Spelling Bee Boston Review, 8 pm Show 10/14/06

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 10/15/06 at 12:56pm

If you are in Boston and having trouble on deciding whether to see the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee or High Fidelity, definitely go see Spelling Bee! By the way I never wrote a review for High Fidelity; I'll try to write one as soon as possible.

First of all, I hear the lotto is a guarantee win. The lotto seats were located on the sides of the orchestra. The person I was with and I were in seats A3 and A5 which were really close to the stage. I kind of wish I had a more centeralized view since the spellers are on the left of the stage at an angle, but the seats we had were great.

I actually was thinking about skipping Bee; I'm glad I didn't. The show was hilarious from the moment Rona Lisa Peretti (Betsy Wolfe) walks down the aisle onto the stage to the moment when the entire cast sings the finale.

I don't even know where to start. I felt part of the process of choosing the spellers was rigged. They said they were going to pick from a range of demographics, and they chose a middle-aged woman, a young girl, and two college-aged guys. I thought I overheard a guy talking about how he knew someone in the cast, so I had a feeling that's why his friend was chosen. But, oh well, part of that is probably me being jealous that I didn't get to go up there. But at least you get to watch the entire show from your seat. I also found it a little odd how they kept the young girl in for a while. She was at least 7 or 8 and seemed to spell two seemingly difficult words correctly; Rona and Vice Principal Panch (Daniel Pierce) looked a little shocked, so as soon as the girl went to sit down, Pierce called her right back up and gave her some totally made up word so she would have to get offstage. So, I was just wondering about that since they never called a speller up to the microphone two times in a row.

I had heard some of the songs before seeing the show and didn't really care for them. I think the songs definitely worked better when they were performed, rather than just hearing someone sing them on the CD. I think one of the standout songs for me was the "I Love You Song," beautifully sung by Wolfe as Olive's mother, Olive (Jenni Barber), and James Monroe Iglehart as Olive's father (who also played Mitch Mahoney). Jenni Barber was perfect as Olive; she even shed a tear during the "I Love You Song."

There wasn't a weak link in the cast. I don't really have much to say about each person. I started laughing when I saw Leaf Coneybear's (Stanley Bahorek) eyes when he attempted to spell a word. Marcy Park (Greta Lee) was convincing as an uptight, over-achieving speller. Logianne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Sara Inbar) was great with the lisps. Chip Tolentino (Aaron J. Albano) showed a lot of energy, especially during "My Unfortunate Erection." I didn't catch any candy, though. William Barfee (Jared Gertner) was probably the funniest in the cast. I laughed at the way his foot slid onstage during his "Magic Foot" routine.

The set is very simple but definitely works for the show. There are a set of bleachers on the audience's left of the stage and a table with two chairs on the right. There is a microphone on the end of the stage in the center. I thought it was cute how they made it look more like a school gymnasium by putting two basketball hoops on either side up higher.

I went into this show with low expectations, thinking I'd be bored and feel like I was simply at a spelling bee. But it was very funny, and at times you connect with the characters. If money isn't an issue, perhaps I'll see it again. As I said, I enjoyed it much better than High Fidelity. I know comparing Bee and Fidelity is like comparing apples and oranges, but if you want to see an enjoyable show in Boston, go with the Bee.

Since I'm not great with knowing what to say about the cast, if there's anything specific you want to know, leave a message here or PM me!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 10/15/06 at 1:02pm

P.S. Was anyone there last night? There was a guy with a really annoying laugh sitting in orchestra left, second row.

[Musical_nerd]

Posted: 10/15/06 at 1:10pm

I went last Thursday and sat in the front row. It was great.