The Palo Alto Players production of the Off-Broadway comedy “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic” is scheduled to open Friday and run through July 2 at the Lucie Stern Theatre.
Matt Cox’s play is based on the world of Harry Potter but places its focus on the stories of the wizarding classmates who just happened to be there while Potter saved the world. Not destined to be the heroes, the characters are just trying to make it through school.
Kristin Walter directs a cast that includes Will Livingston (as Wayne Hopkins), Nicholas Athari (Oliver River), Michelle Skinner (Megan Jones) and Tiffany Nwogu (Narrator).
Not officially affiliated with the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling’s creation, Cox wrote the play as a way for audiences to revisit her world of Harry Potter, while getting a look at what the students did when they weren’t fighting a villain.
“I have an obsession with the ‘other’ characters in a hero story … the often easy-to-forget role players,” Palo Alto Players artistic director Patrick Klein said. “We get a hilarious peek into the lives of the ‘others,’ while dancing in a familiar and, of course, magical world.”
A preview is scheduled 8 p.m. Friday; the play opens at the same time Saturday at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road. Future shows are slated 2 p.m. Sundays and 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Due to adult language, the show is recommended for ages 13 and up.
Tickets are $10-$60.
For tickets and more information, call (650) 329-0891 or visit paplayers.org.
