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.