Childhood taboos, the power of embarrassment and some very unusual words are featured in a musical being staged at Hamilton’s Riverlea Theatre.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is described as an examination of six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves. It features a quirky yet charming cast of characters – outsiders, for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.
The Tony Award-winning show features audience participation with some notable Hamiltonians appearing on stage. On opening night, Hamilton East MP David Bennett will have his spelling powers challenged, while comedian Te Radar will be in the spotlight in the Friday, June 6, show.
“What makes this show different is the fact that each night we take the stage there are four audience members required to be a part of the cast for the first act,” Musikmakers committee spokeswoman Liza Kire said. “They are required to spell words, which adds to the humour.
“Although Spelling Bee is a scripted show, having a different group of people on stage makes every performance different due to the unpredictable nature of what could happen and will really test the improvisation skills of the cast members. Audience spellers will become part of each musical number and some dance sequences, without knowing exactly what will happen unless they are die-hard fans of the musical itself.”
The show features plenty of memorable characters such as Rona Lisa Peretti (Rachel Gasston), a former Putnam County Spelling Bee champion who has gone on to become the competition’s moderator. Her favorite moment of the bee is in the minutes before it starts, when all the children are filled with the joy of competition – before they begin to resent each other.
Then there’s Vice-Principal Douglas Panch (Greg Hack), who has returned to judging the show following a five-year absence following an “incident”. He claims to be in “a better place” now thanks to a high-fibre diet and Jungian analysis.
Mark Hutana plays Mitch Mahoney, the Official Comfort Counsellor. An ex-convict, Mitch is performing his community service with the bee and hands out juice boxes to losing students.
Other characters include Olive Ostrovsky (Jane Martin), a newcomer to competitive spelling who made friends with her dictionary; William Barf
