Audrey Johnson as Leaf Coneybear. Image courtesy of Soubrette Productions.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to review the Tony-award-winning musical comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin) this past weekend. Soubrette is a brand-new production company here in Austin, started by husband-and-wife team, Philip Olson and Julia Lorenz-Olson. This is a great choice of show for their debut – endearing, quirky and hilarious, providing a wonderful opportunity for showing off the talents of a great ensemble cast. Philip Olson directs, and Lorenz-Olson puts in her own gloriously earnest and dorky performance as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre.
We had a glass of wine and some snacks beforehand at East End Wines – there is a great selection of wine on offer, and the Three Little Pigs trailer parked outside provides delicious food. It’s a great place to meet up with friends before the show, as we did! And from there, it was on to the theatre, fully prepared to laugh till our sides ached.
The Three Little Pigs trailer - photo by Adrian Cardwell.
From the official description of the show: “There will plenty of spelling, as well as tap-dancing, sock-puppets, free juice-boxes, and even a cameo appearance from Jesus Christ! Want to really get into the action? There will also be a voluntary audience participation element, in which a select few audience members will receive the chance to compete in the Bee! Victory and eternal glory await!”
I like how they slipped the work ‘voluntary’ in there. I have to say, I was very relieved not to be pulled up on stage (introversion and audience participation don’t go all that well together), but the cast did an amazing job of improvising around those audience members who were. Some of them presented quite a challenge, too, giving correct answers and lingering on-stage longer than intended!
Aaron Glover, who played Chip Tolentino, is a friend of mine – but I can say without bias (or at least while trying very hard to have no bias) that he was my favorite part of the whole show. He has a wonderful voice, showcased in one of the very best songs (watch out for it at the end of intermission), and some hilarious additional cameo roles, too. Brian Losoya as William Barfee was another highlight for me – his angry-but-endearing character has some of the best lines (and the most entertaining dance number). The dry humor of Vice-Principal Panch (Derek Jones) and the beautiful voice of Rona Lisa Peretti (Kylie Baker) were a unifying force throughout the Bee.
The lovely Aaron.
Other cast members include Glenn Badgely as Comfort Counselor, Mitch Mahoney; Amy Chang as over-achiever Marcy Park; Olivia Frierson as Olive Ostrovsky; and Audrey Johnson as free spirit Leaf Coneybear (a role usually given to a male actor, in which she excels). Every cast member does a fantastic job, and the chemistry between them all makes for a sparkling show. The only small quibble I have is that the story did seem to slow down in places, particularly during the audience participation and Olive’s solo number, but I did attend on opening night and the cast was just getting into its stride. After seeing this show, I am very excited to see what Soubrette takes on next!
A portion of the proceeds from this production will benefit Tapestry Dance Studios and Center Stage Texas – both these organizations and Soubrette Productions could really use your support.
The show runs from 23 September to 9 October, with performances at 7:30pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and an additional matinee performance on Sundays at 3pm, and its venue is the Boyd Vance Theater (1161 Angelina St). The theater is a little difficult to find, as it is part of the George Washington Carver Museum, but it’s a lovely venue for such an intimate production. Tickets cost $15, and student and senior discounts are available. Click here to purchase.
Head along to the show and tell me what you think about it!
P.S. Another of those ubiquitous Austin art-longhorns was grazing on a bucket of crayons outside the theatre. Collect the whole set!
