Spelling Bee opinions

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 9:46pm

Oddly enough, unlike say Avenue Q, the Bee support on here isnt very great. I hear good to mixed things about it on this site when it was the best reviewed musical of the year has won all sorts of awards and is considered to be a very possible underdog to win Musical tomorrow evening. I personally LOVED the show but was wondering what you thought of it and why since I havent really heard much about it here and also why you dont think it will win the Tony or will. I personally think it has a very fair shot. Updated On: 6/4/05 at 09:46 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 9:59pm

I saw it early off-Broadway. I had fun, laughed a lot, etc, but I really can't find myself able to see what the raves are about. I don't know why people are so floored. Don't get me wrong, it's GOOD, but I feel like maybe it's just a little too campy for my taste or something. The rarity about Bee is how great its book is, I think. But... I just don't get the big deal.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 10:03pm

it seems to be an imitation of avenue q (just by listening to the cd)

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 10:03pm

Where is this CD available?????? Can you get it in store from Barnes and Nobel yet?????? I know amazon.com has delayed it......

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 10:05pm

I thought it's not officially out til this Tuesday?

[rKrispyt]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 10:17pm

the hype about spelling bee is that all of its characters are human and there's so much heart in it. It's not JUST campy fun, we get to see the insecurities and vulnerabilities of all these characters and maybe recognize something from our own childhood that has caused us to build up walls we perhaps still carry with us today.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 10:28pm

I love Spelling Bee!
It is not campy at all.
All the characters are real. The situations are real.
Ohk, maybe it's a bit exaggerated, but come on, it's a musical.
I think it's such an interesting piece of theatre. It's interactive, hilarious, heartbreaking, and touching. The thing about the show is that each audience member can probably relate to at least one of the characters. It perfectly portrays that sense of insecurity and awkwardness of being that age. And it is not an Avenue Q imitation at all. I don't see how you can derive that conclusion. They're so completely different. Sure, they're both Off-Broadway transfers of intimate shows, but other than that, they're not similar at all. I think people should take a chance on Spelling Bee. Just like they did with Avenue Q. They might be pleasantly surprised.

~Steven

[ProducersFan]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 11:14pm

I just came back from seeing it - got a last minute (although awesome) seat from Telecharge. I loved the show, not as much as, say, Q or The Producers, but I had a great time and laughed a lot. It was definitely an enjoyable night of theatre and well worth it.

The cast album is available at the theatre - $20. I bought myself one. I even caught a piece of candy that Chip threw. I'm going to save it as a souvenir.

~Jessica

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 11:27pm

i agree with whoever said that it seems to be an imitation of Q. not just in the music, but just the whole idea of it. i dont know how to explain. if it wins i will be p-i-s-s-e-d pissed. pfft spelling.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 11:41pm

How is the idea of Spelling Bee just an imitation of Avenue Q?
Spelling Bee originated as an Off-Off-Off-Broadway play called C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E. It was based on characters that the actors created through improv.
How does that have to do with imitating Avenue Q?

And what makes the music sound like an imitation of Avenue Q?
Are you familiar with William Finn's scores? Because it is very typically his style of music and lyrics.

~Steven

[lamentingenvelope]

Posted: 6/4/05 at 11:54pm

I must admit, I wasn't planning to like Bee as much as I did. I got the cast recording on Thursday and have been playing it nearly nonstop ever since. The characters are real, the performances are excellent. It's hilarious and heartbreaking at the same, touching in a way I hadn't thought would be possible in a show about... well... spelling. Plus, the cast is amazing... Dear Celia Kennan-Bolger, I love you.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 12:01am

It's nice to see a show that's so obviously very actor driven and is influenced by the actors so much.

But yeah, I agree that it's not necessarily "special" or anything; but the show has a lot of heart and it's a lot of fun.

[admanrich]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 12:18am

The ensemble as a whole is great.

I love the whole audience participation aspect. I would definitely go see it again.

[rKrispyt]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 1:55am

I just think the show has a lot going for it in that it combines pretty much all of the elements that its competitors shine in exclusively - like the hysterity of spamalot is there, but so is the heart that you'll find in piazza, etc.

It's just...I think a very well-rounded show that could appeal to everyone, whereas the other shows it's competing against...Piazza is going to appeal to people who love the romance and the drama, Spamalot is going to get the people who are going for the cheap laughs (sorry if that sounded offensive), etc.

I don't really get why people keep saying it's so bad when...I just think it's rather ingenius.

And no, it's nothing like an imitation of Avenue Q. Avenue Q isn't even about the same stuff as this, the only similarities are in the intimate show transferring from off-broadway, and that it's breaking its genre a lil bit in that it's something people don't write musicals about, y'know?

I'm not saying it will or should win, just that it definitely doesn't deserve all the negativity people are creating around it, that's all.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 2:11am

Right, Krispy. I hear you.

~Steven

[theatreboi11]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 2:17am

I know if you pre ordered it from amazon you got it already. I did that and recieved my copy yesterday.....makes up for them just now shipping out my LITP cd! grrr

[Glindafan]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 2:44am

I saw Bee last week and found it very entertaining because they presented every 'character' you ever encountered in high school. There is someone in the cast that every audience member could identify with. I always tend to score each show in the 1-10 category and could give Bee no more than a 7 for the following reasons: the content & concept was good and the cast was good, but even though it goes barely 90 minutes, it seemed pretty thin and lost momentum a few times. I don't think there is a bad seat in the house, but like some of the others on this thread - I wondered why Bee is being ballyhooed so much. On the other hand, DRS is a highly polished, high energy, full-length, big budget affair with name actors and a lot to work with. You can't help but compare the value and I think that's why Bee comes off a bit weak.