LBSpellingBee

//The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee// - Pros

1. __Music__ - I have always preferred musical theatre to straight theatre, because I feel the experience is more exciting and the stage seems much more alive when song and dance are utilized in the storytelling. So I definitely appreciated that aspect of //Spelling Bee,// and I will always remember the production for its music above everything else. The songs were for the most part very lively and spirited, particularly the "Pandemonium" number, in which the characters hysterically spun around the stage singing and dancing. //Spelling Bee//'s music was a treat for the ears and made the audience experience much more enjoyable than I think it would have been otherwise.

2. __Humor__ - The show had me laughing pretty consistently. From Leaf Coneybear's spacey antics to Vice Principal Panch's improvisational, sometimes dirty word delivery, //Spelling Bee//'s comedy was diverse and abundant. There was something for tickling everybody's funny bone, and there was rarely a gag that did not get a big laugh from the entire audience. I think a large part of the show's humor came from the unlikely context of an elementary school spelling bee, which is surprisingly very suitable for parody. The fact that adult actors played the school kids also added to the hilarity, as all of the idiosyncrasies of childhood were amusingly exaggerated throughout the production.

3. __Diversity of Characters__ - The great thing about a production that utilizes a small ensemble cast is that it allows for each character to possess his/her own rich and distinct personality. //Spelling Bee// is a perfect example of this, as each "kid" is a unique, well-drawn out character. Olive is a meek little girl who feels abandoned by her parents. William Barfee is a nerdy, hefty lad who gets his spelling skills from his "magic foot." Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre is a politically aware little girl with a speech impediment and a pair of homosexual dads. Marcy Park is a preppy know-it-all who can speak six languages, play multiple instruments, and succeed at pretty much anything she's ever attempted. Leaf Coneybear is an odd, hair-infatuated boy who makes his own clothes. Chip Tolentino is an all-American boy who finds puberty hitting at an inopportune moment. The cast is simply a delightful collection of true characters.

4. __Use of Audience Members__ - Although I was disappointed that I was not one of the lucky audience members selected to go onstage and "compete" in the spelling bee, I must applaud the idea of letting the audience literally be part of the show. It was a fun extra element that definitely enhanced the experience, allowing for humorous ad libbing, as well as a chance for people to test their spelling skills or lack thereof. The night I went, one audience member got eliminated on her first word, and another spelled so many words right that they had to give her a practically impossible word to get her off the stage.

5. __Pace__ - Running for less than two hours without an intermission, //Spelling Bee// moved quickly and smoothly. Like a real spelling bee, the characters took turns performing their bits, and they continued cycling through until there was only one character left. I think this created a nice progression that was never boring or slow, except maybe during Olive's somewhat tiresome "The I Love You Song." Overall, I feel the audience was more easily engaged in the production because it moved so fluidly.

//The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee// - Cons

1. __Lack of Sophistication__ - As with //The Arabian Nights//, I came away from //Spelling Bee// entertained but feeling I had seen a very amateur production. It took me back to high school, when student musicals were generally unimpressive, and unimpressive is the word I would use to describe this production. Granted, I have very high quality standards for musicals because I've seen so many on Broadway, including the original //Spelling Bee//, so I was not surprised that I was disappointed by the one I saw at UGA. It is difficult to point to a specific illustration of the lack-luster, apart from a couple of the actors stumbling through their lines at times, but I just felt underwhelmed by the production as a whole.

2. __Mitch Mahoney__ - The actor who played Mitch was, in my opinion, a couple of notches below the other performers in talent. He looked like a first-time actor, using the same hand gestures for everything he said. Singing was not his strong suit either, as he cracked or was flat on many of his high notes, which were probably well out of his vocal range. Mitch is supposed to be a great character who gets a lot of laughs, but I think the actor's lack of skill detracted from this.

3. __Volume Issues__ - Maybe it was just the particular performance I saw, but the production had serious technical sound problems. Sometimes the mics weren't turned up loud enough and other times the sound would fade in and out. This made it very frustrating for me, especially during "My Unfortunate Erection" and "The I Love You Song, which were both just globs of muffled noise. The volume issues severely damaged my audience experience; I missed a good bit of the words and felt I had to strain the entire time to hear clearly.

4. __Lack of Substance__ - The musical is entertaining, sure enough, but by the end I was left wondering "So what was that all about?" I could only come up with one answer. It was what is was: a bunch of odd little kids competing at a spelling bee. Nothing more seemed to have been communicated, and I think that is a shame. All the emphasis was placed on the characters' idiosyncrasies, and any true meaning was non-existent. It is one thing to laugh and be entertained, but I believe that entertainment with a message is a valuable, rewarding experience, and //Spelling Bee// fails to be anything more than amusing.

5. __Pop Culture References__ - Topical humor can be a great way to connect to an audience, and that is most likely what this production was trying to do. However, I felt that all of the pop culture references in the characters' ad libs, particularly Panch's "use it in a sentence" gags, were a little forced and cheap. The play was already funny by itself, so for me there was no need to talk about Bristol Palin on "Dancing With the Stars." I was disappointed that director would not let the hilarious script stand on its own feet.