Stage Door Theatre’s “twenty fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” produced in collaboration with Agnes Scott Faculty, explores the awkwardness of adolescence, the ability of household and friendship, and the joys of competitors – all within the eyes of a bunch of spelling bee rivals.
The Tony Award-winning play, which runs by way of April 20 on the faculty’s Dana Tremendous Arts Constructing, options a number of actors, musicians, and manufacturing employees with ties to Agnes Scott, in line with Stage Door Inventive Director Justin Ball.
The partnership permits SDT to increase into different geographic places, in addition to make the most of the bigger venue at Agnes Scott, he stated.
“With ‘The twenty fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,’ we decide up Stage Door’s custom of manufacturing high quality musicals and take it one step additional by placing it within the largest theater we’ve ever carried out in,” Ball stated.
The exuberant manufacturing follows the lives of six center faculty spelling bee finalists as they negotiate the stresses of competitors in addition to their again tales, in phrases, dance, and songs.
The ensemble forged is led by the Brie Wolfe (Olive), Asher Thornton (Chip), Andrew Goodall (Leaf ConeyBear), Shane Murphy (Barfee), Ryan Barber (Marcy), and Bekah Medford (Logainne). Cory Phelps as assistant principal Douglas Panch, Juan Unzueta as Mitch, the competitors comforter, and Daryl Patrice as Rona, the emcee or the spelling bee, are an ideal complement to the angsty teenagers as they try to hold order in the course of the competitors.
And the wild card: The forged consists of three viewers members, who volunteer to be a part of the forged as fellow spellers. The day we attended, all three did a masterful job of mixing in with the forged, whom have been seen giving them directions in the course of the play concerning what to do throughout their time on stage.
They did such a fantastic job that, throughout intermission, I requested two of them in the event that they have been really a part of the forged, however was met with a vigorous denial.
However viewers participation was not restricted to the trio of spellers. The characters usually singled out viewers members as their “household” and “mates,” waving to them or conducting a one-way dialog.
Chip, the primary contestant eradicated, is pressured to promote snacks within the viewers because the second act opens (and if you’re close to the entrance of the theatre, you simply may get a free bag of Cheetos). Throughout the manufacturing, different characters steadily walked by way of the auditorium and engaged attendees.
The songs, as one may guess, mirror the high-energy of the rivals, with “My Buddy, the Dictionary,” “The Magic Foot,” “Prayer of the Consolation Counselor,” and “I’m Not That Sensible” as my private favorites.
Whereas it will be pure to imagine the play’s target market to be the middle-school crowd, that’s not the case, with a few of the songs and “wink-wink” dialogue elevating the manufacturing to a somewhat-spicy standing (however not too risqué).
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed and Choreographed by Sweet McClellan, performs by way of April 20. Tickets can be found on Stage Door’s web site.