The Lakeside Players are presenting “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a musical by William Finn, who wrote the music and lyrics; with Rachel Sheinkin writing the book; Jay Reiss providing additional material; and created by Rebecca Feldman. The show takes audiences to a spelling bee held in the fictional Putman Valley Middle School.
The contestants are an eclectic group of goofy overachievers who are guided through the spelling bee by equally off-kilter adults. As the spelling bee progresses and students are eliminated, everyone’s hopes, fears, and insecurities are revealed in their backstories, which are often hilarious. The play examines what it means to grow up, fit in, and learn to lose with grace.
The play contains over 20 songs and is unusual because it features audience participation. Volunteers are invited onto the stage to take part in the spelling bee, which can be as awkward as it is funny, as they are often given difficult words to spell. A review says:
“The Spelling Bee play is good fun with plenty of heart.”
The show opens February 13 at the Rhode Center for the Arts at 514 56th Street in downtown Kenosha. The Lakeside Players, which formed in 1973, is a community theater. Performing arts venues traditionally use Posters to advertise productions, which they can create using poster printing methods.
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