Get out your dictionaries! The Tony Award winning musical comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is heading to the Southbank Theatre as part of the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival for a strictly limited season from 30 March.
Set in a school gymnasium, Spelling Bee takes a hilarious and heartwarming look at the pressures of growing up through the eyes of six quirky yet lovable characters competing for the title of spelling bee champ. Vic Theatre Company are delighted to present this production whose witty and endearing music and lyrics are created by Broadway favourite William Finn with a book by librettist Rachel Sheinkin and conception by Rebecca Feldman.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a hip musical comedy which follows six young people in the throes of puberty, who are overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, as they learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser. At each performance, four audience volunteers are selected and invited on stage to participate in the ‘Bee’ – making each performance unique.
Spelling Bee originally opened Off-Broadway in 2005 where it was an instant hit, prompting its move to Broadway where it ran for nearly 3 years clocking up 1,136 performances. It was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Musical and took home two 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical. The New York Times hailed it as “irresistible, riotously funny and remarkably ingenious.”
Director: Benjamin Giraud Featuring: Henry Brett, James Coley, Sage Douglas, Teresa Duddy, Matt Heyward, Andrew Hondromatidis, Caitlin Mathieson, Rebecca Moore, Riley Nottingham, David Spencer Musical Director: Trevor Jones Choreographer: Bernie Bernard Set Designer: William Bobbie Stuart Costume Designer: Zoe Felice Sound Designer: Marcello Lo Ricco Producer: Glenn Ferguson
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The Lawler – Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank (Melbourne)
Season: 30 March – 10 April 2016
Bookings: (03) 8688 0800 or online at: www.mtc.com.au
For more information, visit: www.victheatrecompany.com for details.
Image: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Cast – photo by James Terry