Review: PUFFS At Arts & Science Center For Southeast Arkansas

Though I confess I am not a Potterhead, the cast of PUFFS at Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff made me laugh so much, I was regretting that I didn’t see all seven movies before watching the play the last weekend in April. Written by Matt cox and Directed by J. Tyler Lewis, the characters were so funny that it wasn’t necessary to know all seven stories since this show’s entertainment value was so wonderfully crafted. The troupe brought out the absurdity of the stories and had you cheering for the underdogs.  

Set at a certain famous wizarding school, PUFFS tells the story of the background characters through clever humor and genuine heart. If you identify as a Hufflepuff, then you know that they are the ones thought to be trustworthy, loyal, hardworking, and kind. They love their friends, and they do what’s right.  

In this story, The Puffs team together to aim for third place, while the main story of Harry Potter and his friends takes center stage in the original story. The script is packed with witty references and hilarious situations that keep the audience laughing from start to finish. But beneath the humor lies a touching story about friendship, loyalty, and finding your place in the world, even if you're not the chosen one. 

PUFFS features a colorful cast of characters, each with their own quirks and personalities that add depth and humor to the story. Wayne Hopkins (Matthew Nguyen) is a lovable and earnest young wizard with dreams of greatness and often finds himself unwittingly thrust into adventurous situations. Oliver Rivers (Briar Thompson) is a genius and has excellent math skills but does horribly when it comes to magic. Megan Jones (Chyna Sims) really wants to be an evil wizard like her mother and is annoyed that she was sorted as a Puff. The Narrator (Damir Johnson) keeps the story going while adding a little humor throughout the play. Cedric/Mr. Potter (Raymond Wallace) is charming, heroic, and is admired by all the Puffs, but has an unfortunate entanglement. Ernie Mac (Matthew Howard) is overly confident. J. Finch Fletchey (Arin Bell) is the imaginary friend. Leanne (Bethany Gere) was raised in the woods, so she is super amazed with being at the school and around kids her own age. Sally Perks (Crystal Jennings) likes getting the attention when she doesn’t have her glasses on, but she is blind without them and stumbles around a lot. Susie Bones’ (Emily Burris) family died before she came to school, so she fears death. And Hannah (Emily Jackson) is shy and gets bullied from other houses.   

This cast kept the laughs going. I loved how Nguyen showed eagerness through his eyes, and his smile was infectious. Sims was excellent at playing an angsty teenage wizard and watching her embrace her Puff persona was cute. Gere cracked me up with her clueless looks and comments. However, Wallace taking the hero poses for his friends was so charming, it was hilarious. Other memorable moments were when the cast members took on the extra characters to add the drama to the story. This cast makes me want to watch the movies again and this time pay attention to their counterparts.  

With any show, there is a small army that magically turns the stage into another world. For this show, there is Director J. Tyler Lewis, Stage Manager Erica Kriner, Light Board Operators Christopher Hale and Jazmine Mguyen, Sound Designer Bethany Gere, Sound Board Operator Portia Jones, Properties Lead/Costumes Kayla Earnest, Costumes Pa, Holcomb, and Marketing Designer Lindsey Collins.  

Coming up on the calendar this week is: 

▪️ 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗿 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16
▪️ 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿: 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗺 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Friday, May 17
▪️ 𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗸𝗲 | 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 17
▪️ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗲! | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday, May 18
▪️ 𝗬𝗼𝗴𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗳𝘁: 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘆 | 1:30-3 p.m. Saturday, May 18

Then in July, Bethany Gere will be Directing Matilda the Musical, and in October, they will doing the Time Warp in The Rocky Horror Show.  

There are so many exciting things going on at the ArtX3 Campus. For more information, visit their website at https://www.artx3.org. 

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