Pittsburgh City Paper: "Blame it on my OCD, but when I see a show I like, I always want to see it several more times to understand why it 'works.' Which is why this Carnegie Mellon University production of the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the third I've seen in the past year.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Pittsburgh City Paper: "Blame it on my OCD, but when I see a show I like, I always want to see it several more times to understand why it 'works.' Which is why this Carnegie Mellon University production of the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the third I've seen in the past year.
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7 comments:
I am so glad that Spelling Bee was received so well. I think that CMU should do more productions off sight. It gives us exposure to the theater scene in Pittsburgh, it gets us working in spaces we aren't used to, and it allows us to get to interact with audiences we wouldn't normally. Also I think outreach into the community is really important theater because that is who you are trying to reach. I think that Putnam was the perfect show to do, as opposed to our usual fair, which seems to be darker generally. Putnam is accessible and the audience is obviously very engaged. You literally engage them with the play. As we discussed in Conservatory Hour Putnam is not a kid’s show but it allows us to access the kids with in us. People just leave feeling happy. I think Putnam was quite a success.
Ted's opinion on the acting was not that surprising. It seemed like the school was already of the opinion. However, I am surprised he did not call out any other actors individually. He seemed more consumed with the actual story of the musical rather than our actual show. It seems like such a bland, vague review that hints the production is fun and worth seeing but he's clearly seen better. However, I can't tell if he wants the readers to see it because of our work in the show or just because the book is that good that it's hard to go terribly wrong with it.
Although this reviewer was happy about being able to Spelling Bee locally 3 times over the past year, I find it a bit odd that so many theatres chose to do the same show within the same season (and I know it is being done quite often around the country as well). I can't imagine that many audiences are clamoring to see any show done multiple times within the same season, therefore I can't imagine that this is good for business. Although name value will help bring people to a show, I'd rather see a more varied selection of shows across the same city.
And I definitely agree with Nicole that this review is so bland you can't even really tell he sat through the show.
Ted Hoover does not understand how to write solid reviews. This short blurb gave very little insight. A review should enlighten an audience, and Hoover just spurts out some things he liked without going into why. Sorry, I just hate Hoover reviews. Too often then focus on the script (and often make broad generalizations or unrelated comments about it) than on the individual show and how it translated the story.
On the note of Spelling Bee, I also think it was a great change from the typical SoD productions. It was neat to do a show off campus (althought I have a feeling fewer students saw it for that reason), and the production came out pretty well.
I'm also glad that spelling Bee was received well. I know there was talk about the actors having a hard time hitting their notes. Seeing The show for the first time i enjoyed it a lot. I love that the show includes audience interaction interaction. The night i went, there was a grandmother called up, and i was shocked that she ended up being very sassy and played with the actors. it made the show a little more enjoyable.
I have seen this show a lot since it has been on tour, and I think the reason it is being done a lot is not only because people have a lot to relate to the characters even though not all of us are competitive spellers or are that quirky. The show is politically incorrect and really allows the audience to participate and influence the show in a way that most shows these days do not allow.
I love it when I hear comments about our shows from people who not know that I have been involved with the production. I over heard someone go on an on about the beauty of the India drop and the glam of the Jesus Chair. They also refereed to Midsummer and how "they actually had water on the stage, I mean it looked like water but it actually was water." It makes me feel good about all the work we do that people actually notice the thought that we put in to the details.
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