THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Reaction - Ep. 60 of Musicals I Know Nothing About

Reacting to the Spelling Bee musical was realising that there is such a thing as a slow burn cast recording.
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👀 UPCOMING REACTIONS - add your favourite shows: / barbara20is. .
***Copyright Disclaimer: none of the songs in this video belongs to me. This is a non-commercial video for entertainment purposes only.
#spellingbee #musicaltheatre #reaction

[@Chromaggia]

The goodbye song is even funnier when you realize that half the time, it is being sung to some poor audience member who was randomly called up to participate. There is a lot of improv and audience participation in this show, unfortunately that didn’t really translate to the cast recording. For another example, my best friend was called out as “Marigold”. And nope, I’m never letting her live that down :) Also The I Love You Song gives me goosebumps every time

[@Movidude74]

And this cast. A number of future tony nominees, at least 2 winners, a 5x Emmy nominee, and a survivor of multiple Wizarding world movies

[@TrueChoiStory]

Hi there! I played William Barfee a number of years ago at a regional theatre. This is by far one of my favorite musicals to do. Some fun things to know: - When the audience starts arriving at the theatre, stage managers or other theatre staff will approach people to see if they’d be interested in being a “speller.” Usually it’s a mix of ages and genders. Once they’re picked, the people who are chosen as spellers don’t know they’re going to be spelling until they’re called up to the stage. - In the script, there are easier words to give to the audience participants at certain points in the show, and harder ones when we need them to get the word wrong. However, if a person gets out on an easier word or somehow is able to spell some of the harder words, there are various “versions” and “backup plans” written into the show. I remember one performance I did where the last audience participant kept getting the words we gave them correct, and we HAD to get them out of the show at that point, so in the back of the script there is an entire list of incredibly impossible words to spell. - Each speller that gets out is given a hug and an actual juice box from the actor playing Mitch. - Usually, during Chip’s Lament, the actor throws a bunch of real candy into the audience. Just depends on the production. -This is definitely a show to see in person.

[@Barbara2.0]

LOVING all the audience participation bits! Now I really wanna see it live at some point

[@joebiydenn9835]

The I Love You Song is so much sadder when you consider that she's imagining that her parents are comforting her and that they never show up in the show/at the bee

[@kateorgera5907]

Well, in one version of the epilogue, Olive's dad does show up to bring her home, but no, he never actually gets to see the bee

[@Barbara2.0]

I had to keep reminding myself it was a fictional character, I just felt for her so deeply 😭

[@kateorgera5907]

Fun Facts: - Spelling Bee went up against Monty Python's Spamalot at the Tonys in 2005, and there was some talk it might repeat Avenue Q's unlikely win against Wicked from the year before. This... is not what ended up happening (Oops) - This would not be the last time Celia Keenan-Bolger (Olive) played a child as an adult - she won a Tony for playing Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird when she was FORTY, and did a great job as Molly Aster in Peter and the Starcatcher (a play, so no soundtrack). I met her once at the Empire State Building on the way to a Tonys photoshoot! She's currently on Broadway in Mother Play which got her nominated for another Tony, and also has a recurring role in The Gilded Age on HBO. - Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Leaf) became one of the most famous of the cast for playing gay dad Mitchell Pritchett in Modern Family. The fact that he plays one of Logainne's gay dads here with such a similar personality? Prophetic. - Dan Fogler (William Barfee) went on to play one of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts films, the lovable Jacob Kowalski. I saw him in person at New York Comic Con last year, and apparently he also creates gory horror graphic novels! He's a man of many talents.

[@simonsonian8977]

At the end of the show, all of the characters give their epilogues. Olive's had to be replaced in the licensed version because it was so sad that people were upset. Also, there are 9 people in the cast if I remember correctly, they just all play people in each other's backstories (Logainne's dads are played by Mitch and Leaf, for example). The other people that get eliminated are audience participants! Julie Andrews was once one of these participants and lost on the word "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".

[@kateorgera5907]

