The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Circle in the Square
Sunday March 18, 2007 – 7:30 PM
This has been a show high on my priority list to see. We tried lotto for this show in January but lost. Well, yesterday, luck finally found me and I won lotto. Having just seen Grey Gardens earlier in the day, this was a complete turn around in style of show, but it was perfect.
To start, I am in love with the actual theater. I love it when I really feel that I am there with the actors and in the story. The theater itself is really interesting as it is not laid out like normal theaters. Add the fact that almost every aspect is set up like a gymnasium, all the way down to the bleacher stple seats we were in, and it was perfect. This is a completely interactive musical, which was so much fun. You just never know what to expect. One minute the characters are on stage, and the next they could be sitting on your lap! I was lucky enough to catch the show as they were hosting a Broadway themed night, having three of the guest spellers be broadway actors Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga, and Raul Esparza. From the moment the show started I was entranced. I do not think I have laughed that hard at a performance, ever. The story plot is just cute and comical, and acted to perfection. The nuisances and quirks of children at a spelling bee would have never been my first idea for a musical, but it was amazing. The original creative team for this show really deserves props!
You can definitely tell that the current cast loves what they are doing because no one looked like they were “phoning in” the performance. I caught some of them laughing at jokes they were not expecting. Greg Stuhr and Lisa Howard really need to go into stand up comedy if they ever decided to leave singing (not that Lisa should, her voice is beautiful!). Nothing brought them out of character, and they reacted so quickly to added unexpected material. I will never understand how Greg makes it through some of those sentences with a straight face! You can also tell that they constantly have to learn new material because it all stays current. As for the spellers, they were adorable. I was originally only excited to see Barrett Foa finally in person, and I was not disappointed. However, I left the show a new fan of Jose Llana. The other characters/actors were very good, but those two took the show for me. They all portrayed the naïve, silly, awkward child so well it was sort of scary, since they are in their mid 20’s and older.
The three actors who were chose to participate in the special themed night did not disappoint. They threw themselves in there amidst the chaos and had a good time. Raul was the first one disqualified, but he was so cute up on stage next to Leaf. His "what the hell" faces while looking at Leaf do odd things were priceless. I do wish he had not gotten out so fast. It was also my first time seeing him in person, and he is quite cute. I can see where people get their high opinions of him. Now I just have to see him act in an actual play. Lea & Brian I was less familiar with but they were great. Totally good sports and really cute. I was really happy I was able to experience this special night.
It is very upsetting to know that some of the cast will be leaving the show soon, because I would love to see them in action again. I can definitely see myself attending this show again and again with new people, and I will definitely be out there spreading the word to make sure that happens. As long as the new cast(s) keep the same type of charisma, the show should still achieve the same success. I will also not miss the next “adult” night, because I can only begin to imagine how enjoyable that can be.
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