Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Fulton Theatre

When the world hands you lemons, make lemonade! Lancaster's Fulton Theatre takes this advice to heart in multiple ways in its latest main stage production. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened on January 18th, which is a good choice for these uncertain times.

Live theatre is still in a tenuous position. Long tern shutdowns both locally and on Broadway lead to decreased budgets, reluctant audiences, and ongoing health concerns that require producers to pivot ad nauseum. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee addresses these concerns. The show is essential one set, a cast of nine, and modest set, costume, and musical demands. Do not, however underestimate the quality or popularity of a smaller show. After all, the similarly scaled The Fantasticks ran off-Broadway for a mind-boggling 42 years!

The second way that this production makes the best of a challenging situation is its amazing use of understudies. Many local productions (including Fulton's Cinderella) were required to postpone or cancel performances due to cases of Covid among the cast and crew. This leads to not only audience disappointment but substantial lost ticket sales.

Spelling Bee has an insert in its program, listing ten additional actors available to step in as needed. This proved to be a very valuable plan. The performance I attended required four substitutes. Not a line was flubbed, nor dance step missed. The Fulton brought together a very talented and cohesive cast including several who are willing to step up to the plate when called on.

The title of the show clearly states what the show is about. It is a musical comedy taking place at a spelling bee with six quirky middle-school contestants (played by adults) and three additional adults serving as the administrators of the bee. Fulton favorite, Charis Leos stars as a former bee winner coming back to host the competition many years later. Andrew Kindig plays Vice Principal Panche, a goofy guy with a straight face who has a knack for the weirdest and funniest "use it in a" sentences ever.

The contestants are very distinct and universally quirky. TJ Creedon was a standout as Leaf Coneybear. He was alternatively able to make you laugh and tug at your heart strings based on the turn of a phrase or a certain facial expression. My other favorite was Kathryn Willaims, who played Olive, a little girl with a home life leaving a lot to be desired. Both TJ and Kathryn were among the back-up performers-a true credit to their level of talent and preparation.

One of the show's gimmicks calls for four audience members to also participate as bee contestants. Honestly, though, this didn't add much to the show. There was little opportunity for improvisation and no chance of one of them winning.

The score has a You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown vibe to it. The songs are relatively simple and piano driven. They are mostly sung by precocious kids played by adults. Mostly, there are just a bunch of fun.

In conclusion, this show is an excellent response to the challenges facing live theater in 2022. Patrons are required to wear masks, and the staff is attentive to cleanliness and safety. I was grateful for an opportunity for a communal laugh and a fun night out. Spelling Bee can give you both of those.

Tickets and more info can be found on the Fulton's home page.

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