The San Jose Repertory Theatre has a new show starting Saturday, May 9.  The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! is a Tony award winning musical comedy and will be playing until June 7.  Maybe I’ve been living under a theatre rock, but I have never heard of this show before; however it appears to be highly regarded and I am excited to be attending the May 15^th performance (review to come).

In this musical comedy, six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.  The spelling students are all played by adults but word on the street says it absolutely works.  This may be due to the interactive nature of the play itself.  Before each performance four members of the audience are chosen to participate in the spelling bee.  This brings a certain uncertainty to the night and ensures that each performance will be slightly different.  In the Broadway show the cast runs up and down the aisles and one character is known for emptying his portable candy carrier while singing about “the embarrassing erection”.  We will soon know if this has all been carried over to the San Jose production.

This tiny little show began as a workshop in Massachusetts in 2004, and quickly moved to off-Broadway where it sold out its original stay and was extended due to the glowing reviews and word of mouth.  It moved to Broadway’s Circle in the Square on April 15, 2005 and won two 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor.

The SJ Rep production is directed by Timothy Near and should be another smash hit in our town.  Don’t miss this exciting new show!

DATES, TIMES & PRICES: Previews: May 9th-May 14th, 2009

Opens: May 15th, 2009

Closes: June 7th, 2009

Price range: $33-$62

101 Paseo de San Antonio / San Jose, CA 95113-2603 

www.sjrep.com / info@sjrep.com