My First Experience at the SPELLING BEE (5/4/07)

Mo Rocca was out (didn't he just start?), Todd Buonopane was on as Panch. Sitting across from me on the aisle was Darrel Hammond from Saturday Night Live. Perhaps they want him to take over when Rocca leaves in a month or two...he looked completely uninterested the entire time, so I'm assuming, if offered, he'll turn it down.

Standing by the exit were James Lapine and William Finn, obviously checking up on the new cast. Finn was very nice to humor an autograph request, Lapine, not so much.

That said, Spelling Bee was one of the few shows I hadn't actually seen. A friend (who had seen it previously) came up with comps (the entire row was papered) so, when offered to see it, I jumped at the opportunity.

I don't want to say I was let down. I didn't completely hate it, I just thought all the bizarre character songs slowed down the momentum. Perhaps it was the cast, but I didn't give a crap about any of them. At all.

They all were moderately good - Jennifer Simard (Rona) and James Monroe Iglehart (Mitch) sticking out as the best of the bunch. Greta Lee was incomprehensible from singing so fast. Sara Inbar made very humorous topical jokes, as per the character, about McGreevey joining a Parish and future President Sanjaya. Stanley Bahorek should join the RENT cast - he's a dead ringer for Mark. Aaron Albano and Jared Gertner were very "eh." Of all of them, Jenni Barber was the one who ilicted the most emotion. Todd Buonopane very nicely recited lines off the index cards he was given. Of the audience spellers, the 8 year old who got one of the hardest words right left the cast flummoxed. No surprise when they brought him back immediately following with an even harder word - but you could tell they were surprised.

As we were leaving, my friend said to me, "man, you should have seen the original cast. These people sucked compared to them." I wish I did.

I dunno, I just wasn't that impressed....and, after seeing it, I can't help but wonder what Dan Fogler brought to Barfee that made it Tony-worthy. Seemed like a lot of scenery chewing to me, tonight.

The weirdest part? For the first time in, oh, a year or two at least, I saw no standing ovation.

He was just underwhelming. Again, I have nothing to compare him to, beyond the CD and everyone's own opinions. So, of course, take mine with a grain o'salt.

Yes, I'm aware. Their surprise was at the fact that an 8 year old got the word right and had to go onto another one. I've seen staged shock and awe - this was surprisingly genuine.

Having seen like 95% of the original cast I must say Simard does a great job. I loved her when I saw her on tour.

Sorry you were let down. I personally feel it is about time for the Bee to get to the final word, crown the champion and be done....if you get my drift.

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What do you mean?

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NLS - you weren't even there! How are you telling me what I saw?

The kid got two words - the one they thought would get him out and the one that actually did get him out - xeno-something.

His spelling the word they thought would get him out - I forget what it was - left the cast flummoxed and scrambling to find the harder one. They genuinely didn't expect that he would have gotten the first word right. Their facial expressions were priceless, to say the least. Especially Buonopane, who turned beat red and had to contain his laughter.

That said, most of the jokes used - the ones to describe the guest spellers, I had read about previously (here and other sources). How many times can they really use "and this kid starts at Hogwarts next year?"

"Billy, put down that phylactary, we're Episcopalian" was another.

Updated On: 5/5/07 at 12:32 AM

By the way, my favorite spelling word was "Mexicans."

The definition? "A derogatory term used to describe people from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and other South American countries."

Yankeefan .. I understand that you think what you saw was geniune .. but what you are describing happens at nearly every performance. The speller always "gets the word right" and the cast is "flabbergasted" and they scramble to find a harder word. It is all staged. I think the word they normally use is "caterjunes" .. (a made up word .... so technically there is no incorrect spelling). The casts usually do a GREAT job of acting truly surprised .. but I assure you .. it is all staged.

Updated On: 5/5/07 at 12:48 AM

Jennifer Simard is always a standout.

Company - yes, that was the sentence they used for the word. The definition was the one I listed.

Actinggbugg474 - yes, I'm aware that it's all staged. I was just pointing out how they managed to look surprisingly genuine. Part of their surprise was from the fact that the speller was 8. There was some amount of genuine along with the fact that it was staged.

You had to be there.

Updated On: 5/5/07 at 09:27 AM

Yankeefan, I also saw the show without Dan Fogler and had trouble understanding how that was a Tony-winning role. But others have told me that Fogler really brought something special to the part.

I don't know if it's good or bad, but I personally have noticed a real decrease in Broadway standing ovations the past year or so. Maybe I'm just seeing performances at off nights or maybe it's because I'm going to more weekday performances, but even at shows like Company, Spring Awakening, The History Boys, and The Coast of Utopia, most people were not standing at the end.

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Not standing after UTOPIA?

Now, THAT is a travesty.