The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

We saw this show on Monday, absolutely loved it. The cast were really strong and I loved the use of audience members too. It made the show even more funny when the audience were getting the spellings right and they needed to get it wrong for the plot to continue. The songs are really catchy and it is just a fun show.

I had so much fun watching this performance from the moment it began. The performers were brilliantly able to convey the experiences of the children they were playing, giving real depth to their mentalities. A strong cast with the accompaniment of an excellent band made the experience an absolute joy. Well worth going to see!

Fantastic fringe highlight!!

If you like musicals then go see this. ESPECIALLY if you haven’t heard of it before! You will feel like you have discovered something really special - just what the Ed Fringe is for!

Brilliant performance from the cast. Well done to all involved!

Loved this crazy show! I've never seen this musical before and didn't really know what to expect, other than some spelling! The cast were great, there was a totally infectious energy throughout and I couldn't stop myself smiling, particularly with little Coneybear, played adorably by Jamie Argo! The score was really challenging, so huge kudos to the cast, the band, and the MD! So much of the movement and direction was really slick, too, and the actors were all superb at portraying their caricature characters. All of the cast also did so well in including the audience members who may have ended up participating a little more in the show than they were expecting! Bravo to those people, too, but particularly to the cast who must get different reactions and slightly different spelling skills etc. each day, but took it in their stride. Scarlett Lloyd-Dickinson's task of performing the very serious Marcy while all the pandemonium and larger than life personalities go on around her is impressive, and must be hard to maintain! As for her skills in her big solo number (no spoilers here) - she's a very talented performer! Roza Stevenson really made us laugh as Mitch. We were sitting right in front of them, and they really made us feel like all of their looks and asides to the audience were just for us - even though we could hear everyone else enjoying it, too! A real lesson in subtle but perfect acting. Ollie Hiemann was a delight as Doug Panch. He interacts more than most with the audience members, and made this completely seamless, with some amusing dry reminders to them to ask for definitions etc., which again must change every day. He also has to pronounce SO many words! He's so expressive, and really hard not to watch throughout! The standout performance was from Richeldis Brosnan as Olive. She was so sweet, and had the audience on her side immediately. However, when it came to her big number, The I Love You Song, the heartbreaking emotion that she portrayed very suddenly changed the atmosphere in the theatre. In an otherwise silly, happy show, where most of the characters remain youthful and carefree throughout, it’s a challenge to find this deep emotion out of nowhere, but we were hooked on her beautiful voice and exquisite facial expressions, which were enhanced by the lighting design. There were a few sound issues, particularly at the beginning, which is so hard to sort in a show where the cast members rarely leave the stage, so it was dealt with well. I thoroughly enjoyed this playful show! The cast are clearly having so much fun - how could you not?! And the audience did too.

Great cast and performance. However, I found it rather long, with some repetitive jokes/themes, and too long musical pieces. Should be 1.5 hrs long max in my view

Absolutely loved this show! All the performers were fabulous - ‘magic foot’ by Barfee was incredible. Ms Scwartzangrubenierre’s energy was off the chart - this young cast pack a punch, lively, funny, camp and super silly in the best possible way!

Love the show and seen a few times, this production was no let down! Perfect venue for this fun show. Fabulous cast and it is unfair for me to call anyone out but personal fave characters were William, Olive and Doug. Credit to all though!
Go see it if you don't know the show .... Easy watching and just good fun with great music!