THEATRE RESPONSE: SPELLING BEE ADULT NIGHT

On Tuesday night (and thanks to my dear friend James Iglehart) I was able to finally see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This was their "adult night" when things are a little different but not much. The set up is basically the same except some of the dialogue is altered for adult & toilet humor - I loved it! I had an amazing time - I thought the production was top notch and every single member of that cast was very talented and very worthy of their roles. I have to mention them all: Aaron J. Albano, Stanley Bahorek (who was amazing!), Jenni Barber (I don't know where those high E's came from - stunning!), Jim Cashman, Jared Gertner, Sara Inbar, Greta Lee & Betsy Wolfe (who stole the show in a lot of ways for me.)

I have done three shows with James and I have always known that he is a Bay Area treasure. The Bay Area will lose that treasure when he goes on the road with the show. James is one of the most wonderful people I know. He has always looked out for me as a performer and as a friend. He deserves all the success in the world and then some. He is truly magnificent in this show. I thought his role was underutilized but James being the amazing performer that he is manages to shine in that spotlight every time he sings & dances.

I plan on seeing the regular version of the show before it closes and if you haven't already seen it - this is a great night out. The show is performed without an intermission and runs about 1:45 which at times got a little long for me but it was a terrific production and one I am looking forward to seeing again before September 3rd.