The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – The MAC

Bruiser Theatre Company have returned to The Mac with yet another spell-binding performance. Broadway’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee may seem a mouthful to us, but that’s nothing for the six quirky kids of Putnam County. The musical comedy follows these kids in their pursuit of being crowned winner of ‘the Bee’ and ultimately not being seen as losers by their classmates (and parents). Each of the kids has a very distinctive character which is played to perfection as these outsiders compete for top prize.

There’s William Barfee with his magic foot, Marcy Parks the overachiever, Logainne Schwarzandgrubenierre with her two dads, Leaf Coneybear the insecure, innocent one, Chip Tolentino the reigning champion and Olive Ostrovsky the shy one. There’s also the adults to contend with: host Rona Lisa Peretti, Douglas Panch the vice superintendent and Mitch Mahoney the Comfort Counsellor.

The backing band is visible, but also blends into the scenery and you often forget that they’re there, but they definitely make the show shine as they don’t miss a beat – really adding to the overall atmosphere.

All of the reviews that I have read compared Spelling Bee to Glee, but personally, I don’t really think that that does it justice. This production is a delight; it’s strange, awkward and hilarious with tons of charm. It’s heartwarming without being cliched or overdone. It’s humorous without being predictable. It’s a definite must see, even if you don’t really like musicals.

For a homegrown cast, the standard is excellent, their singing is astounding and the accents are really good as well -there’s even a guest appearance from a giant Jesus. It’s not all about the cast though, it’s the little details – several audience members also take part in the Bee and there’s American candy given out to the audience which helps to set the scene and make the whole thing a bit more personal.

Overall, the one word that I would use to describe The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee would be ‘fun’, just plain fun from beginning to end and I highly recommend that you give it a go!