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Chicago Tribune
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Stage fright or not, Paramount's BOLD Series comedy engages audience like no other
Forget the stark division in our political landscape. I'm convinced an equally wide difference exists between people who can perform in front of strangers and those who would rather be caught in the middle of a herd of stampeding buffaloes. To be clear: I'm not talking about entertainers, motivational speakers, clergy or other professionals who face audiences on a regular basis. Specifically, I'm referring to those who would spontaneously volunteer not only to get up on stage and be part of a musical but also put their spelling prowess to the test. At every show of the Paramount's 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,' attendees can, indeed, sign up before the musical comedy begins – listing a few fun facts about themselves – for a chance to join the professionals on stage during the first act. The four who are chosen then get brief instructions on what they will be required to do, which not only means standing in front of a mic and attempting to spell whatever words come their way, but also blending into the storyline, which includes some light follow-along choreography. Since watching this BOLD Series production, now playing through April 27 at Copley Theatre in downtown Aurora, I have been fascinated by the BOLD among us. In fact, I found myself paying as much attention on opening night to the four volunteers who took on the roles of quirky adolescent spellers as I did the pros. And so, I reached out to a couple of these amateur brave-hearts last week to find out more about them. Surely, I reasoned, they must be terrific spellers or confident public speakers – or likely both – to get on that stage. Turns out, not so much. 'Were you nervous?' I asked. Absolutely, admitted Naperville resident Mary Babler, who was urged on by husband Tom to sign up. The fact Babler was a retired third-grade teacher who hosted plenty of spelling bees drew her to this show, her first visit to a BOLD Series performance. Still, she quickly added, spelling was never her strong suit, nor was any form of public speaking. 'So why did you do it?' I asked. 'Good question,' she replied with a chuckle, then suggested the intimacy of the theater and the fun atmosphere of the musical itself contributed to her decision to give it a shot. That, she added, 'and a glass of wine.' Likewise, Aurora resident Katie Herrmann, despite singing in her church choir and doing some community theater with the Fox Valley Park District, was not used to being front and center on any stage, much less one that requires you to spell in front of an audience. Herrmann, a speech language pathologist who was at opening night with a theater-reviewer friend, confessed, 'I was the most nervous I'd ever been … my hands were shaking as I held the mic.' Still, it was 'also the most fun I've ever had,' Herrmann said, adding that part of the thrill was being on stage with such 'high level talent,' including Naphtali Curry, who had just finished playing Donkey in the national tour of 'Shrek: The Musical.' Both she and Babler had nothing but praise for the entire cast. Not only were they talented, but kind, welcoming and able to discreetly direct them on stage. 'They made it so easy you could not screw up,' noted Herrmann. 'And even when it was time to leave, they guided you off with dignity.' What's amazing, says Paramount Artistic Producer and Casting Director Trent Stork, is that these actors are so well-prepared in this comedy, no matter what the audience spellers do, they know how to keep the show going and the laughs rolling. Plus, Stork added, 'it engages audiences in a way that makes you feel like a kid again.' The two audience volunteers stayed in this comedic bee for at least a couple of rounds. Babler was tripped up by the word 'fartlek,' Swedish for a type of running workout. And for Herrmann it was 'A'a', which is a type of lava flow. Certainly understandable since they both attacked these strange words phonetically. You can't say the same for Stork, who volunteered when a fourth speller was needed for the 'Designer Run,' which is the first rehearsal show that goes before an audience. The self-described 'straight-A student but bad speller,' remembered how 'Mom constantly was on me because I never brought a spelling list home.' Stork got the word 'cow' – the easiest word in the musical and meant to keep its speller in the contest a little longer. Unfortunately, for this Paramount pro whose second home is the theater, stage fright took over and out came 'c-a-w.' 'As the music starts for that song, I was getting nervous. I choked,' Stork recalled. 'They thought I did it on purpose. But what is worse: that they thought I was trying to ruin the show or that I can't spell cow?' By the way, the producer/director admitted that in the 40 shows so far of this hilarious musical – that's 160 audience volunteers – 'I don't think anyone has missed cow.' Stork, who on opening night wore a T-shirt with the picture of this farm animal and the letters C-A-W above it, has a feeling 'I will never live this down.' All the more reason, Stork added, 'I'm holding off telling Mom.'
Chicago Tribune
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Column: On stage in Aurora and in real life, county spelling bees provide lesson in competition
'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' is a Tony-nominated production that's been around for 20 years. But the message of this beloved musical comedy that centers on six middle-schoolers vying for a trophy is more relevant than ever – there's a whole lot of pressure on kids to not only compete but to win, sometimes at any cost. OK, so that's a lot to put on a musical comedy. Especially one as hilarious as this show that's playing through April 27 at Copley Theatre in downtown Aurora. Yes, 'Putnam County Spelling Bee' is so darn adorable, I laughed and smiled my way through the entire two-hour show that not only features a talented cast of nerdy 'adolescents' and equally quirky adults, but also a handful of brave audience members who joined the spellers on stage as they vied for a chance to bring home a big trophy and represent their county at the next level of competition. The top-notch caliber of this show is no surprise. That's what we've come to expect from the Paramount Theatre's BOLD Series, which not only manages to entertain but also deliver a message that keeps you thinking after the standing ovation. This show, I guarantee, will hit home with a majority of the audience. After all, most of us have vivid memories of taking part in spelling bees, whether we were lousy at it, managed to hang around for several rounds or came away with head held high as a finalist, runner-up or champ. As Director Stephen Schellhardt pointed out in his playbill notes, even with ChatGPT and spell check, 'America's love for this centuries-old spelling bee endures,' in all likelihood because 'competition is a cornerstone of society.' Turns out, the same week this Copley musical opened, a seventh-grader from Larson Middle School in Elgin, Yahya Mohammed, took the top prize in the spelling bee sponsored by the Kane County Regional Office of Education, which has partnered with Scripps National Spelling Bee – celebrating its centennial this year – for more than two decades. Young Yahya Mohammed – who nailed the word 'intersperse' after 20 rounds of competition – also won the regional bee last year, and lasted into the fourth round at the national contest in Washington, D.C. There were 27 schools that were represented in the semifinal of this year's Kane County bee, according to the Regional Office of Education, and those numbers have remained consistent over the last several years. Like anything that involves kids and/or education, there's been pros and cons written about word-memorization contests – promotes better reading, writing, spelling and confidence versus does not promote better reading, writing, spelling and confidence. The musical definitely shines a humorous spotlight on the pressure kids are under to excel. But that's true in any youth-related competition, especially sports, where the ante has been upped for this generation, as it takes so much more time, money and family commitment to just stay in the game, never mind excel at it. What I liked about 'Putnam County Spelling Bee,' however, is that in their angst-riddled pursuit of excellence and acceptance, these youngsters display resiliency, and that, while they realize winning is awesome, in the end, it's really just icing on the cake to the other positives that healthy competition can foster. As Schellhardt pointed out in his director's playbill notes, the word competition stems from the Latin words COM, which means 'together,' and PETERE, which means 'to seek.' 'What if we were to honor that version of the word more often?' he asks. 'What if, in our pursuit of excellence, we turn towards each other instead of against and celebrate our differences? 'What if we champion the courage it takes to simply show up?' Turns out those words were echoed by Patricia Dal Santo, regional superintendent of schools for Kane County. 'The amount of effort that students put into preparing for this competition is a feat itself,' she said, noting the 4,000-word study list these kids get to prepare for these spelling bees. 'Simply participating on this stage can be a treasured memory for children and their families,' she added, 'and we take pride in providing this platform for them to showcase their talent.'
