Spelling Bee

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/28/05 at 11:12pm

Well, it's a Saturday Night Live sketch dragged out for two hours, some of which is funny, a lot of which is not. The actors are fine and the staging is clever. It's one of the best uses of CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE I've seen (NOT ABOUT NIGHTINGALES remains the front runner).The score is the usual William Finn amateur bag of tinker-toy mewlings, pulings and dribblings with not one measure of real music to be heard in the proceedings. There's a predictably gay throughline (Heather or whoever has two dads) and a misfit girl whose mother has joined the ashram or whatever and naturally they get to sing ballads of astonishing mediocrity. There are (of course) cheap shots at Jesus (a few laughs) and the Pope (even less) that are beneath contempt. And none of it adds up to anything whatsoever.
For the record,the audience was pumped and seemed to enjoy it (though I heard many comments about it being overlong). Personally, I couldn't wait to get outta there.

Updated On: 5/2/05 at 11:12 PM

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/28/05 at 11:16pm

"The score is the usual William Finn amateur bag of tinker-toy mewlings, pulings and dribblings with not one measure of real music to be heard in the proceedings. "

Wow, hmmm. Well, I think that is a pretty naive comment about Finn's work. He has written many beautiful melodys and his lyrics are almost always truthful, and appropriate.

No offense but your review comes off as a bit, well, bitter.

[magruder]

Posted: 4/28/05 at 11:18pm

You know what - I like Finn, I liked Spelling Bee...and yet, that score...

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/28/05 at 11:23pm

Finn's score is a compositional black hole and at $70.00 a pop, you bet your a** I'm bitter.
Updated On: 4/29/05 at 11:23 PM

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 4/28/05 at 11:27pm

I agree....with EVERYONE. Finn is one of the best and worst composers out there. Parts of A New Brain are lovely, but I could not make it through the Falsettos scores even once. Gawd, that was some of the most grating, headache-producing, melody-murdering "music" I have ever heard.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/28/05 at 11:31pm

In Trousers is brilliant. I think Falsettos and New Brain are great. I thought the score of Bee was fun and appropriate, yet psychological. And Elegies, some of those songs are just heaven.

And if you didn't like Finn going in, what did you think was going to change your opinion in Bee?

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/28/05 at 11:58pm

I Can Dream, Can't I?

(But since Broadway hasn't produced a memorable score in years, I should know better).

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/28/05 at 11:58pm

Ugh MusicMan. Ugh, is all I have to say.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 12:09am

Yes, that's my reaction to most Broadway scores as well. Ugh.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 12:14am

I'm not surprised to hear this report, MusicMan. Many of my friends had the same exact reaction - some even worse, some a little better. I'm still excited to see it to atleast see what all the buzz is about.

As far as Finn's music goes, I have to agree with you. While there are a few okay songs in A NEW BRAIN, most everything else of his that I've heard is very mediocre - they're like glorified nursery rhymes.

And as far as most recent Broadway scores, I have to agree with you. Many are even good, but most are atleast forgettable. A few exceptions being HAIRSPRAY and WICKED (not for excellence, but it's certainly not forgettable.)

[magicmanst]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 12:38am

having seen all of the new shows this seasson, Spelling Bee was, by FAR, my absolute favorite. Out of Spamalot, DRS, Light, etc. It was the only one I walked out of humming a tune from, and the only one I've seen more than once. Granted, Spellbound is one of my favorite documentaries, but I found Spelling Bee to have the heart and charm that most other shows lacked.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 12:44am

Munkustrap, you're right. I should have said, "Broadway hasn't produced a score of substance in years." That would more accurately reflect my sentiments.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 12:46am

I don't think that there is one memorable score to hit Broadway this season....

DRS might be the most enjoyable, but PIAZZA's is definitely the best written score of the year.

PS: You haven't voted for my awards yet! Please do!

[Plum]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 12:55am

I wasn't wowed by Spelling Bee's score, either, but I did like the book, and I adored the set design. I'm hoping to see it again so I can see what changes have been made since the early Second Stage previews.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 5:37am

I have to say I laughed a lot at SPELLING BEE, and (despite what I say here) I didn't hate it. But I never warmed to it, either. Like MusicMan noted, it's staged well and the cast is excellent, but at the same time I think it's a pretty weak and predictable show with a forgettable score. The idea is a sensational one for a musical, but it's hard to care about the "kids" when they are written more as a lineup of sideshow freaks (I'm surprised there wasn't a kid with chronic flatulence or a kid who picks at his scabs). You're not sure if you are supposed to laugh at their monsterous eccentricities or feel sorry for them. Peter Filicia nailed it for me when he described it as a show that ultimately thinks that being smart is something to be ridiculed.

It makes one re-appreciate the brilliance of AVENUE Q whose puppet cast is more recognisingly human and moving than any character in SPELLING BEE - I didn't care about any of the characters one bit. In retrospect, I thought it a surprisingly cold show.

It desperately wants to be this seasons AVENUE Q.

Updated On: 4/29/05 at 05:37 AM

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 8:20am

Amen, MasterLCZ. That black hole of a score just sucked up any warmth.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 8:27am

Curious. I think I have to disagree with Filichia. I find that the show actually ends up celebrating that intelligent eccentricity. These ARE the weird kids (for the record, I was a three-year spelling bee champ of my own county - parish, actually - and not one "cool kid" would be caught dead admitting he had a facility for spelling) in your school and they do have eccentric behaviors.
I think it's a very clever book in that it starts off with those exagerrated traits but, bit by bit, knocks them down and you start to see the real kids underneath the exteriors.
And that, I find, is totally winning here.

[kidmanboy]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 9:30am

I agree bwaysinger. I think this show is actually really heartfelt and the characters are deeper than many are willing to believe. Yes, the characters are presented through humor, but, they are really well drawn characters that say a lot about the dorky kids we all knew or were. To me, that's WHY the show is so funny.

As far as those who criticize Finn's writing, I don't know how you could not see the ingenious humor in "Magic Foot" or "I Speak Six Languages." I also greatly appreciate, "Life is Pandemonium." For those who appreciate more beautiful, heartfelt songs, I, personally, think "The I Love You Song" is one of the most beautiful things Finn has written. However, I also find most of the New Brain score to be beautiful and extremely layered, so maybe I'm just crazy.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 10:09am

This thread is both hilarious and unsurprising. Now I know for sure I will love Spelling Bee.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 10:24am

finn is an extremely acquired taste. most people criticize him because he does not write to have hits in the theatre. he writes the music that he thinks fits his characters and his show the best. this comes off as most people don't appreciate the score on first listen or in the theatre... he's a different type of composer and whether his way is good or bad i don't know. that's not what i'm here to decide. that being said, i haven't seen spelling bee yet, but your comments make me think of how truly finn this score is, because the adjective most associated with finn's music is "cold". but still, thank you for your comments. and i would really suggest trying to listen all the way through concerning falsettos. i think you will be a better person for it.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 10:25am

I didn't love Finn at first, but lately, his music has been such a vital part of my life.
Updated On: 4/29/05 at 10:25 AM

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 10:28am

Munkustrap, where do I vote?

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 10:40am

MusicMan: It's the Munky Awards thread off topic, vote by pming Munk.
I'm still undecided on Bee.

[Plum]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 10:56am

Well, speaking as a former spelling bee kid, the only familiar characters I found in the show were Olive Ostrovsky and Marcy Park. But the others, even though they weren't like any geek I happened to know, lost their purely cartoonish aspect as the show went on. Coney Bear and Willian Barfee, especially, were beautifully fleshed out by the end. And like I said, I saw the show in early previews, so I'll wait and try to see if they clarified the arcs of the other characters before I pass final judgement.

[NBC]

Posted: 4/29/05 at 11:00am

Just chiming in, because I went into Spelling Bee with a lot of trepidation since I didn't like A New Brain at all, and ended up really enjoying it. Though I would have to agree the score isn't it's strongest point; I think the book is, followed closely by the cast. I enjoyed it more than just about any of the other new musicals (ok, I haven't seen All Shook Up), though I realize that may have been in part due to my lower expectations for it. I'm not sure how it will fare as a Broadway show...though I think it works quite well in the Circle in the Square space, it really is a small, intimate show, and I can see where someone would have trouble justifying $70 for it, let alone $90, if they are expecting a lot of Broadway flash.

I think anyone who really thinks the creators believe being smart is something that should be ridiculed missed the boat. Is being smart something that is ridiculed? Yes, at least it was to an extent back in my school days, and I think that's what the writers are drawing on. (Although even I would have to agree that a couple of the characterizations are a little extreme!)