THE BEE IS BACK
In 2009 the Stage Artz Theatre Company produced The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (performed at the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood). Since then, the Stage Artz Theatre Company has continued to receive requests to bring back the Bee!! so… “due to popular demand”, Stage Artz Theatre Company will present a return season of the Tony Award winning musical comedy at the Glen Street Theatre from March 20, 2013.
Set in the Putnam Valley Middle School, six quirky young people in the throes of puberty compete against each other for the coveted title of Putnam County Champion. Watched over by three equally quirky adults, the result is an hilarious, fast paced, dog-eat-dog, bizarre and slightly disturbing insight into the world of junior school competition spelling. As an added element, members of the audience are encouraged to participate in the spelling bee, making each performance zany and unique.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee breaks the musical comedy mould by giving willing audience members the opportunity to perform alongside the cast. Each night, four enthusiastic audience volunteers will be selected to compete against six other spelling bee finalists, including last year’s champion Chip, the sweet but lonely Olive, tenacious overachieving Marcy, simple minded Leaf, politically motivated Logainne and the obnoxious yet somehow endearing Barfee (pronounced Bar-FAY!).
“It’s incredibly exciting to be working on this show again, director Sam Neaves told Stage Whispers. “As it was such a huge success last time, I was concerned about bringing back The Bee and whether it could possibly live up to expectations. After many requests I finally gave in… and I am SO grateful to those who took the time to convince me! This return season is magical. We knew from the audience response last time that we had the right formula, so we didn’t want to change it… but the return season has given us the opportunity to take it one step further. With the majority of the cast already so familiar with the roles, they’ve had great fun playing with the characters and relationships and discovering new moments within the show. We are loving every minute of it… and I know the audience will too.”
The Bee includes some mature themes and is recommended for audience members aged 13yrs and over. However, in addition to the regular performances of Spelling Bee, Stage Artz Theatre Company is holding two specially tailored performances:- a Kid-Friendly show at 2pm on Saturday 23rd; and an Adults Only performance (for 18yrs and over) at 10pm on Friday 22nd March.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee features Linda Hale, Scott Clare, Jay James-Moody, Luke Davis, Max Newstead, Cara Suleiman, Liz Webby, Josephine Ison and John Paul Van Schie. It is directed by Sam Neaves, with Musical Direction by Mark Chamberlain and Choreography by Amy Gough.
Six performances only at the Glen Street Theatre in Belrose:
Wednesday 20th March 8pm (Champagne Opening Night), Thursday 21st March 8pm, Friday 22nd
March 7:30pm, Friday 22nd March 10pm (Adults Only Performance), Saturday 23rd March 2pm (Kid-Friendly Show) and Saturday 23rd March 7:30pm. Audience members wishing to be involved in the show as “Audience Volunteer Spellers” should arrive 45 minutes prior to performance time to apply.
Bookings: 9975-1455, www.glenstreet.com.au or www.stageartz.com.au
Adults $35, Concessions $30, Kids (under 12yrs) $25 and Groups of 10+ $30.
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