The 25th Annual Puttnam County Spelling Bee

This is one of those shows that you say, what? I recalled having heard about the title but knew nothing more than that it was a musical comedy that ran for about 90 minutes without an interval. Can we sit for 90 minutes without an interval? Well actually, yes, was it 90 minutes? Probably, but it didn’t feel like it.   As with my previous visit, I was made very welcome and suitably refreshed as we entered the auditorium. This was a studio production and boy does this show suit an intimate performance space.

As the six contestants in the Spelling Bee were introduced, I was surprised to see four audience members called out to take part in the Spelling Bee. Initially I thought that they were cast members or stooges in the audience, it became apparent that they were genuine audience members called in to take part. In the performance I saw they all seemed to be very happy participants joining in extremely well. When I thought about the show later I did wonder what would happen if these audience members wouldn’t join in, it is, I suppose, a calculated risk.

The set was very simple, with three-tiered seating stage right for the contestants, a desk for the adjudicators stage left together with the three-piece band behind them upstage left. There was an entrance stage centre and beside which sat Mitch Mahoney ‘Comfort Counsellor’. Being a studio space, entrances and exits were very swift, the space was used fully and very effectively with good sound and lighting design, there were no problems hearing all the dialogue and singing, both of which were very clear. The musical director Steve Hession had a very firm control of his small team and it was good to have the right volume throughout the show. Costumes were carefully thought through and very appropriate for each character as was hair style, the extra costumes for denoting change of character i.e., Logainne’s two fathers.

The performances of all the cast were very good, they really inhabited their characters and demonstrated their personality traits very well. As this was a small cast of only nine they all fulfilled their roles so effectively it is totally unfair to pick any one over their colleagues so well done. There were some interesting moments throughout which were well portrayed - Chip’s Lament, Leaf’s Costume, Barfee’s Magic Foot, Marcy and Jesus, Woe is Me (and reprise) and The Spelling Rules.

Perhaps the person to mention is director Rob Bristow who choose his cast so well and instilled in them the characters that they were performing. So, in no particular order this was a really well performed show by Laura Richards, Harvey Jones, Mark Thomas, Hannah Joy Ogden, Emily Hale, Scott Topping, Eddie Smith, Phil Booty and Chloe Pettit. Timing and humour were key to the success of this show and although a small audience they all clearly enjoyed themselves, they were also grateful for the sweets showered upon them.

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