As all Harry Potter fans know, Hufflepuff is probably the most overlooked of the four Hogwarts houses. But fans of the J.K. Rowling penned series will quickly fall in love with the Puffs, despite their lack of magic ability.
The Puffs we meet include Wayne (Zac Moon) a kid from New Mexico who had no idea he was a wizard but dreams of doing something heroic, Megan (Julie Ann Earls) a goth girl who initially resents the house she was sorted into, and Oliver (Langston Belton) a math whiz who was quite shocked to discover he wasn't going to be learning math.
The show zips through each of the seven books, referring to them by year rather than by name. It chooses to focus on the main points of each book, and the story is moved along by the Narrator (A.J. Ditty) who keeps the audience up to speed, including some audience interaction. It shows us key events like the Basilisk, Triwizard Tournament (cleverly renamed the Three Wizard Tournament), and the final battle against You-Know-Who (who is given a variety of names along the same lines, all of which evoked laughs from the audience). While Wayne, Megan, and Oliver are similar to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, there similarities between Harry's story and Wayne's story don't end there. Wayne gets a house-elf, Oliver doesn't return to school on their last year, and our trio of Puffs stay in constant contact over the summer.
The show also pokes fun at certain flaws in the novels and movies, such as how long the fifth book is, how many people think Ginny was quite boring the movies, and even pokes fun at the 5 and 1/2 hour run time of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2.
Puffs is clearly aimed at Harry Potter fans, and while you don't have to be a diehard fan to get the jokes they will soar over your head if you don't know anything about Harry Potter. However, if you do have some knowledge about Harry and his friends, you will thoroughly enjoy this production, and definitely leave with a smile on your face.