Maybe if you’re not a fan of musical theater or if you completely repressed your middle school years, you might think The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is simply a group of tweens on too much caffeine who break into spontaneous song and dance routines. However, the current version of the production put on by The Academy Players provides the perfect balance between teen angst and awkwardness and the laughs nobody could face at that age.
The diverse group of adolescents takes the audience on a riotous ride while some can only spell words by way of serious quirks, and they all let the audience know a little about the trials and tribulations of their personal lives and what it takes to get to “The Bee” through song and dance. Even more laughs are added by word caller, Assistant Principal Doug Panch (John Morris), when asked for word definitions and word usage; and when each student steps to the microphone Moderator, and former Bee winner Rona Lisa Peretti (Allii Fontaine), provides another intimate piece of information about each contestant, usually a little more embarrassing than the last.
During the competition, the contestants all learn some life lessons, and character Midge Mahoney, who is there doing community service as a parolee, helps them along in that department. However, most have their own epiphanies on the nature of competition, self-doubt, parental involvement, and even hormonal inevitability. In the end, it is as it should be; everyone ends up with a happy ending, except the assistant principal. And who ever liked their assistant principal anyway?
The best part of this show is that it benefits the Heavenly Gingers. Both Frank O’Donnell and John Morris lost young daughters, both were primarily dancers, but they also loved singing and acting, and both were proud redheads. So, this show is the primary fundraiser for the Kerri Anne O’Donnell Memorial Fund and Jessie’s Dream. As pointed out pre-performance, every member of the cast on Friday night, other than O’Donnell, Morris, and Fontaine, had been recipients of scholarships from the fund, since they award to students looking to study and follow a career in the performing arts. So, if you’re not doing anything Saturday (9/16) at 7 p.m, or Sunday (9/17) at 2 p.m., consider stopping in to see a hilariously funny show with an exuberantly young cast, that will help other young performers get a start in their careers too.
To learn more about the show, you can click here and for tickets you can go directly here.