First things first, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Spelling Bee) is not your average play. It is a whimsical, chaos-infused, borderline-fever-dream production that will leave you with jaunty tunes and incredible memories.
I warn you not to write off Spelling Bee as some cheesy play. Beyond the fast-paced comedy, Spelling Bee is ultimately a commentary on the impact of home life on students, academic pressure, rebellion against the unfair and mundane, ethics, young love, and freedom of choice, all presented in a light yet meaningful way. From upbeat “Pandemonium” and “Magic Foot” to heartfelt “I’m Not That Smart” and “The I Love You Song,” the soundtrack of Spelling Bee explores these deep themes in an accessible way as we, the audience, get to know the contestants and their stories. You won’t want to miss a beat as characters confront nuances of their relationships with friends and family (and members of the audience) as well as the struggles of academia.
Spelling Bee follows the story of six middle schoolers from Putnam County, and three others called from the audience. Competition is steep as these students spell their hearts out for the first-place prize. While only one will take home the trophy, each competitor walks away with a greater sense of self (in addition to a consolation juice box). From the moment the lights go down until the final bow, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will have you giggling, chuckling, and laughing out loud.
As an audience member, it was energizing to witness how the actors brought the stage to life through these spunky spellers. From the artistry of the set to that of the costumes, all of Little Theatre came together to embody the mix of creativity and chaos that makes Spelling Bee the show that it is, not to mention the incredible vocal performances and choreographies that illustrated the story of the Spelling Bee.
From the perspective of the stage, senior Samantha Farr, who plays the character of Olive Ostrovsky, discusses how this play “shows how human these little kids are and how much reality is held within these little people.” She shares how heartfelt interactions between characters are and lets the audience know to be ready for “a lot of singing, a lot of dancing, a lot of spelling. There is also a lot of improv involved with the audience.” Ultimately, Farr describes Spelling Bee as “a culmination of people who love what they’re doing,” and from the audience, we can absolutely see their efforts come together in this heartfelt show.
As for behind the scenes, freshman Savannah Soeder, who takes up the role of Assistant Stage Manager, shares her experience working on her first show at Transylvania: “It made me step out of my comfort zone,” and “It was super fun. I loved every minute of it.” Soeder says that she is excited to see “the overall child look of the show” come to life through the Spelling Bee and for the audience to be looking forward to “little inside jokes and the reactions of the spellers on stage.”
I want to give a shout-out to the amazing actors and actresses, on-set musicians, and tech crew! They produced a ‘very nice, very nice, very very very nice show’ which is sure to bring you smiles and a good time.
Alongside our production of Spelling Bee, Transy Theatre Guild hosted The Mighty Pigeons Drama Club Bake Sale, starting before each production and continuing through intermission. For sale was an array of brownies, cupcakes, cookies, and muffins in allusion to Chip’s post-intermission song. Proceeds will go towards this year’s student-led Mayterm production to help cover the costs of costumes, sets, and other expenses.
Be sure to keep an eye out for more amazing productions and events from our Theater Department!