Some context: - "How is this show so sad without actually feeling like it?" It's written by the same guy who wrote Falsettos, that's why XD - To your question about cast size, the whole cast plays multiple roles. Leaf and Mitch play Logainne's dads, Rona Peretti and Mitch play Olive's parents, and the whole cast doubles as Leaf's family at one point, so there are really only 9 actors plus audience participants. - The bee is county-wide, so each kid is meant to be the best speller at their school bee who qualified to go to the county bee. The only kids who know each other are the ones who competed at previous bees (Chip, William, and Marcy). - Leaf Coneybear is the exception to the above - he's the SECOND runner up, but got to go to the county bee since the winner and runner up from his school had to go to a Bar Mitzvah , so Leaf having to go up against the county's best spellers when he didn't win his bee is part of why he's insecure at the beginning and proud for going so far (but also, the running joke? Every word Leaf gets is some kind of funny South American rodent) - Logainne is the youngest competitor at 9, but is also the most politically conscious and precocious (thus the pro-choice comment) due to her gay dads. She gets to do a whole adlibbed monologue on a political topic of her choice at some point. (Also, again, this is the same writer who wrote 10/13-year-old Jason in Falsettos , so not surprising all the kid characters are more than a little precocious) - Marcy Park is a Catholic school kid, and typically wears a school uniform in productions. She has a literal come-to-Jesus moment which is one of my favorite scenes in the show. - The show includes a where-are-they-now epilogue, so you get to find out how the kids grow up! Olive's ending differs depending on the production.

[@FrostyTheSnowPickle]

Not only did the winner at Leaf's school have to go to a Bar Mitzvah, the first runner-up had to *attend* the Bar Mitzvah, which is why he's going in despite being the second runner-up.

[@Barbara2.0]

About the first point, everything makes sense now hahahaha Also, very interesting that Olive's ending changes depending on the production. Thanks for the info!

[@FMAkers-jq2kh]

@@Barbara2.0 I actually just found the script for this show, and this is Olive's "Where Are They Now" in the current version: "Olive Ostrovsky reenacted the entire bee for her father in the car ride home. She grew up to be a loving and attentive parent - and the host of her own radio talk show, where every year she interviewed the runner up of the Putnam County spelling bee." The original version, which composer/lyricist William Finn thought was too sad, but also made available in case productions wanted to do it, was: "Olive Ostrovsky went home to an empty house, an uncertain future, and a well-worn dictionary - but a strange new conviction that she would be able to face all three."

[@Barbara2.0]

That "sad" ending is bittersweet though, not completely sad. I kinda like the resilience it hides between the lines tbh, besides sounding more poetic. I'd be that producer choosing the "sad" version hahaha

[@kateorgera5907]

@@Barbara2.0 I wonder if it's just that, in comparison to the other ending ,which are all much more cheerful or silly, Olive's sort of sticks out?

[@FrostyTheSnowPickle]

I LOVE THIS MUSICAL!!!!!!! I got to play Leaf Coneybear, and it was the most fun role I've ever played! They bring up four audience volunteers to participate in the spelling bee (that's what the "First, Second, and Third Goodbye" and "Prayer of the Comfort Counselor" songs are), and there's a bunch of opportunities for improv and stuff. It's so frickin' fun.

[@FMAkers-jq2kh]

Your Sondheim comment amuses me, considering the New York Times review says at one point, "[The score] occasionally suggests a Saturday morning television cartoon set to music by Stephen Sondheim[.]"

[@Barbara2.0]

That's perfect actually!! Glad I'm not crazy for saying that 😅

[@colebeck6528]

Some thoughts I had on the show that this show represents different broken homes or toxic relationships and pressure parents can put on their children. Obviously for olive its parents who are not there, for leaf its parents that don’t believe in you, for Marcy its parents that aren’t interested in letting their child do what makes them happy, for Logaine its parents that put too much pressure on their kids, for chip its parents that never properly humble their children, and for barfee its parents who don’t properly take care of a child that is not neurotypical. I believe 99% of people can relate to at least one of these or even a combination of these childhood experiences which is why it wrecks you. It can reach into a really traumatic place. Like you said nothing really dramatic happens, it’s a middle school spelling bee but it’s all psychological.

[@briamsky6748]

This has always been my favorite musical once I was a part of it. You truly appreciate the clever and sad moments in this show and the beautiful music.. ugh everything the depth they give this kids at a bee is insane

[@sarahdyclon3093]

This musical actually includes audience participation. In the beginning members of the audience come up as contestants and have to misspell words to go back into the seats. Thats why there were such easy words for some of the contestants they were for the audience. When i saw the play live they used the word mexican.

[@marianoflibrarian2401]

The musical does come with an epilogue that’s optional to perform. In the epilogue, Olive goes to DC with William Barfee and helps him study for the National competition. He doesn’t end up winning the National bee, but he does place decently high and they stay friends! I don’t remember the rest of the epilogue, I would need to read the script again.

[@mehhudson]

I love this show, thank you! Could you possibly react to A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder? I think you’d love the humor!!

[@marcus_jb]

This is one of those shows you HAVE to see live if you ever get the chance. The funniest production I’ve ever been a part of, and a unique experience every time due to the audience participation

[@Howdidyouknow04]

My college put on a performance of this and I fell absolutely in love with the show.

