‘Puffs,’ a parody play based on J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ series, took the Del Val stage on Nov. 19, 2022.

The play, directed by Lisa Cartwright and student directors Kal El Fiorito and Swara Modi, focuses on the “Puffs” students and their journey through their seven years in Hogwarts. The Puffs are minor characters from “Harry Potter,” like Wayne and Oliver.

The play was very entertaining. The main characters were terrible at magic, and it was fun to see their frustration in the school. There were a lot of running gags and recurring jokes that are hilarious, and the audience responded well.

The story was exciting, and there were many fun characters. The performances were amazing, and the Del Val cast brought life into this play. It was obvious they had fun on stage, and the main characters Wayne (Nicholas Burinsky), Megan (Julia Burchill) and Oliver (Max Verdicchio) bounced off each other’s energy.

Oliver was probably the best of the trio with his funny lines and great performance.

The character development was well written and performed. Megan, at first, was just a sour person who didn’t want to be a part of the Puffs. Throughout the play, she learns to appreciate the Puffs and becomes a better person, forming relationships and bonds with everyone.  Julia Burchill (Megan) was especially proud of the cast’s performance.

“I thought the play was really fun and it was great putting everything together,” said Burchill. “I think the performances went really well and they were definitely a lot of different components we had to deal with like sets, props and costumes. I think the show came together really well in the end, and I had a really fun time performing.”

Wayne improves his magic throughout the seven years and learns to be a better person, as well. The Puffs had their ups and downs, but they got through school in the end.

My favorite characters, by far, were Cedric (Dakota Krouse) and the Narrator (Atticus Fiorito). They were really funny and their performances really stood out from the rest of the cast.

Many of the characters didn’t get much stage time as others, and I wish I could have seen more of the teachers.  The entire cast, though, had moments to shine on stage.

On top of the acting, the set added a lot to the audience’s enjoyment of the play.

“I felt very happy and proud seeing my set there and in the play it just looked so beautiful and amazing. I loved it so much,” said Melina Karimi, a stagecraft club member who helped construct the set.

There were many pop culture references and even more references to the source material. The joke about there being multiple Hermiones was hysterical, and the joke about the professor looking different throughout the play was a reference to the actors changing in the Harry Potter movies.

Even though the play was great, there were some problems. First, it was weird to see Puff students like Cedric and Wayne die without many people caring. The play just went on without acknowledging their deaths.

Not all the jokes landed, but that’s okay.

The play was really enjoyable, and those in the audience definitely agreed.