A few years ago, I received the OBCR (Original Broadway Cast Recording) of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. If you see my Top 25 Most Played songs, you'll know I'm obsessed. Almost all the songs in the show are played over 50 times.
Many say it's similar to Avenue Q when they use simple and kid-friendly things and turn them into dirty and mature jokes. Actually, I think ... Spelling Bee is better than Avenue Q. Don't hate me Avenue Q fans. First of all, I have strong feelings against Avenue Q because they won the Tony instead of Wicked. Also, I didn't really like the content at first. Don't get me wrong, I love the music and lyrics now but I still like ...Spelling Bee more.
I mean, it's rare and very original to see a musical covering topics such as puberty, political awareness, overachieving and spelling (TAKE THAT Avenue Q!). And when my cousin and her boyfriend (Thanks again by the way!) invited me to watch Atlantis Productions' version, I instantly said YES without thinking. All this around an hour before the March 19 show.
I had high expectations for this show. And they were definitely fulfilled. I couldn't help but compare the Manila cast to the many snippets I've heard/seen of the Broadway cast. It was hard, however, as the cast gave excellent performances.Everyone stayed in total character mode, even the pianist! Pheona Baranda as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere (Ha! I spelled that without looking at the cast list. Maybe I should be a speller...) was adorable and funny while making her fake lisp sound bearable (unlike most other actressess performing this role). Joel Trinidad and Cathy Azanza-Dy (as V.P. Douglas Panch and Rona Lisa Peretti respectively) were great improv comedians as they made side-splitting sentences and descriptions up. Noel Rayos, Rycharde Everley and Felix Rivera (Mitch Mahoney, William Barfee, Chip Tolentino) were great as always, especially when Felix Rivera sang Chip's Lament. You have to watch out for his interpretation! Thea Tadiar-Everley provided many laughs as the overachiever Marcy Park. I Speak Six Languages is one of my favorite songs in the show and she sings it without being nasal (unlike in the recording) and gives a surprise twist to the choreography. Johan Dela Fuente was likeable as Leaf Coneybear. He effectively played a child lacking attention and made the audience support him. For me, Carla Guevara-Laforteza was the standout as Olive Ostrovsky. She played the role with more emotion than Celia Keenan-Bolger (the original Olive). Her rendition of the I Love You Song moved me and made me just want to give her a hug. Although, I couldn't really appreciate the song as much because I kept thinking PLEASE reach the F sharp!, and she did.
The didn't really need much in terms of set. Even the Broadway show had a pretty bare set. Much of the show relied on lighting. I do admire the lighting design as it really gave different atmospheres to the show. It made the audience feel what the characters were feeling. The costumes were fitting and hilarious to an extent. The sound system was consistently clear except for one part in the I Love You Song where everything just died. Shame, it was the most moving number of the show.
Overall, a simple show proved that it could still move audiences and send them home with smiles on their faces.
ORIGINAL POST HERE (click)
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