"Spelling Bee"- Bway Matt Returns w/ 1st Long-Winded Review & Pics of 2005

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 2:56am

Though I’m both saddened and pissed at how little I’ve been missed in the month I’ve been away, I’m in such a great mood right now that I feel surprisingly happy to be back on BWW. I was visiting California for awhile during the holidays and didn’t have reliable Internet access. Truth be told, I’ve been home in NY for about 2 weeks now but have avoided coming on BWW because A) there’s been nothing in theatre I’ve felt was worth discussing and B) this board tends to make me much more verbally abusive and bitchy than I actually am. Anyway, I’m back and am already feeling my free time for the next 6 months slipping away. And there will be no verbal abuse today.

So the REASON I’m in such a great mood right now can be summed up in 2 words: “SPELLING BEE”!!!! I finally got a night off from my “pivotal” work at Dodger Stages and was lucky to not only get a student ticket for the new Finn musical at Second Stage but especially fortunate to have had my seat upgraded from the corner balcony area to the center of the 4th row!

I’ll start by coming out and saying this officially: as far as I’m concerned “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is THE best show to open anywhere in the city this season (yes, that includes LA CAGE) and is easily the best original piece to appear on or off Broadway in at least 2 years.

A devoted William Finn junkie, I expected to love it and was not in the least bit disappointed. However I WAS very surprised to find that it was exceptional for completely different reasons than I had expected. IMHO, Finn has not written a score that is less than brilliant. His music is always a perfect blend of musical complexity and melodic tunefulness, and his lyrics are pure poetry that manage to fit seamlessly into whatever book he is working with. I know of no other purveyor of musical theatre who combines hilarity, drama, and sentiment so wonderfully.

I had little doubt that this score would provide another terrific example of how good musical theatre should be written, an artist that many of these new Broadway composers and lyricists ought to study, aspire to, and revere. I also know that James Lapine can do no wrong, especially when directing musical comedy, and I fully expected that the members of the cast I was familiar with (Celia, Jesse, Jose) would be stellar, at least vocally, in their roles.

What I did NOT expect was to have the book by Rachel Sheinkin completely run away with the evening. I saw the latest production of her other project STRIKING 12: THE GROOVELILY MUSICAL last month at Theatreworks in Cali. While I loved that show and am now a massive Groovelily fan (everyone see them at the Knitting Factory this Friday), I found Sheinkin’s book for that piece to be sloppy, rather bland, and overall unimpressive. So I went into tonight’s show thinking “OK, guess Finn will have to save the day as always!” I came out of the show with a very different perspective. I have been and will remain in complete admiration of William Finn’s work, and I feel that he’s written a very strong score for SPELLING BEE, but for the 1st time in my experience, this is not a Finn musical where his genius reigns supreme and must dominate and carry the evening. In this new one, his genius is in attendance and very much evident throughout, but indeed this show is owned by Sheinkin’s painfully good book, Lapine’s uniformly spectacular direction, and the ensemble cast’s deliriously funny, touchingly beautiful performances.

The score is less memorable or pervasive than his previous works. It’s a score written to enhance a delicious script and highlight an explosively talented cast. This is a departure from his scores for, say, FALSETTOS or ELEGIES, where you could basically get a few decent singers to stand and sing in a room with no script or story and the music would still be orgasmic. The score to SPELLING BEE doesn’t stand as strongly on its own, nor does it need to. There are several wonderful, distinctively lovely numbers, but more than in previous Finn shows, there is a lot of music that you forget as it takes a back seat to the other elements of the show.

The cast, THE CAST! I can’t say a bad thing about any of these people! I wasn’t familiar with the vast majority of the lineup but every one of them is now a name I will look forward to seeing in the future. The folks who play the kid characters in particular give us a motley crew of brilliant, individually unique misfits who you both want to hug and beat the crap out of. They each give us an overstated exaggeration of “that kid”, the obnoxious one we all knew (or were) and made fun of but secretly felt bad for. The characters are each so varied and individual within that archetype, and that is a true testament to the aptitude of the writer, director, and actors.

I can’t stress enough what an exemplary book Sheinkin has given this work. I can hardly believe she’s the same person who wrote the relatively flaccid STRIKING 12 book, though admittedly that show is a concert musical and has very different needs for its format. In SPELLING BEE she may well be about to establish a very successful career in the Broadway world. In truth, there isn’t much to the plot. We’re presented with a setting and an idea, and the story actually doesn’t consist of much more than the premise itself. It’s one continuous scene with all of the actors onstage for most of the show, and there isn’t really much surprise or high drama involved beyond the competition itself. Yet it works beautifully and never gets the least bit stale. It ultimately amounts to a hilarious character study, sort of a farcical, spastic, young version of CHORUS LINE complete with spotlighted solos and monologues that serve to further the action or give us a flashback or provide a character’s individual philosophy or history. And what characters they are!

