Review: PUFFS at West Valley Arts is Extraordinary

Have you been to the West Valley Performing Arts Center (formerly Hale Centre Theatre) to see a show produced by West Valley Arts?  It truly deserves a bigger following and colossal success.  And don’t just take my word for it—it was recently named Best of State - Semi-Professional Theatre.  The best kept secret in the Utah theatre scene, you are guaranteed to be impressed by what you see. 

PUFFS at West Valley Arts is a special production with a magical touch.  It’s a living example of how ordinary people can do extraordinary things. 

PUFFS: SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC AND MAGIC by Matt cox was an off-Broadway success that was professionally filmed for Fathom Events and streaming.  An unauthorized parody of the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling and its film adaptations, it turns the story on its head by looking at things from the perspective of the Puffs.  They may not be the best at anything in particular, but their hearts are in the right place.

Grayson Kamel as Wayne gives an exceptional performance as an everyday hero you want to root for with humor, vulnerability, and emotional depth. 

Tanner Larsen as Oliver, Bryn Campbell as Megan, and Adam Packard as Cedric (and Voldy) join him in leading the cast with excellent, relatable performances.

Everyone on the stage shows impeccable comic timing along with that rare gift of restraint as they make their multiple characters differentiated, funny, and lifelike.  Sometimes their transformation is so complete it’s difficult to remember they are played by the same person. 

Each actor deserves mention, including Mackenzie Skye Pedersen, Sofia Parades-Kenrick, Natalie Ruthven, Lucas Stewart, Amanda Anne Dayton, Oran Marc de Baritault, Ally Choe, Colton Hattabaugh, Eliyah Ghaeini, and swing Kristin Olsen (in roles usually played by Alina Mower).

And Brandwynn Michelle as the Narrator makes everything not just more fun but also more meaningful.

Director Rob Fernandez-Rosa knows how to land a joke (and make no mistake, the play is very funny), but he also finds the humanity in the humor, making the cute show not an empty spoof but a celebration of the heart that made the Harry Potter franchise so successful.

Like the Puffs themselves, the polished physical production is scrappy yet hardy with something remarkable always waiting just under the surface to be revealed.

Lindsay Wilkinson’s costume design and Savanna Finley’s wig and makeup design reflect the ‘90s setting with a wizarding aesthetic.  Scenic designer Morgan Golightly smartly charts the school in a map fit for marauders, and the inventive props by Marilyn Montgomery and spellbinding sound design by Grace Heinz work real magic.  Lighting designer Renee Fowler casts her own spell with transfixing hues and haze.

PUFFS plays through July 1, 2023.  For tickets, call the box office at 801-965-5140 or visit www.wvcarts.org.

Photo Credit: West Valley Arts

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