The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: A joyful production of a less than amusing play!
Photo. Courtesy of Indie women productions.
The world has changed since this Tony Award winning show (book by Rachel Sheinkin, music and lyrics by William Finn) was created in 2005 but somehow, in spite of Kodi Cannon’s exciting Broadway style energy and classy choreography, this Spelling Bee grated on my nerves. The Indie Women are noted for some fine productions and we loved their recent fund raising event Next to Normal featuring Skye MacDermid and Wendy Berkelaar’s group that did justice to Rebecca Feldman’s music, giving a highly professional touch to the evening. As is their custom , the Indie Women bring us this show as a fundraiser for the “Do it for Daron” foundation, linked to the Royal Ottawa Hospital and its ongoing research into the devastating effects of mental illness .
This event at the Gladstone features six actors as the young constestants all driven to win the spelling contest for many different reasons, all of which are played out in flashbacks and choreographed moments of excellent theatre as the troubled backgrounds of each of the contestants are intertwined with the funny improvisations produced by each of the four randomly selected guests who are added to the chorus of spellers. These guests are thrust on stage as the outside spellers who do their best to hold their own spontaneously, while the scripted spellers have to take on a character and explain their choices.
The set design conceived by producer C.Lee Bates was a perfect space for all this talent It all worked from that perspective and certainly the interaction with the audience tickled the spectators and kept us interested most of the time. HOwever, one moment suddenly changed the atmosphere and I must admit, it set me off on a completely different course.
When one of the guests was asked to spell Crapaud, (or toad in French), which he did, and correctly, the judge said no its not that, then I realized something was wrong. All this was clearly ment to allow the judges to keep control over the knowledge by imposing whatever answers they found useful. Thus, even if this production is quite fun, the script had definite ideological undertones which I found difficult to ignore.
This Spelling Bee, inspite of all its playfulness, becomes a power game. It shows how two prejudiced and silly judges are able to wield power over their enthusiastic competitors by manipulating the spelling only because the judges have the power to force them to say what they want to hear. The judges can even refuse correct spellings, they can hand out silly information that has nothing to do with these sometimes inexistant words. All this is supposed to be funny but it became unbearable to me because it was linked to the notion that we the audience are just as helpless as the contestants and we take pleasure in being manipulated. It does however, take us to a realm of stupidity that was so nonsensical that I couldn’t laugh anymore. I gather that in an American setting if the judge rejects the spelling of a French word..which the contestant had spelled correctly, or if French names are badly pronounced on purpose, …that could be seen as funny since French is a foreign language in the US of A and that makes absolutely no difference to anyone if French is being manhandled . The situation is very different in Canada where French is not an exotic and funny sounding way of talking that warrents gales of laughter when one mispronounces a name. Nor would it be so hillarious when one of the contestants sp ells the word “toad” correctly, in French, but is told that his spelling is wrong.
At the same time, would that be so funny if they were doing the same playful twisting of Spanish in front of a California audience”? and everyone was laughing at the Spanish? It does of course highlight this critique of authority and undermines the judges credibility but it also defines the audience as a simple-minded group of people who dont care and who are ready to make fun of anyone who is different. Isn’t that precisely the shadow of Trump creeping into this play, opening the way for insults that pass themselves off as jokes and caring humour? That is what made me bristle.
Obviously Tony awards and the great success of this show across North America has proven me wrong but to my mind, it is just too bad that such a talented company had to waste its precious time on such material when there is so much good work to be performed across country.
The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee directed by Kodi Cannon, continues until November 19 at The Gladstone.