at Post Street Theatre
For those of us who have ever been terrorized and traumatized by school spelling bees, or who couldn't get a grip on "i before e except after c," this 2005 Tony Award-nominated musical may be able to cure what five years of therapy couldn't. After all, didn't the documentary Spellbound, with its lovable misfits and freaky parents, just scream to be satirized? Well, who knows if Spelling Bee's authors had that film in mind, but they did manage to assemble colorful characters, like the aptly named William Barfee, who spells with his foot, an overachieving Asian student, a pubescent boy with overactive hormones, a gay event organizer and parents who are quite possibly less mature than their kids. Making its West Coast premiere, the sardonic Spelling Bee gets our vote for one of the must-see shows of the spring season, and word is that past shows have snagged audience members for the spelling contest. No cheating.
Playing February 14 through March 26

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee