HANNAH MERRY

MY REVIEW


Today I went to see 'Spelling Bee' at The Broadway Theatre in Catford, London. I was really impressed with the way the show had been put together, and thought it was incredibly clever how they did not have a band in the show and the characters were all playing their own musical instruments! I think all the actors as a whole were brilliant, especially the man playing M itch Mahoney, as he truly was scary and I believed he was an ex convict! He also had a lovely voice which suited the role really well. Another of the characters who I thought played it really well was the girl playing Logainne Schwartzandgrubineirre, as she was really over dramatic in the role but not so much to be irritating, so she was perfect. She also showed a sensitive side when she was sent out of the 'Spelling Bee', and her lisp was brilliant and if I didn't know beforehand that it is written into the script, I would of believed it was her own accent. I also thought the venue for the show was a really good choice, as it was really intimate so the characters were able to get up close and personal with you during some of the scenes and songs such as 'Pandemonium'. The scenery was also really good as it actually looked like a school gymnasium as there were wooden beams in the background and school chairs which I thought was really effective for an audience to watch and understand where the show is set. My favourite songs in the whole show to watch were 'Pas De Deux' and 'Second' as it really showed how all the directories in the script are meant to link into each other, and seeing the choreography in the show made it easier for me to understand why we have chosen to stay true to the script, and what it is going to look like when we perform it. Another of my favourite songs was the 'I Love You Song' as it sounded really good with the three part harmony put together, and it made me understand how the audience would perceive the song, and that if you do not understand the emotions of the song whilst singing it, it will not be as powerful as it could be. The girl playing Olive hit the high note on the 'mama' and had an amazing voice which really suited the song well, although at one of the most dramatic points in the song she tripped up the microphone podium, but just carried on like a professional and even managed to make it look like it was meant to happen, which I look up to her for as she didn't let it phase her, and just shows what makes a professional performer. She also helped me with some of my characterisation for Olive, as she gave me an idea of what olive should wear, something young and girly, but not flowery, such as denim dungarees, as she is girly, but still has a tom boy streak in her. She also inspired me in the way she used her vocals when speaking to make her sound young and shy, which is how I feel the character should be. One of the characters I did not like very much was the lady playing Rona Lisa Piretti, as she sounded as though she found hitting the high notes in her songs quite hard sometimes and left me feeling uneasy as I wasn't sure if she was going to hit it or not, I also feel she didn't carry much sincerity when singing her 'Favourite Moments' and was quite false, which I hope the girls in our show do not do.

LOUISE LLYOD

MY REVIEW

Written by Rachel Sheinkin.

Music and lyrics by William Finn.

Director and choreographer – Adam Boland.

The show is based on a fictional spelling bee in Putnam County, New York where six kids compete in the battle of their lives. They compete against each other as well as members of the audience. Three adults help run the bee: a former spelling bee winner, a mildly insane Vice Principal and a comfort counsellor completing his community service. The show guides you through the spelling bee whilst giving the occasional flashback to show past happenings or to example what the children’s lives are like at home. 

     

 Staged in The Broadway Studio Theatre in Catford, London, the entire production had an amazingly relevant intimate feel throughout. The set is very much similar to that of an actual spelling bee and having two of the principles, Rona and principle Panch, seated at the front of the audience facing the stage adds to the realism of the performance.

     All of the roles were played by adults and for the characters Rona Lisa Peretti and Vice Principle Douglas Panch this obviously worked as the characters are adults. The six main spellers are all children so having these characters played by adults may be seen as a risk, but for me it worked brilliantly. I do think the quality of the actors had a huge impact on the success of this decision as I’m sure it could have just as easily been a disaster if the characters weren’t portrayed well and this in turn would ruin the reality of the show for the audience, so I give a big round of applause to those actors. From the start Caroline Rodgers (Rona) gave off a warm, ditsy but stern persona. The audience knew from the start that she was the lady in charge but as the show goes on we come to realise she’s a huge softy who just loves what she does. Brian McCann (Douglas Panch) gives off a secretive persona from the start. You don’t really know what the deal is with him or what the “incident” he refers to is until the second half when he loses his temper at one of the spellers showing an uncontrolled and dark side to him.

Both of these characters, although seen as maybe the easiest to play, show a range of dynamics making the characters intriguing and never boring to watch. Mitch Mahoney played by James Doughty starts on stage welcoming the audience in, perfectly in character. Throughout the show, and the different roles he plays Doughty is one of the most memorable actors. The extra characters (Olive’s mum and dad, Schwarzy’s two dads, Coneybear’s family and Jesus) are all played by the same actors just with an extra piece of costume to make them look slightly different. I don’t think this works greatly as it takes away from the reality of the performance.

    A special mention to Will Jennings (William Barfee) who is by far the most talented actor in the group. Giving off a Jim Carrey-like personality, Jennings plays the role to perfection. He is undoubtedly my favourite character thanks to the work of Will Jennings.

The best aspect of the show is that the director decided to cast people who can play instruments as the characters. This was a brilliant decision and worked very well in the space they had as it would have been very tight to fit a band in the studio too. It was an unexpected perk to the show which just added a hint of genius to the performance.

   The only noticeable mishap of the performance was during one of Olive’s songs and she stepped up onto the podium and fell. She carried it off well, stayed in character and to some it may have seemed deliberate, so it didn’t ruin the performance in any way at all.

All in all the performance was very memorable and enjoyable. I walked away quoting jokes from the characters and spoke for hours about all my favourite parts. I give huge congratulations to the cast, they should be very proud of themselves. A show I would 100% watches again.