[@jonna8016]

oh im so excited, this is one of my all time favourite show. can't wait to watch you reaction :)

[@iambri127]

A little late to this but I love watching you give your interpretation of the meanings behind these songs. You have much better media literacy than I do haha. It's really fun to watch you analyze and react to the music as you go. Hope it's ok to suggest here but I think I'd be interesting to watch you listen to A New Brain. It's another William Finn musical that's actually heavily based on a real life event he went through after writing Falsettos. I absolutely love the music in it. I feel like you'd like it :) (and iirc it's all sung through like Falsettos, so it's pretty easy to understand everything that's going on without actually watching it).

[@probablynotapelican5808]

Yessss! Been waiting for this onnnnneeeee!

[@kateorgera5907]

This is one of those shows I've always wanted to be a part of because all of the female roles are so strong and fun. I sang "I Speak Six Languages" at as a teen and have really appreciated the musical ever since.

[@karigonzales5912]

So this cast is only 9 people, the characters like the dad's and olives mom and dad are played by the spellers since those character only appear 1-2 times, the 2 dad's are Mitch a leaf, olives mom is rona and olives dad is mitch

[@lavenderabston3442]

i love this musical so much it’s a dream show for me! i would love to see a reaction to the london cast recording of amelie! i think you’d enjoy it!

[@Naurman]

Fun Fact Jesse Tyler Ferguson who plays Leaf Coneybear named his dog Leaf!

[@ziggystardog]

Many competitive spellers are neurodivergent, socially awkward, immigrants, savants or oddballs. The show and the characters reflect this.

[@suttonschiff9648]

the fact that when oliver repeats the definition of chimerical at the end of i love you song and the guy says "that is correct" like telling her she spelled it correct but also like she's correct in that her fantasy is highly unrealistic and wildly fanciful

[@Barbara2.0]

Exactly! Heartbreaking. I love that bit

[@edwardnigma2638]

This musical was made by the same guy who did falsettos william Finn and also another musical of his which I like is a new brain

[@15two]

i love spelling bee so much!! its the musical that got me into musicals! i got to see it at a regional theatre and i was sat super close to the stage, and one of the audience spellers' seats was right behind mine so the cast was right up to me during their goodbye lmao. also, some actors play multiple characters, ex. mona and mitch play olive's mom and dad

[@Movidude74]

I went to see this on tour since I was on the west coast at the time. I bought the commerarive program and I was psyched because the pics were all of the original broadway cast and not the touring company. Then when I sat down, I perused the playbill started recognizing names of actors. The entire original Broadway cast reunited for the Los Angeles leg of that first tour

[@kennychytracek]

I was an audience participant in a production of a friend a while ago and she was playing Marcy Park! It's so fun to see live and even more fun if you're a participant. (i got the first goodbye and some apple juice from the comfort counselor which was fun)

[@lucylutz287]

I loved this reaction! I was Marcy Park (the I Speak 6 Languages one) a few years ago, and this reaction gave me so much to think about in terms of the deeper meaning. One thing that doesn't appear in the recording is that, as others have mentioned, audience members get pulled up to be spellers. All those goodbye songs that you hear, including the Prayer of the Comfort Counselor, that don't specifically mention a character are for the audience contestants. Additionally, the cast is actually pretty small, just the 6 kids, Rona, Mitch, and Doug. People play lots of minor characters as the show progresses.

[@Barbara2.0]

Thank you, lovely! I'm super impressed with how rich the music sounds with such a small cast

[@Hildegard1098]

My parents’ pastors came to see me in the show and sat in the front row. Their faces during My Unfortunate Erection were hysterical 😂

[@Barbara2.0]

Lol

[@annamartinson0705]

I am so glad you reacted to this show! It is one of my all time favorites and I've had the pleasure of being in it twice! Fun fact, this show actually has a cast of 9. With only 8 people actually singing on the album because the person playing Panch doesn't sing in this show. So all those amazing harmonies are created by 8 amazingly talented voices.

[@Barbara2.0]

Insane!!

[@theaudiobookaficionado]

🥹🥹🥹 i love this musical so much. If you ever get a chance to see it live, do it!! It is sooo funny and delightful live. Just watching you react to the i love you song made me cry haha. And I totally agree with you about the similarities between William Finn and Sondheim! I would love for you to listen to his musical A New Brain as well. It's fantastic and semi autobiographical which i think makes it especially interesting. There's a LOT to dig into with that one!

[@hannahwood4906]

You are so insightful, wow! You nailed it without even seeing it. Excellent job!

