Jackie Wong
From March 19-22, Aragon Drama held its play, “Puffs,” in the Aragon Theater.
The play, parodying Harry Potter, follows Wayne, Megan and Oliver, who are students in the house of the Puffs, one of the four wizarding houses at a magic school. The Puffs are known for being friendly, but also less bright than the other students — the Braves, the Smarts or the Snakes. During their seven years at school, they parallel the lives of a famous trio.
“Oliver [is] a huge nerd, so it’s hard for him to make friends,” said sophomore Damian Campos, who played the first headmaster. “Wayne is also a nerd … Then there’s Megan, and nobody likes her because they’re scared of her mom [who] works for [the villain Mr. Voldy], … except for Wayne and Oliver.”
Wayne spends much of the story trying to be the savior of the school, but is overshadowed by the wizard Harry. When Wayne ends up dying in the battle against Voldy, he accepts that he was the hero of his own story.
“[Puffs was] poignant at the third act,” said sophomore and audience member Dresden Pham. “When [Wayne] dies at the end, even though he doesn’t get the ending he wanted, the headmaster assures him that although we may not achieve our ambitions, we still have had a great impact on our lives, and we have achieved what we have always wanted to be, even if we don’t realize it.”
Though the Puffs are viewed by the other houses as inferior, they learn that they must keep trying in their pursuits, so they fight with Harry against Voldy in the final battle.
“In one of the scenes, the mother of [Megan says], ‘But you guys are just Puffs,’” said Lucas De Leon, a sophomore who played the Puff J. Finch. “Then, Wayne says, ‘we’re Puffs and we’re gonna fail, but no matter how hard we try, we’ll at some point get it …’ People can be like, ‘I can kind of relate to that. I can keep trying and fail, but if I keep trying, maybe I’ll eventually get [it] at some point.’”
This year, the play contained more comedy and improvisation than in previous productions.
“There’s a scene where a character called Zack Smith can say whatever he wants,” said senior Samantha Green, who played the narrator. “Ash Caballaro, who’s incredible and [played] Zack Smith, [did] a different monologue every single night. It is hilarious to see what she does and [how she] interacts with other people on stage.”
Some audience members enjoyed the interactive moments.
“I liked when [Mr. Voldy] went into the crowd and read [a] palm,” said sophomore Harrison DePuy. “It was cool that he came up with that on the spot. It was also funny because he’s supposed to be evil.”
Many audience members preferred “Puffs” over previous plays from Aragon Drama because it was easier to understand.
“It is more casual for [someone] who isn’t looking towards Shakespeare or old literary works, but wants to have a good time,” Pham said. “They’re way more accessible than Shakespeare.”
Aragon’s next show will be Advanced Drama’s musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” scheduled for May 15 at 7 p.m. in the Aragon Theater.
