Riverview High students present Harry Potter parody

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Drama students at Riverview High School are venturing into the world of Hogwarts this week with their presentation of “Puffs”, a parody of the Harry Potter series.

“The story is based at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the same time as the Harry Potter series, but it focuses on the Huffelpuff House and all the kids who NOT the heroes of the story,” says director Melanie Mealey. “They are thought of as the lamest kids in the school.”

In the Harry Potter series, there are several central characters including students and teachers, but the majority are simply seen in the background in the dining hall, on the stairs and during events.

The play “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic” was written by New York-based playwright Matt Cox as a parody of the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. It premiered at the Peoples Improv Theatre in 2015 and moved to off-broadway theatres.

The central character is Wayne Hopkins, a nerdy orphan wizard boy from New Mexico. His sidekicks are Oliver Rivers, another geeky wizard from New Jersey, and Megan Jones, daughter of an infamous wizard. The story is told by a narrator, with more than a dozen other young wizards in the cast.

“Wayne is looking for ways to achieve his greatness as there is chaos all around him,” Mealey said.

“Harry Potter is seen, but he’s just annoying and not the focus of the story,” she said. “Ron and Hermione are actually played by mops in this version because they are not the focus.”

Hunter Mazerolle, who plays the role of Oliver Rivers, said the  high school students are having fun dressed in black robes and carrying magic wands, like the characters they grew up watching in the Harry Potter movies.

“I remember watching the movies in elementary school,” he said.

Raymond DeCoste, a Grade 11 student who plays Wayne Hopkins, a young wizard with a similar back story as Harry Potter.

“When he goes to Hogwarts, he expect to be going on a big adventure and becoming a hero like Harry, but he doesn’t really get there,” DeCoste said.

“It would probably be more difficult to play a character that is more beloved, but when I get to play one that is nobody around here has ever heard of, I can make it more my own,” DeCoste said.

The student cast has been working for several months on this production, while other students have been involved in building a set, which includes a large stone wall background with doors and windows.

“Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic” will be staged at the Riverview Arts Centre, 400 Whitepine Road, Thursday and Friday, May 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.