Last day for brief, wonderful "Spelling Bee" in DC
Posted by: wizrdofoz27 07:18 am EDT 10/20/24

Despite the years I've spent as a huge fan of the cast recording, somehow I had never seen a production of the "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" until scoring an excellent $50 rush seat yesterday at the Kennedy Center in DC. The short 9-day run closes today.

What a delightful show. It's more a chaotic exploration of coming of age than a plot-driven story (the plot: it's a spelling bee) but oh boy (and oh girl) is it fun. The whole cast is terrific; I was surprised to see Phillipe Arroyo as Chip, since I feel like I just saw him in my first visit to Broadway's "& Juliet" earlier this October.

Some spoilers below

Part of the show uses cameo performances from the audience, and yesterday's matinee featured Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jose Llana, Sarah Saltzberg, and (I'm guessing) Saltzberg's adorable young speller.

Has the show always had such moments for improvising to current events? Like, does Logainne always have an improv monologue? Have the slo-mo bits and the Jesus cameo always been in there?

What a gift of a musical
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