I won’t go into depth on everyone, as I could hardly do them justice with my words, and I’d be writing all night. Each actor is uniformly and consistently excellent and, if there is a weak link, it was hardly weak enough to be noticeable to even the fussiest of theatre goers. I’m generally very critical and discerning, particularly when it comes to the books and actors in new musicals, so I feel it means something that I can’t think of anyone to criticize. The biggest standouts for me were:

Jesse Tyler Ferguson- now I see what all the fuss is about! His character is one of the most manically goofy and ridiculous portrayals I can think of. And in musical theatre, that’s saying something! He is simply gut-bustingly funny in the role, yet also lovable and realistic. It seems contradictory for such a cartoonishly large character to be so relatable, but he pulls it off. I really wish I had caught his show at Joe’s Pub on Monday. Though Kitt & Green was pretty spectacular too, so it was a dilemma indeed. Well according to what Jesse said at stage door, he may be bringing his show back to Joe’s for a regularly scheduled run. I asked “Oh, you mean like Billy Porter is doing?” to which he said that it was more akin to Jackie Hoffman. I REALLY need to see his show!

Dan Fogler- everything I said about Jesse’s character being manic, exaggerated, cartoonish, and lovable is doubly true of Fogler’s chubby, unkempt outcast with an unfortunate gland problem. He serves as less of a hero and more of an instant comic relief device (not that this show needs relief) but, like most of the characters, he gets his moments to connect to the audience in a very real way. By far, I found him the funniest kid in the Bee.

Celia Keenan Bolger- playing Olive, the least outrageous of the characters, Celia once again impressed me with her voice and character work. As a somewhat lonely, neglected little girl with few friends beyond her dictionary, she is simply adorable and damn near breaks your heart with her emotional dream sequence musical number in the 2nd act, a beautiful trio with her envisioned parents that is easily the best song in the show- Finn’s music in its classic impressive form. She almost had me in tears during this song, despite how hard I’d been laughing not 2 minutes earlier. She puts wonderful emotion and realism into her character that serves to make the insanity surrounding her even more effective. As for after the show, she was already on my Nicest Stage Door People list after chatting with her at SWEENEY TODD in DC 2 years ago, and she once again was extremely gracious and just a fun, lovely person to talk to.

-------------------------------
My only complaints are minor and forgivable. The performers are forced to make their voices sound younger and, in so doing, must obscure their full vocal ability. Clearly they aren’t all singers primarily, but Jose Llana in particular is a spectacular singer with a smooth beautiful vibrato, but it doesn’t come out here as it did in FLOWER DRUM SONG, for it would be inappropriate for his comedic young character. It’s good that there are male and female adult characters in Mitch Mahoney and Ms. Peretti who are given difficult vocal parts that allow the mature voices of Derrick Baskin and Lisa Howard to shine though. Also, the audience interaction, though fun and incredibly ballsy, goes on way too long and is rather distracting.

In the end "Spelling Bee" is a story about different people and their goals; more specifically, where do they come from and why exactly do they have these particular aspirations. It vividly paints a picture that lets the audience member relive and relate to their own formative years of awkward soul-searching. It doesn't matter if someone grew up in the '80s or the 40s, in the city or the country, or if they experienced these types of insecurities at the age of 9 or 25, the show speaks to common feelings alive in virtually everyone at some point. What we wind up with is a contribution to the suffering art form of musical theatre that is part CHORUS LINE, part FALSETTOS, part SOUTH PARK, part YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN, and part AVENUE Q, which all adds up somehow, and quite overwhelmingly, to something that is truly its own individual creation. It's a creation that I believe can appeal to both the high and lowbrow Broadway fan (I won’t mention any names), one that fuses barrels full of comedy with just the right amount of sentimentality, one that clearly conveys an important message about the pressures placed on children today, and one that even the rightfully jaded NY critics will likely embrace. It's uncommon lately but I really predict good notices from Brantley, Barnes, and Kissel. Simon, as always, is anyone's guess.

Jose Llana mentioned at stage door that a lot of changes are still being made with a week and a half to go until their 2/7 opening. He said that tonight, for example, Finn at the last minute had given him new lyrics for his big solo number that were hard to keep track of. He claimed to have messed up but I couldn’t tell. He also said that, at that very moment, Finn and Company were upstairs, hard at work in a production meeting, no doubt making even more changes for tomorrow. So all I can say is, see this show! You will laugh, you will laugh some more, you will relate to the characters and themes in some way, you will then continue to laugh, and you will learn how to spell some crazy-ass words.

To wrap up my review in typical Broadway Matt fashion, here are a few stage door pics:

Me and Jesse-
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewphoto.cfm?id=4124


Me and my friend Jess surrounding Celia-
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewphoto.cfm?id=4126


Me and Jose Llana-
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewphoto.cfm?id=4127

Seacrest Out!

Updated On: 1/27/05 at 02:56 AM

[apdarcey]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 3:08am

beautiful review matt... so excited to see this show... ahhhhhhh!

