The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee

Friday, 15 May 2009

I’m a pretty good speller, not fantastic and probably lazier than I used to be thanks to Microsoft Word’s automatic spell check, but I often look up words in (online) dictionaries and encyclopedias, and I love the opportunity to increase my word score (a holdover from thumbing through my grandparents Reader’s Digest as a kid).

But while I remember taking an individual oral spelling test in primary school, Australia doesn’t really have the marvelously organized spelling bees that the US have slowly elevated to the height of brain nerd chic; so much so that a few years ago, there was a fantastically popular documentary called Spellbound which followed a group of juvenile high achieving wordsmiths and the families who push, cajole and fulfil their competitive dreams through them.

This was what awaited me as the premise for this show. Having been invited by a couple of Finlay friends and intrigued by the promise of audience participation, I was wickedly delighted to find that two other pals who had come to that night’s performance were unexpectedly called to star on stage (by general announcement no less!)

Hackett Hall had recently been refurbished to boast comfortable tiered seating which with its reasonably steep incline greatly suited the gymnasium look of the production.

Archetypes were established in the quick early songs - smart Asian girl with numerous controlled hobbies; eccentric boy with delusions of self importance; sweet, slightly hippy pretty in pink girl; boy scout with something to prove; the home-schooled kid angling for notice in his big family; and the right wing, politically active Type A daughter of two dads with a surname the length of which I have not see outside a Welsh township.

These, along with four “late entries” (aka members of the audience), took us through a roundup of barely decipherable words, fun puns and bonmots; with flashback insights into their families and growing up smart – relatable stories of good kids trying to do something academically extraordinary. A marked difference to the rebelling rage of West Side Story or even Grease; but I suppose these characters are skewed to be middle school and still have that apple core of innocence, yet to experience the rumble and twist of hormones and puberty.

The look and pace of the show was an acknowledgment to Kimberley Shaw’s confident direction and choreographer Kristen Twynam-Perkins gave fun, easy dance sequences that would be well received at any school concert – the fact that the “special guests” could pick up the numbers so quickly is a credit her sound sequences and the quick coaching from their fellow actors.

Lauchlan Bain was a standout as snarky William Barfee (BAR-FEY!)- Clark Kent handsome in thick spectacles and with surprising grace in his pas de duex with sweet Olive Ostrovsky (Tamara Woolrych).

All spelt out, it was a fun visit to junior high.