Sweet Treat: Just So’s ‘Spelling Bee’ Reviewed

3½ *s

The Just So Society’s production of The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was an all-American, sugar-sweet treat. Even the tinkling of the piano evoked the frivolity of my primary school days. From the very start, the cast members lit up the stage with a “very nice” song. They moved very well with one another, and the routine was freely-choreographed enough to grant the actors leeway. Spontaneous, innovative flourishes are always fun to see. With bobbing head movements here and there, and “magic feet” flying all about the place, the actors did a good job of keeping in time with one another. The show was spirited and the comedy played out hilariously. Catherine Haslam’s performance as the nasal, montonous, and somewhat drab Donna Panch did well to keep the audience breathless with laughter.

Credit must be given to the cast, who all handled their double-castings brilliantly by making swift, barely noticeable costume changes on stage. The addition of a mere scarf, accompanied by a touch of lighting, immediately took Ayanna Coleman from peppy bee presider to being Olive’s (Katie Kitchens’) mom, far away in India. One of the more touching moments of the show was when Struan Erlenborn and Ayanna Coleman, each donning their respective adult-rendering clothing pieces, took to the stage, joining Kitchens in a perfectly harmonised, moving ballad.

The Wednesday night performance welcomed university high fliers, Association President Pat Matthewson and Catherine Stihler (great spellers, both of them), to the stage, and ‘Jack’s Gran’ was also an inclusive, funny presence. The participants also had a great time, joining in on the dancing fun with the cast. The fluidity of the choreography made for the seamless involvement of the ‘guest spellers’ and gave everyone a good laugh.

However, though the first act of the show was upbeat and entertaining, during the second half, as more and more of the spellers became eliminated, the stage seemed empty and significantly less dynamic. At this point, the show seemed to fall a bit flat, and I felt a bit restless anticipating the end. Nevertheless, the emotional pull of the moments between Connor Powell’s Barfee, and Kitchens made up for the loss of dynamics with sentimentality.

A show splattered with many laughs and a few forcefully held back tears Spelling Bee ensured that, theatre groupie or not, all in attendance appreciated Chip’s (Jonathan Hewitt) candy missiles thrown into the audience’s midst. Though it may be true that a sweet tooth can always be soothed by a shower of Hershey’s Kisses and other delectables, the show itself was the best treat of all.

Photos credited to The Just So Society.