Fringe Play Reviews

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

By: Music and Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin

Stage16 and Winnipeg Studio Theatre / Winnipeg

07/6/2010 1:58 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies) Our Rating: Your Average Rating:

The offbeat musical crowd-pleaser The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the definition of good fun.

Fringe Festival

Play Reviews

See our reviews and star ratings and share your own.
Big Top Report

Tania Kohut is live at the News Café with fringe performers at 9:30 a.m. weekday mornings for The Big Top Report.
Sideshow

Vanessa Macrae is at the News Café with fringe performers every evening for The Sideshow.
Fringe Central

News, live blog, videos, and interviews from the Fringe.
Hungry?

Free Press restaurant reviewer Marion Warhaft looks at eating options within a few blocks of most of the venues.
Buy Tickets

Buy tickets for any play on the Fringe Festival website.

At a time when the TV audiences can’t enough of competitions where contestants get booted off, along comes this Survivor for nerds, offering a sweet, funny trip back to middle school angst. The exuberant local amateur production of the 105-minute William Finn Broadway hit spells outs all the agonies and ecstasies of a competitive bee and comes out the winner.

The six main students are a familiar showcase of adolescent awkwardness. Standouts in director Kayla Gordon’s strong cast are pure-voiced Jillian Willems as Olive, a heartbreaker of a girl who spends too much time on her own; Dorothy Carroll as the lovable, lisping do-gooder Logainne; and Nyk Bielak as the brainy, sinus-challenged know-it-all who spells with his feet.

To Bee or not to Bee, there is no question.

— Kevin Prokosh

From the official Fringe Festival guide:

In this hilarious and clever Tony Award-winning musical, six adolescent outsiders in the throes of puberty learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. Spelling Bee is quirky, unexpected and full of grown-up g-o-o-f-i-n-e-s-s.

From the creative team that brought you the sold-out, smash-hit productions Hair and Altar Boyz.

Directed by Kayla Gordon

www.spellingbeewinnipeg.com

Warnings: Mild Language
RECOMMENDED:
General Audience

105 min

PTE Mainstage (Venue 16), to July 25

Tickets: $10

Rate this play
This play is currently rated an average of 4.3 out of 5 (13 votes).

Register and/or login to share your rating of this Fringe play. If it was well-written, well-acted, compelling and/or made you laugh or cry or get angry, mark it high. If it didn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and leave a text review of the play below.

Rate this play yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. If it was well-written, well-acted, compelling and/or made you laugh or cry or get angry, mark it high. If it didn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also write your own review and put it in the comments.

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.