Theater & Arts
Director Andrei Pamintuan’s (BFA TA ‘07) take on Rebecca Feldman’s off-Broadway smash hit is by far the wittiest show Bluerep has staged in years. Full of tongue-in-cheek humor and double entendres, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee kicks off the company’s 23rd season with a simple but very fun production.
True to the show’s improv roots, Pamintuan enlists the help of blueREP alum and Silly People’s Improv Theater comedian Kenneth Keng (BS LM/AB HI ‘05), whose irritable and deadpan Vice Principal Douglas Panch is a hilarious addition to an already stellar cast. RJ Santillan (BFA ID ‘13), again reprising his role in 13 (2012) and Spring Awakening (2013) as young-boy-going-through-puberty, makes for an unsurprisingly fantastic Chip Tolentino.
But the real standouts of the cast are electronics and communications engineering supersenior Carlos Quiapo and communication sophomore Nikki Cadiz, portraying Mitch Mahoney and Marcy Park respectively. The range and power they bring to the show’s vocal performances stand testament to the seriously undeniable talent in blueREP’s roster.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows the story of six young kids vying for first place at a small-town spelling competition. Through a series of flashbacks and alternatingly touching and humorous song numbers, we get to know more about each speller and their journey to get to the Bee.
Just like in the original show, selected audience members are invited to come onstage to join in the competition, making room for Keng to really display his improv chops.
In a move to adapt the original show—most evident in CJ Francisco’s (BFA ID ‘14) honeycomb-inspired set design—Pamintuan cuts down on plot and relies on dry humor and audience involvement to keep the show engaging.
In many ways, this results in an unpredictable and enjoyable production, but the show also suffers from its simplification—making an already kitschy story somewhat contrived. It becomes difficult to empathize for the admittedly sad characters, when their character development is practically nonexistent.
That said, blueREP’s rendition of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a fun production that showcases genuine talent and promises even more genuine laughter.
Shows will be on July 17-19, 23-26, 30-31 and August 1-2 at 8:00 PM, with afternoon shows on July 19, 26 and August 2 at 3:00 PM.
