Musical Comedy Spotlights Area Improv Talent

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Staff Writer

Lively music, chaotic comedy, inspired ensemble improvisation, and an occasional touch of poignant drama highlight the Tony Award-winning musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” More than half the cast of this Crimson Creek Players’ production are NDSU students or recent NDSU graduates, with the others coming from Grand Forks.

The play is set in the middle school gym of a small town, where a spelling competition pits six very individual students against each other and three adult chaperones. A dozen songs set up the situation and develop each of the characters’ personalities and various issues each is struggling with. (The show is recommended for audiences of high school age and older.)

And though no two live performances are ever exactly the same, this show is especially different each night due to its reliance upon a substantial amount of improvisation. Besides the regular cast, each night there are four “guest stars” sitting in on the competition, who must, like the cast members playing the students, regularly spell words until they miss one and are escorted off the stage. This leads to a variety of unpredictable reactions and ad libs tailored to specific people and even audience members. It can also make the running time vary anywhere between an hour-and-a-half and two hours.

Daniel Dutot and Maura Ferguson dominate much of the action as the frustrated vice principal and ex-spelling champion spelling bee judge who try to keep their young charges (and themselves) under control throughout the proceedings. Michelle McCauley oozes attitude as a paroled convict assigned to console the losers as part of her community service sentence.

Tyler Rood, Lori Boucher, Matt Berdahl, Paul Vonasek, Mari Biel, and Haley Anne Boyd as the six students are all bundles of repressed energy waiting for any excuse to explode into a song or some sort of interaction with a competitor or one of the three adults. The ensemble work is excellent all around, with each actor playing off of each other and the audience in character (with a few actors doubling up occasionally as other characters referred to in songs).

A good five-piece orchestra at the back of the stage provides the music. Chris Berg directed the production and Benjamin Klipfel produced and designed the set, Amanda Hill directs the music.

The show opened Tuesday and runs at 7:30 pm nightly through Saturday this week and again next Tuesday through July 17th at the Fire Hall Theatre in downtown Grand Forks. On Friday, July 9th there will be an additional 10 pm show targeted towards mature audiences. Tickets are $18 or $15 for students, senior citizens, and military personnel.

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If You Go

What: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
Where: Fire Hall Theatre, 412 2nd Ave N, Grand Forks
When: Through July 17
Info: 701.746.0847