What's unusual about The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, aside from its lack of an intermission (the show clocked in at two hours less a minute), is that some of its lines and even structure are ad-libbed. Four audience members (were some of them plants? I couldn't tell) get pulled on stage to compete in the bee. How well they compete-and some do surprisingly well-affects the order of songs. I find most experiments in audience involvement clunky at best, but this cast is so dynamic and well-rehearsed that they guide newbies through the proceedings with invisible grace; and that includes a busy dance number.
Read our full review here.
[Capital Playhouse, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, through Feb. 19, Wednesday-Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m., $30-$39, 612 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.943.2744]
Read Comments