SpellingBeeJL

Jacqueline Leftwich 2100H TR 11:05-12:15 Dr. Richmond Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

//The 25////th// //Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee// CONS:
 * 1) First of all, the set was rather bare. It was easy to tell where the “Bee” took place, but it was not spectacular. The basketball goal was shoddily done; it was crooked. Most of the set looked like it was made by the characters, i.e., small children. The décor in the “gymnasium” appeared to be giant bumblebee stickers, glitter, and a weakly thought-up banner. The stand upon which the trophy sat also looked very structurally unsound. Olive Ostrovsky leaned against it at one point during the show, and it slid a little bit which was especially nerve-racking because it was so close to the edge of the stage already.
 * 2) This may just have been due to the night I went to see the show, but there were definite technical difficulties. Some of the microphones gave out while the characters were singing. Parts of Leaf's song, “I'm Not That Smart,” were cut out, as were parts of Chip's songs. Also, there was an extremely bright light that kept flashing; it roamed the audience. It was blindingly bright, and I would have preferred it not to exist.
 * 3) I will say that the audience participation was a wonderful idea. In practice, there were some unexpected kinks. The first kink was one of the audience members who got called up tried really hard to make jokes. All of his jokes fell flat, and he came off as aggressive rather than witty, as I suppose he intended. His wife, however, was absolutely adorable, even though she contributed to the problems with audience participation. The second or third time an audience “contestant” was called up to spell, they would receive an impossible word to spell, such as krislemum, which is a Cockney colloquialism. The woman who was asked to spell this particular word was not expected to spell it correctly, yet she did. It was obvious that this took the characters by surprise, as they laughed and nearly broke character. They had to call her back to spell another word just to eliminate her, exposing that that was actually their plan all along. It was entertaining, but it was still a bit awkward.
 * 4) Mitch Mahoney was a wonderful character, but I wish I could have heard his voice more clearly. It seemed that he was the quietest of the cast, and I am not sure if that is because his microphone was not clearly adjusted, or if it was because he was just not as strong a singer as the rest of the cast. During the “I love you” song, Olive Ostrovsky and Rona Lisa Perretti both sang clearly and loudly, loud enough as to drown out Mitch's singing. It was unfortunate because the intense, sweeping harmonies are part of what makes the song so powerful.
 * 5) The night I saw the show, Chip was being played by an understudy. For the most part, he did a wonderful job, but the last two notes of his song, “My Unfortunate Erection,” were a little more off than they were originally meant to be, and it was obvious that the actor was straining to hit such high notes. He played it off well, but it was as uncomfortable for the audience as it probably was for the poor actor.

PROS:


 * 1) I particularly enjoyed the band's being onstage; it added to the atmosphere of the show. It was also amusing to see their faces during the show, as they sometimes forgot they were onstage and chuckled at certain parts. They were good indicators of when the characters were improvising. The band members also had a hard time keeping straight faces during the audience participation scenes. The pianist was particularly interesting to watch, as she often giggled at the character's little additions.
 * 2) Chip's song, save the last two notes, was brilliant. All of the innuendos were hilarious, particularly the microphone held between his legs while he faced to the side and the scene during which he held his sign in front of his crotch area. It was all very well done and not quite as awkward as one might have expected from a song titled, “My Unfortunate Erection.” Also, Chip's entrance into the audience was a fun, little aspect, and of course, it was a plus to be thrown candy.
 * 3) Improvisation is a difficult thing to pull off, but the cast of //The 25////th// //Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee// did a remarkable job. The improvisations about the audience members were particularly hilarious. The older woman was described as aspiring to be just like her idol, Katy Perry, when she “grew up”. They incorporated several pertinent current events throughout the show. Logainne Schwarzandgrubenniere talked on and on about Sarah and Bristol Palin, an addition that added to an already hilarious scene involving three other characters talking at once. The majority of the show seemed to be improvisation, from the audience member participation to little character tidbits like Leaf Coneybear's “I am Optimus Prime” breakout. At one point, one of the audience members mimicked Olive's word-grabbing technique, and Olive could not help but be proud; she laughed and pointed in approval.
 * 4)  Overall, the singing was phenomenal. Rona Lisa Perretti hit some of the highest notes I have ever heard, during the scene with black Jesus. Olive also had an astounding voice. It was very sweet and innocent sounding which fit her character extremely well. During the “I love you song”, her voice was the voice that stood out without being sharp or grating, as some voices have been in versions of the song I have heard. It was a pleasant surprise not to hear screeching “mama”s while the other two singers were belting harmonious notes. Logainne also had quite a voice, but it was somewhat disguised by her lisp and her character's little-kiddish voice. Leaf may also have had a spectacular voice, but it was hard to tell through the thick character voice.
 * 5)  Marcy Park was just impressive all around: her acting, her singing, her dancing, her numerous other talents she displayed. It was incredible when she pulled her leg up behind her head while still holding a high note and smiling. She also pulled off a perfect cartwheel, spun a basketball on her finger, and twirled a baton perfectly as though it were nothing. Her characterization was spot-on; she perfectly embodied the young, stuck-up perfectionist.