The Flossip™ — Florence, SC

This morning on the way to school I was calling out spelling words to my son. As he concentrated on getting every word correct, I flashed back to opening night at Putnam County Spelling Bee. My day was instantly made better– it is that kind of show. It sticks with you for days– the characters, the songs, the feeling of laughing for over a solid hour.

I confess that I didn’t understand the premise of “Spelling Bee” before I saw it. Adults playing children at a spelling bee? Huh?

While this show IS adults playing children at a countywide spelling bee, it is so much more than that. It is every childhood feeling and emotion captured in a hysterical and poignant two hour spelling romp. Shaw Thompson, Arlene Boyd, Jonathan Lewis, Kristin Hardaway, Frankie Sullivan, Nikki Frabot all play students that have been selected to represent their school at the countywide spelling bee. Rebecca Thompson is in charge of the spelling bee, and Lloyd Willcox is her able assistant. Leon Rogers rounds out the cast as the “comfort counselor” there to comfort the losers. The vocals in this musical are top notch, the cast is truly some of the elite Florence Little Theatre veterans.

Each character represents a kid that you either knew or that you felt like at one point in your childhood. While the play is hysterically funny, it is also deeply meaningful as you reflect and remember how hard it can be to be a kid. Jonathan Lewis as Leaf Coneybear absolutely stands out in his performance. While he made me fall out of my seat in laughter, I could also feel the pain of the kid who feels like he’s “not that smart.” When he is eliminated, I was truly sad that he wouldn’t be the champion speller.

Kristin Hardaway as Olive Ostrovsky, also has a stand out performance. I literally ached for this little girl who had no parents to watch her as she shined at the spelling bee. Everything about her– from her hair to her knocking knees– makes you believe that she is a wistful child who really just wants to be loved. My favorite line of the show is delivered by Hardaway: “if you took the W in answer, the H in ghost, the extra A in aardvark, and the T in listen you could keep saying “WHAT?” but no one would hear you because the whole word would be silent.” My heart broke as she and her mother (played by Rebecca Thompson) and her father (played by Leon Rogers) sang “The I Love You Song.” It was absolutely heart wrenching and beautiful.

Spelling Bee may be a show about children, but it is not a show for children. Frankie Sullivan as Chip Tolentino masterfully handles what I can only imagine is a… um… hmmm… difficult? situation as he sings what I will call “Chip’s song.” Sullivan, decked out in his boy scout uniform, loses early as a pretty girl distracts him from the task at hand. His song will bring tears from laughter as he works the stage. (Make sure you take some $1.00 bills as well… just trust me on this one.)

Marcy Park, played by Arlene Boyd, helps us to remember that sometimes losing is better. The joy on her face as she realizes this important life lesson helps us to remember that children should only be pushed so hard. They are, after all, only children. Logainee Schwartzandgrubenierre and her two gay dads (played by Leon Rogers and Jonathan Lewis) are over the top and hysterical as they push her closer and closer to the brink… of winning?

William Barfee (prounounced Barf-AY, not Barfy mind you) is brought to life by Shaw Thompson. Barf-ay is every obnoxious and yet insecure kid you ever knew in school. He overcompensates for his nerdiness by showing he is the smartest. Even as he is pulling his shirt out of his zipper or wiping his nose with his snotty rag, you know that all he really wants is a friend.

Rona Lisa Peretti (Rebecca Thompson) and Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Lloyd WIllcox) keep the show rolling along with their witty and saucy repartee.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the audience participation. Four lucky volunteers from the audience were selected to be spellers in the spelling bee. On opening night the spellers were a lovely mom to be whose name I didn’t catch, Brian Newman, Margaret Saverance, and Richard Walker. All four were great sports and should probably consider auditioning for the next show (shout out to the mom to be– you looked amazing and are way braver than I am!) Y’all should know that Richard Walker almost stole the spotlight! It was clear it was time for him to miss his spelling word and he was given a difficult word to spell. When he got the word correct (Bravo!), Lloyd Willcox showed his talent in improvisation as he did his best to get Mr. Walker off the stage. The audience truly enjoyed this added scene.

The band is on stage the entire performance and does a beautiful job. It is so fortunate that we are able to have live music in our shows. Many theaters have to use a recorded track, we all need to thank these volunteers that make this possible for Florence. Tip of my blue hat to: Debbie Floyd, Robin Thompson, Adam Brown, Joe DeVito, Kristen Slaughenhoupt, Jaja Liao, and Marci Behling.

If you have not seen this show, you need to purchase tickets ASAP. I can guarantee it is one that the word of mouth is going to lead to lots of last minute ticket sales. Actually, I am probably going to see it again so I will race you to the telephone! Box office: 843-662-3731

Additional Links:
Florence Little Theatre show page with information
SCNow Article by Traci Bridges with pictures

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