Meramec Theatre Mounts its Newest Production
BY: TORI WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
A story of competition, childhood, human resilience, and success whether a winner or loser, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” with the music and lyrics by William Finn and the book by Rachel Sheinkin, is playing in the Meramec Theatre now through Nov. 18. It features direction by Keith Oliver and musical direction by Dr. Jerry Myers.
One of the most exciting aspects of this production is the chance to join the spelling bee, said Oliver. “The main feature is really having the audience involved in the production in a meaningful way, where they’re integrated with the cast, and I think that’s really the highlight of this musical,” said Oliver.
The audience participation also gives rise to unique challenges that the cast and crew must meet nightly. “It’s hard to run around up there and sing big notes and stay in character and interact with the audience,” said Evan Turek, who plays William Barfée. “I always want to do the best I can and give it some depth.”
Despite the element of improv, the cast said they are up for the challenge.
“They all worked hard early in rehearsals. We learned the music first and they were all working hard to learn it quickly,” said Myers. “For this show, we do not have a live pit; we have the recorded orchestrations. It’s an advantage to the cast because they hear the full orchestration from the first rehearsal.”
The music program also poses challenges for Myers who must move pieces around when audience members misspell words. Nevertheless, he said he enjoys the element of audience participation. “There are four audience members that are on stage during the first act of the show, so [the actors have] begun to learn to interact with people who are up there for the very first time, and who haven’t seen the show before at all, so it’s been quite fun to watch that,” he said.
Because of this interaction, “It will never be the same show twice,” said Turek.
In addition to its run at Meramec, the production will be considered for KCACTF, the Kennedy Center Annual College Theatre Festival. “Two actors from this show will be chosen to compete in the Irene Ryan competition which is an acting competition for a scholarship,” said Turek, a previous Irene Ryan semi-finalist himself.
Although there are obvious challenges, “…Spelling Bee” has a lot of heart, said Oliver. “It’s easy to identify with the caricatures of each of the characters in this play,” said Oliver.
The characters are comprised of the pubescent ‘bad boy,’ the president of all the clubs, the adorable mess, the stuck up jerk, the detached genius, the shy wallflower who wants to be loved, and a trio of vaguely unhinged adults.
“I hope in a way [the audience will] just reflect on their own lives, when they were that age,” said Oliver.
Regardless, the primary goal is to have fun, said Myers. “Oh, this show is just fun,” said Myers. “I think at a time when maybe we just need some entertainment, just need to laugh and enjoy an evening, this is the way to go.”
All Meramec Theatre shows are free and open to the public. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 14, 15, 16 and 17, except for on Sunday, Nov. 18 when the play begins at 2 p.m. Sunday performances are interpreted for the deaf.
