How Do You Spell Fun?

On Saturday morning, I had the chance to talk with the cast and crew of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," which will be performed by the Laurel Tree Players later this month.

From the release:
Get out your dictionaries! The Tony Award winning musical comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - one of Broadway's most buzzed about hits - will be performed by The Laurel Tree Players. Set in a school gymnasium, Spelling Bee takes a hilarious and heartwarming look at the pressures of growing up through the eyes of quirky yet lovable characters competing for the title of spelling bee champ. The New York Times raved that Spelling Bee is “irresistible, riotously funny and remarkably ingenious – gold stars all around!” The Wall Street Journal called Spelling Bee, "perfect in every possible way – that rarity of rarities, a super-smart musical that is also a bona fide crowd-pleaser. An ingenious blend of simplicity and sophistication, it’s not merely funny, it's wise."

The show was chosen to celebrate The Laurel Tree Players' 25 years of delighting and entertaining audiences. Their productions have been heralded by critics as "exemplary illustrations of well-wrought theatre," and lauded as "stylish" and "sassy" with "the best comic acting in the area." Under the direction of Maurice Ouellette, this talented troupe of performers will present The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Friday, March 20th, Saturday, March 21st at 8:00 PM, and Sunday, March 22nd at 2:00 PM at Holy Family Holy Name School.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a hip musical comedy which follows six young people in the throes of puberty, who are overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, as they learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. These misfits are so human, so like us, that we cheer for each. With its enormously appealing cast of lovable misfits, nerds, neurotics (and no jocks), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee hilariously captures the angst, exhilaration, and heartache that makes growing up so painful and so wonderful. The bizarre words selected together with the wacky definitions and sentence usage examples by playwright Rachel Sheinkin add to the laughs. At each performance, three audience volunteers are selected and invited on stage to participate in the Bee, making each performance unique.

The cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee features Ricardo Aguiar (Chip Tolentino), Katie Gregory (Yara Perez), Marissa Jesus (Marcy Park), Patrick Long (Leaf Coneybear), Audrey Maigret (Olive Ostrovsky), Adriana Misteroni (Rona

Lisa Perretti), Maurice Ouellette (Vice-Principal Douglas Panch), Gregory Silver (William Barfee), and Amy Thompson (Logainne Schwartz).

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin, conception by Rebecca Feldman, and original direction by James Lapine. Leading the artistic team for this production is Maurice Ouellette, director and designer, Teresa Ouellette, musical director, and Lynne-Marie Dandeneau, choreographer. Technical support for this production is provided by Eileen Frasier, assistant director, Tom Grime, stage manager, and Gary Marshall, lighting director.

So be prepared to laugh, cheer, and maybe even spell along at the Laurel Tree Players' production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The theater of the Laurel Tree Players boasts relaxed cabaret seating around tables where audience members can order drinks and a variety of tasty snacks. Tickets for the March 20th, 21st, and 22nd production are now on sale at Holy Family Holy Name School at 91 Summer Street in New Bedford, MA 02740. For reservations, call the school at 508-993-3547. Tickets are priced at $15.00 for adults and $12.00 for seniors and children. Seating is limited.