Theater’s junior varsity show “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S.
“Putnam” follows a spelling bee where six students compete for a chance to go to nationals in Washington. Each of the six competitors has a unique personality and reason for competing. The inevitable clash between them is the focus of the show.
“Putnam” was engaging and bright. The actors were high-energy, the choreography was stunning, and the props and set were bold and vibrant.
The show also used audience participation, with three audience members being selected to compete in the bee, spell words and interact with the other competitors. The ushers at the beginning of the show were actors playing the parents of the six main spellers. They walked around before the show started, talking to the audience and telling them about their children. It was a great addition to the show, and set the tone of the musical before it even started.
The technical elements of the show were intentionally simple to allow movement on the stage. However, the lighting design was not able to accommodate for how much the actors moved, leaving the cast partially in the dark for parts of the show. Other than that, the elements, while simple, packed a huge punch.
The cast was all incredible, but my favorite performances came from juniors Yohann Abraham and Erin Henderson. Henderson played Rona Perretti, an ex-spelling bee champion there to help run the bee. Her part was somewhat improvised, but where she really shined was in her singing and acting. Abraham, who played speller Leaf Coneybear, was an asset to the show with his commitment to his character and willingness to be absurd.
My only complaint with the show is that I wanted to see more from the actors. As the show went on and more spellers were eliminated, the energy started to dwindle. The cast put their all into the comedic moments, but neglected the dramatic scenes.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” was a comedic, fun and engaging musical. It pulled at heartstrings and made the audience roar with laughter. It made me remember what it was like to have winning a spelling contest be the biggest part of my life.