[@Barbara2.0]

Thank yoooouuuu 😊

[@probablynotapelican5808]

With getting to know the kids, there are lots of small visual details that happen on stage as the show progresses that give away some personality traits e.g. marcy doing ballet during pandemonium and rona’s affection toward olive. Also lots of the cast members double up on smaller roles, like Logainnes parents, and devastatingly olives parents who are played by the two hosts as they never show up…

[@z1andonlyme557]

The best part of “My Unfortunate Erection” is that while he sings he throws candy at the audience ToT.

[@Chromaggia]

My friend was the one he picked to be Marigold and he gave us SO MUCH candy. It was a wonderful reimbursement for the embarrassment lol

[@z1andonlyme557]

@@Chromaggia that’s so fun!!! I love this show so much. Being picked to be Marigold is an honor.

[@Barbara2.0]

Ok, that's amazing hahahaha

[@duck_is_lord]

Omg thank you for doing this show. It's definetly not my favorite musical by far, but somehow the I Love You Song grips me emotionally like no other. It really touched my inner child and no other song has ever come close to that ever again

[@johnnyscoffeebeans3263]

I played Olive in my highschools production and the I Love You Song is what made me audition for her. It’s such a beautiful song that wrecked me every single night. I still tear up when I watch it lol

[@hexonyou]

I absolutely love this musical, it's so nostalgic for me. When I was a junior in high school we saved up money for the drama/choir group to go to NYC (I'm from a very small Indiana town, so that's a big trip lol). We saw two musicals while there- the broadway revival version of Sweeney Todd (with the amazing Michael Cerveris and Patti Lupone), and we saw Putnam County Spelling Bee. I knew nothing about the musical going in but it was so witty and relatable, I was hooked.

[@hexonyou]

when you said it sounded very Sondheim-esque- 100% AGREE! It's like the music is dancing around them, the songs are furthering the story and living the moment. I don't know it just struck the perfect comparison!

[@ajmalaika1287]

Love this show, rates very highly in the "Cats/characters sing to u about themselves" I love the depths of character that they allow for and weaving music types into character analysis. Even cooler that they give them words unique enough to fit the spelling bee but still link to their songs. The I love you song hurts SOOO MUCH!!

[@carawood9715]

I got to play Logainne in high school and while I originally wanted to play Olive, I really had the best time ever with my part. I found myself relating to both girls so much and for a show that’s so freaking funny I ended up with a broken heart every night when “I” got out.

[@orangemarmalade77]

It was so relatable when you said that this would be a show you'd enjoy while you were seeing it but you wouldn't listen to the cast recording because I saw this on Broadway twice and I don't think I've listened to the cast recording since 2006 or 2007. I have really fond memories of seeing the show though!

[@FMAkers-jq2kh]

There are many shows like that, even some hugely successful ones, where the score isn't exactly Great but it works in the theater. It shows you how important a good book (aka script) is to a musical, because you can have shows like THE BOOK OF MORMON or THE PRODUCERS that are enormous hits without having a Great score, and you can also have a show like Leonard Bernstein's CANDIDE, which many think has one of the greatest scores ever written for a musical, and the show still doesn't work, because the book (or the storytelling) doesn't work.

[@evengaylion.9527]

YES YES YES GREAT CHOICE TO REACT TO!!!!- Also, you should react to Here We Are, the last Sondheim musical; released after his dead, the cast album was released this 17th of may!

[@jacobnienhuysen2283]

Great series! Plz do a reaction video to the Swedish musical Kristina at Carnegie Hall. That would be very interesting.

[@kimbrulee_the_musical]

hi barbara! i was wondering if you could please react to wonderland, les mis, and the lion king??? i think you’d love them!

[@Movidude74]

The cast isn't as big as you would guess. The girl who wins in the opening is miss peretti throughout. (That girl all grown up). The parents are played by other cast. I know it was miss Peretti as Olive's mom Mitch and Leaf as 2 of the dads but I am not sure who yhe third dad was anymore. Also Chip has a second role as Jesus in a non sung part of the show.

[@SnackityWackity]

Oh. One of my favorite musicals being reacted to? Click.

[@Hulahoopish]

Can you do “The ninth hour: a musical”?!

[@PeanutBuddha]

Did this show in both high school and college!

[@LeeExe]

never clicked faster

[@ajmalaika1287]

Also the music to me feels like an in between of Joe Iconis and Sohndeim but very rooted in the context of the show

[@colebeck6528]

This show makes me ugly cry

[@jonathanlopez6953]

best of Bill Finn.

[@SnackityWackity]

I highly reccomend kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZrTlIetg5Z5qqMsi=8VExvHwlL6LWaMkL And kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXzMp2ebnrqmgJYsi=Nl7JxjR5D7GwxpCK First one by a highschool i believe, and second by Harvard Students. Both have elements i personally love in character takes. But this will help fill in blanks with good acting❤❤