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The Tony-winning musical “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” will have eight performances at the ASNMSU Center for the Arts, 1000 E. University Ave., beginning with a preview performance at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5.
The musical was conceived by Rebecca Feldman, with book by Rachel Sheinkin, music and lyrics by William Finn and additional material by Jay Reiss. It tells the story of a group of quirky sixth graders, competing to win a spelling bee run by three equally challenged and challenging adults.
“Told in 95 minutes without an intermission, the show moves quickly, and the music is entertaining, and our student singers have risen to the challenge,” said NMSU Theatre Department Head Wil Kilroy, who is directing the play.
Jenna Ivey plays Olive. Ivey performs locally in a singing group, and she played Eliza Doolittle last season; Hugo DeBillie (as Barfee), played Tomas in “Tomas and the Library Lady” last season; Riley Merrit (Chip) and Kamryn Neil (Rona), were both in last December’s NMSU production of “A Christmas Carol.”
Xodia Choate, whose character, Logainne, is pushed to win the spelling bee by her two dads, has performed in many NMSU and other theatrical productions and directed “A Christmas Carol.”
NMSU freshman Ben Muckenthaler plays Mitch Mahoney, who is doing his community service at the bee. Muckenthaler recently performed in local productions of “Cabaret” and “The Last Five Years.” Another freshman, Joshua Jackson, gives boundless energy to his character, Leaf, and Nick Mayeau plays Vice Principal Panch, with Brianna Horvath playing “the over-achiever who speaks six languages,” Kilroy said.
“This show is not only hilarious from start to finish, but also provides an opportunity for reflection with some tender and moving moments,” he said. “One of the fun elements of the show is that four audience members are invited onto the stage to actively participate as spellers in the bee. When choreography bursts forth and these audience members are thrown into the number, hilarity definitely ensues. In rehearsal we have had volunteers come to visit and the result has been hysterical,” Kilroy said.
The six spellers in the cast “are wonderfully quirky and charming, and have done a wonderful job creating endearing characters that you'll be rooting for to win the bee,” he said. Guest musical theatre instructor Lisa Hermanson “has done an amazing job as our musical director,” Kilroy said.
Performances are 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 6-7 and 13-14; 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, March 14-15.
Tickets are $18 for adults (ages 18-64), $15 seniors (ages 65 and older) and NMSU faculty/staff; $11 for students (ages 3-17 and NMSU students); $5 for high school students; and $10 for the March 5 preview performance only.
Purchase tickets by phone at 575-646-1420, in person at the Pan-American Center ticket office or from the ASNMSU Center for the Arts box office, which opens one hour before each performance. Online ticket sales are available through Ticketmaster.
For more information, visit https://theatre.nmsu.edu/.
