a certain school for magic. It's filled with a boat-load of references, both to Harry Potter and to other media, and is a great time for fans of the Potter books or for fans of comedic plays in general.
Everyone knows the story of Harry Potter, but have you ever heard the story of the Puffs? Puffs is a delightfully funny and very loving play that tells the u told story of the fourth house of a certain school for magic. It's filled with a boat-load of references, both to Harry Potter and to other media, and is a great time for fans of the Potter books or for fans of comedic plays in general.
February 13, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this play. I read it because I plan to audition but I have never seen the play performed before.
It was funny and cute and fun to read. It was slightly insulting to those sorted into Hufflepuff at times but I was able to forgive it much of the wrongs it did to my house for how funny it was. This is a satire and I appreciated much of it. Can't wait to try out!
It was funny and cute and fun to read. It was slightly insulting to those sorted into Hufflepuff at times but I was able to forgive it much of the wrongs it did to my house for how funny it was. This is a satire and I appreciated much of it. Can't wait to try out!
April 22, 2020
I've never seen/read any Harry Potter before reading this play, and I enjoyed it. I've never seen a play with so many different options for lines and opportunities for improvisation. I imagine it would be a lot of fun to perform.
December 2, 2023
Holy cow, I LOVE this play. We just produced the youth version at my son's high school. The students had so much fun creating these characters and building the world they live in. Even if you are not producing the play, and especially if you are a Harry Potter fan, give it a read.
June 12, 2019
Maybe better seen then read!
November 21, 2019
Hiiiiii!!!!!
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May 25, 2021ok last but not least: PUFFFS. i am a hufflepuff and this rlly spoke to me. funny. fun to read.
December 31, 2021
Third! Or! Nothing! Third! Or! Nothing!
10/10, perfect parody, J Finch Approved.
10/10, perfect parody, J Finch Approved.
June 3, 2022
ICONIC
June 10, 2022
Literally so funny! I saw it first and borrowed the script from my cousins. Definitely worth it. The script offers so many more jokes that you miss if you don’t read the script.
February 16, 2023
favorite play i’ve ever read.
March 28, 2023
Awesome play! Can't wait to do the production at my school!!!
November 1, 2023
This was laugh out loud funny. I honestly expected it to be more of a general story about extras, but it was a direct HP parody. Can’t wait to see it on the stage.
March 24, 2025
I love this play through the cringe. Awesome references throughout and so much fun onstage. Third or nothing!
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April 21, 2025soo silly!! prep before rehearsals eek ! reads like a fun & goofy time for all, nerv-cited to get further into the process :) hooray for high-energy comedy! high fives for Leanne <3
October 12, 2024
I really enjoyed the filmed production of Puffs, and as a massive Harry Potter fanatic myself, I had often wondered what the rest of Hogwarts students had been experiencing year to year as Harry went on his adventures. This play answers that question in the most farcical sense. Reading a script that relies heavily on intonation, improvisation, and visual gags is hard because what’s lost on the page is gained in the live performance so there was a bit of difficulty in understanding the flow of the script. However, those who are fans of Harry Potter and Starkid will love Puffs in any form. It’s meant to be fun, whimsical, and not to be taken too seriously, even in it’s most serious moments.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews