Beanie Feldstein & More to Star in SPELLING BEE at Kennedy Center- Page 4

[kdogg36]

Posted: 10/20/24 at 11:29am

CJRochester said: "Except that it wasn't so random. We were approached ahead of time and asked to volunteer. Before the show started we were briefed on the procedures, including that we would be given a few words to spell. It was fine if we got one or two of them correct, but we eventually had to get something wrong."

This is pretty much how it worked on Broadway, too, although we weren't told to intentionally miss any words. We were told to always ask for a definition and always ask for the word to be used in a sentence.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/20/24 at 11:36am

I believe the tour would have a "volunteer station" in the house, but each performance would also have one or two pre-picked local figures who were asked to come appear.

I did a small professional production in the 2010s; we had one genuine "audience guest" pre-selected every night, but we had two "ensemble spellers" in the cast who covered most of the traditionally doubled roles instead, and were the other two eliminated spellers, so that the "special guest" would always get the "Prayer of the Comfort Counselor" at the end.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/20/24 at 4:09pm

Getting out of the matinee. That was an absolutely perfect production. Kennedy Center just knocking it out of the park with this one. One of today’s “guest spellers” was Ben Platt and that was fun to see him up there. “Ben’s teachers have described him as ‘dear’ and ‘pitch perfect’”

Every role was just perfectly cast and I love the updates for Logainne Schwartzandgrubenier. Things about book banning, drag queens, Project 2025 and future president Sasha Obama were all genius. 
 

This was just a joy.