Encore’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” a surprise laugh riot!!
I will admit that when I first saw that Encore Theatre’s latest offering was a musical about a spelling bee, I was torn between seeing it or instead catching the smash hit “Watching Paint Dry – A Drama in 3 Parts.” But minutes into the show, it was obvious something special was happening. The show has adults portraying kids in a spelling competition, and their characters capture the many eccentricities that we see in kids, as well as some we see in the adults we encounter at school functions.
Hilarity ensues as the competition heats up and tics, tricks, tempers, and debates over whether some are getting easier words than others take the show over the edge. Add in that some of the participants are hapless members of the audience who are cajoled into joining the competition onstage and in turn incur the wrath of the competitors and you have a back and forth battle of over the top acting and subtlety that rises and falls as each person steps to the microphone. And don’t forget that at any given time, characters break into song, complaining about their stress level, the absurdity of some of the words they are asked to spell, or how long they have dreamed of this night.
The show continues this weekend. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 pm, Sunday shows are at 2 pm. If you do attend, please feel free to hold onto your ticket and consider it a participation trophy.
Jim Patton, Elida
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