Wayne Hopkins

Irvin agonized over what costume to wear to the closing performance of Puffs - it had to be appropriately meaningful, after all! Then added pressure came from seeing the last four evening performances in different costumes, with a refrain from many of the cast members saying they couldn't wait to see what he wore on the final night. (Irvin refused to reveal it, wanting it to be a surprise, and there was much speculation!) Parallel to that, Irvin knew he had to cosplay Wayne Hopkins to complete the set - cosplaying every member of the cast. So he hit upon the idea: for the closing performance, he would cosplay Wayne's original outfit from the PIT, bringing it all full circle.

Irvin hunted down some really old photos of the original production. The key element was the shirt, which Irvin found in Target (which may or may not have been the source of the genuine article, too). Beyond that, a wig, cape, red ribbon - all easy. A fitting twentieth and final cosplay for Puffs, for the 24th time Irvin saw it.

Fortunately, it lived up to the hype - all the original Puffs who showed up for the closing really appreciated it. Director Kristin McCarthy Parker said that several people had guessed Irvin would cosplay Wayne for the closing, but no one had guessed it would be the original outfit. It was such a throwback that many of the current cast didn't even realize what outfit was being cosplayed! Naturally, Zac Moon was very excited to see Irvin cosplay him at last - as seen above. Irvin had seen Zac as Wayne every single time of the 24 times he'd seen Puffs - it was something worth paying homage to.

The outfit also proved to be a very comfortable and non-distracting getup for Irvin to hang out in all night, as the afterparty for the closing went into the wee hours of the morning. It will also hold a special place in his heart as the outfit he was wearing when he received his most prized possession: the "WIZ PRIZ" sign from the show, signed by all the cast and crew of Puffs. Receiving that from all the Puffs, and being swept up in a gargantuan Puff Hug, was one of the best moments of Irvin's life. Fortunately, a surfeit of tears did not affect the outfit!