[broadway_star_tomorrow]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 3:35am

thank you for that review.

i can't wait to see it when i am in NY!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 3:40am

Well I wondered why Celia Keenan Bolger would leave PIAZZA, a role she was brilliant in, to do this show, but you make it sound as if it is a wise choice. That's a great review for a non-shill!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 6:29am

Great review! I was supposed to see it last night, but I didn't feel well. I'll try to go again sometime next week.

[nocturnalguy]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 1:40pm

Wow! What a rave review. But maybe the difference you sensed about Rachel Sheinkin's work is because this material is not really hers. I saw the original play that the musical is based on in a rathole downtown (by a company called The Farm) and much of the material was already there. The actors created their characters themselves and a few of them are still in this version - for instance Jay Reiss who plays the vice-principal. He's the one who gives the spelling clues to the kids and it's the same material he used downtown. The whole concept of the piece was already in place in the original play so I don't really know what Sheinkin did except edit and provide lead-ins for Finn's songs (which I don't think are as good as Bway Matt does.)

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 1:50pm

Matt great review I agree with you 100% what a wonderful night of great theatre!

[WOSQ]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 2:32pm

I caught this at the Sunday matinee (30th) with a tough subscription crowd and more than a few kids. We were disarmed from the start. You could feel everyone melt.

My question to those who have seen it--could this sweet show survive a Broadway move? I am not sure and the only theatre that will be open any time soon will be the O'Neill (meow), and I think that it is too large.

S T O P

[POSSIBLE SPOILER--SKIP-SKIP-SKIP]
The last audience person standing was given his third word and it was a bit tough, but this guy got it right. He wasn't supposed to I guess because they gave him another word right away--a long triple compound chemical name (that he did misspell). I may have been the only person not connected with the show to realize that he had been given the full word that is LSD! Something like lysergicaciddymethylide or some such. What can I say, I'm an old hippie.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 3:01pm

Oh Matt, you have been missed! Love the reviews, and welcome back!

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 3:09pm

Wonderful review Matt, I'm glad you thoroughly enjoyed it!

Sueleen - I'm pretty sure Celia didn't leave Piazza for this - I think it was an agreement by both parties that she wouldn't continue with Clara for other reasons. Guettel made it pretty clear to me that it wasn't a sole departure on Celia's part. I am not insinuating that it was an argument-based departure either. But that's just what I took from what Adam told me.

[rKrispyt]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 3:58pm

I saw this show on Saturday, Jan. 29. My best friend saw a reading of it last year and again this year, and made me literally swear to him that I would see this show no matter what the next time I was in NYC because it was the best show he had ever seen and the most he'd ever laughed at a show in his life.

Holy cow I was not disappointed.

I can't stress enough how much everyone needs to see this show. You just don't see shows like this anymore and it is absolutely brilliant, if for nothing else, the incredible acting choices and character development by these actors. It's such an incredibly enjoyable evening of theatre that no one should miss!

Oh yeah, and Wendy Wasserstein was sitting 2 rows in front of me, and the amazing Neil Patrick Harris a few rows in front of her. He also started the standing ovation. :)

GO SEE THIS SHOW!!!

Keepin' my fingers crossed that a more intimate theatre on bway is available for this one, it deserves to be there...*cough*closebrooklynandputitinthere*cough*...what?

*POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!*

WOSQ - the bit you're referring to of the last audience member getting it right...sadly, the exact same thing happened in our show at the saturday (1/29) matinee...which stinks that it's a set up becuase it's so neat. But yeah, the last woman standing from the audience also spelled it right and was then given the name for LSD. Still funny as all get out though! lol

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 1/31/05 at 5:19pm

awww thanks for the compliments guys, and I'm glad you enjoyed my review. I know it's a lot to get through, but I try to only do that for shows I really feel strongly about. I'm thrilled that people are loving the show as much as I did. I've been pulling for Finn to have a big success, and this just may be it. Well I must run to work, but thanks guys for making me feel welcome again. I get jaded so easily but I think it's just seasonal depression and I'm combatting it with lots of theatre. Anyone going to Cast Party tonight?

[amasis]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 9:33pm

Beautifully written. Thanks a lot, Matt. It's nice especially for people who can't be there to see this. And of course we've missed you .

[jesseeinstein]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 8:37pm

OK! I was one of the four volunteers yesterday and had the most fun I have ever had... ever... wow bad english but I don't care! So the last person to spell also got LSD but wait for it... for the first time in the history of the show-SHE GOT IT RIGHT! They had to give her another 2 words before she was out! It was ridiculous! AMAZING show! I'm gonna try and see it again tomorrow-that's how good it was! EVERYONE GET YOUR ASS DOWN TO THAT THEATER AND SEE THE SHOW! (Just not tomorrow so I can get my rush tickets)
-Jesse

[Delphine]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 8:44pm

Matt, you are just pimping this show out! Beautiful review, by the way. And I'm glad you're back.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 8:51pm

MATT! YOU'RE BACK! YAY!!! Ps- i am also VERY-VERY-VERY excited about Spelling Bee. it looks so great, glad you could confirm it!

[kim1061]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 8:58pm

welcomme backk!
i def. noticed you werent around!