I’m Not That Smart
Nine youngsters in Putnam County have been brushing up on their vocabulary in preparation for the region’s 25th annual spelling bee. The winner will be swept off to the national competition in Washington D.C. and surely to a level of celebrity that may just shield them from all the things that have caused them pain over the years. Whether it’s bullies at school, bullies at home or parents who’re just never there.
Although they come ready to do battle, each of the spellers may be surprised at how much they’ll come to rely on their competitors to make it through.
This production of William Finn’s celebrated musical was a co-pro between the Belfry Theatre in Victoria and Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre. In the former city’s run, it became one of the most successful shows the theatre had ever created, while in the latter it went on to win three Jessie Richardson awards (Best Director, Ensemble Performance and Best Production).
Cast
Jeremy Crittenden as “Leaf Coneybear”
Michael Blake as “Mitch Mahoney”
Josh Epstein as “William Barfee”
Sara-Jeanne Hosie as “Rona Lisa Peretti”
Brian Linds as “Vice Principal Panch”
Alison MacDonald as “Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre”
Tracy Neff as “Olive Ostrovsky”
Rosie Simon as “Marcey Park”
Vincent Tong as “Chip Tolentino”
Photos
Videos
Awards
2011 Jessie Richardson Awards:
WINNER: Artistic Achievement (Ensemble Performance)
WINNER: Best Production
Reviews
“I also particularly enjoyed Jeremy Crittenden’s Leaf, a characterization of such geeky vulnerability and joy that it makes you want to adopt.“ - Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight
“Even my 14 year old son loved it. He “hates musicals” as a rule. My 10 year old twins laughed throughout and my half deaf mother-in-law could hear every word! It is the kind of show that should never close. Each character was so compelling. I looked up the play on youtube and found unimpressive videos of other productions. They do not do this show justice. Looking up the actors in this production on the web I found that each one has a long resume of very successful shows.“ —Gregory, Vancouver
“It was a fun evening for our family and I loved the audience participation!“ —Lucinda
“Spelling Bee was FANTASTIC! It was funny. The cast was great. It was sweet having volunteers from the audience. I recommended the play to many people. It made the rainy weekend a sunny one!“ —Ava, Vancouver
(Audience comments courtesy ArtsClub.com)