CATHE Center stages show that revolves around spelling bee
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
What happens when six adults with strong singing voices and questionable spelling skills take on the roles of middle schoolers to perform a Tony Award-winning musical?
“It’s really funny and also thought provoking,” said Jenny Hoffman, who will direct the CATHE Center’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
The production opens a six-show run on Friday and is a first for the CATHE Center, 125 E. State St., Burlington.
The center has long sponsored a youth theater program, but this is the first time it will produce a show “with adults for adults,” according to Hoffman, who has been involved with community and school theater in the area for decades.
Hoffman pitched the idea to a member of the CATHE Center board last year and it “took off from there,” she said.
The show will be presented in a dinner theater setting. Tickets are priced at $25 each and include the meal – which features two choices (including vegetarian) that are dubbed “lunch boxes” in keeping with the theme of the show.
Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. for the Friday and Saturday shows and 1:30 p.m. for the Sunday shows.
Performance dates are Friday through Sunday this week and March 2 through 4. Tickets are available online at catheonline.org and through brownpapertickets.com.
Tickets should be reserved no later than 48 hours in advance of desired performance to accommodate food preparation.
Handpicked cast
Rather than host open auditions for the show, Hoffman handpicked cast members she had worked with in some capacity in the past. The goal was to find vocalists and actors who could embrace the shows challenging musical score by William Finn, she said.
“I have a great cast,” she said. “It just worked out and they were all available.”
The show revolves around an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents who vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime.
See the Feb. 22 edition of the Burlington Standard Press for the full story, including the cast list and another photo.
If you go…
What: CAHTE Center’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
When: Feb. 23-25 and March 2-4; Friday and Saturday shows begin with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday shows feature dinner at 1:30 p.m.
Where: CATHE Center, 125 E. State St., Burlington
The lowdown: Longtime local director Jenny Hoffman leads a handpicked musical cast of adults playing the roles of middle schoolers as they reveal the secrets of their lives in the pressure-packed confines of a spelling bee.
Tickets: $25 including dinner are available at catheonline.org.
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