The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005 Original Broadway Cast) [CAST RECORDING]

Rachel Sheinkin, Derrick Baskin, Sarah Saltzberg, Jay Reiss, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Dan Fogler, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lisa Howard, William Finn, Jose Llana, Deborah Craig

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 31, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Ghostlight Records
• ASIN: B0009A1AMS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,251 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
When was the last time you heard a musical with a truly hilarious book? Rachel Sheinkin has concocted such a thing for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, one of the most unexpected hits of 2005. Unfortunately, Sheinkin's wit is mostly lost on a cast album; fortunately, the show's songs are by the great William Finn. Set at the titular event, the musical never looks down on the competiting kids (played by adult actors), instead portraying them as endearingly nerdy but also smart, and endowing them with real personalities rather than predictably spelling-bee tics. The cast is uniformly superb, although personal faves include Sarah Saltzberg, playing Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre with a delicious lisp ("Woe Is Me"); Jesse Tyler Ferguson, bringing sweet innocence to Leaf Coneybear ("I'm Not That Smart"); and Dan Fogler, in a breakout comic performance as William Barfee ("Magic Foot," sounding like a sly tribute to Kander & Ebb). This show may be small in scale, but it's a huge winner. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Be smart, be cool", July 12, 2005

By	Jay Dickson (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There's something irresistibly endearing about seeing children perform publicly, given how vulnerable they seem (and are); and there is also something incredibly funny about seeing them exhibit overconfidence when they're in such vulnerable circumstances. This is the combination the creators of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE hit upon that has made the show such a success: the show's situation is almost a guaranteed winner, and given the comic talents of the ensemble (particularly Dan Fogler as the bizarre William Barfee and Sarah Strasman as the indomitable Schwartzy), the show is really a deserved hit. William Finn's music and lyrics are strong, but they are not the very strongest part of this show, unfortunately. It would have been great had this been a double-disc so we might have heard more of the comic interplay between the children and among them and the faculty members running the contest (I would have especially loved to have heard more of the wickedly funny sentences the spelling words are used in, whicvh is one of the comic highlights of the show). But, that being said, this CD does give you Fogler's showstopping "Magic Foot" shuffle number, Deborah S. Craig giving vent to Marcy Park's fearsome hypercompetence in "I Speak Six languages," and the beautiful repeated "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye" motif running throughout the show.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Small scale with a big influence, June 6, 2005

By	Matt Jarvis "jarvis child" (FSU, Tallahasee, FL) - See all my reviews

The 25th...Spelling Bee is one of the most creative shows since Avenue Q. The music isn't huge or in your face like your normal blockbuster.

Spelling Bee, though in the same boat as everything else by Bill Finn, is very different. His show is off-beat, pokes fun, fufills Finn's seeming requirement to have at least a single gay couple and a song that would be improper to sing in front of your conservative mother (My Unfortunate Erection).

But, it is different in many ways. First, this show gets its roots in improvisationsal theater, something never before on Broadway as far as I know (at least in musical format). Also, unlike Finn's other work, this musical is more lyrical. the songs are very singable, and will stick in your head.

The cast is unbelievably talented, with virtual unknowns in every part. Of course, now that Dan Fogler won the Tony for best featured actor, that no longer holds true. The individual voices are well placed-enough character voice to get the point across, without going overboard to ugly (like John tartaglia as Rod in Avenue Q). And the blend of the cast is also amazing. In the rucurring song, Goodbye, every note is clear, but you get the mix of the notes, not individual parts, also not accomplished by Avenue Q (which is the main show this score is compared to).

Songs that are particularly strong vocally are:

"I Speak Six Languages", which is a wonderful melody that is playful with the slightest hint of frustration in a twelve year old. It is a beautiful song meant to sound like a little girl whining. It hits the mark.

"My Unfortunate Erection (Chip's Lament)", so funny, and powerful melodically. Easy to oversing, but Jose Llana does it perfectly, properly maoning his problem with peuberty.

And finally, "The I Love you Song" is one of THE most beautiful trios I have heard in...well, ever. the chords are simple, and the progression is nothing special, but the three voices match so perfectly that I literally was blown away.

Well, hope this helps in you decision. The show is funny, delightfully distasteful, but not quite so far as Avenue Q. Fin doesn't resort to foul language and questionable subject matter purely for a laugh. Every song has a purpose.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tuneful and Funny, July 5, 2005

By	news4fan (Washington, DC area) - See all my reviews

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee sounds really good both in lyrics and in music--I look forward to seeing the show soon, but until then I have enjoyed this recording. Will Finn's score is slightly unbalanced, in that I wish there was a little more melodic quality--nonetheless the sound is fresh, playful, and, despite some drawbacks, very well grounded. The songs indeed are funny, though I imagine from what reviews have said that the material from the book is much better.

The sound coming from the singers is even better than the material they work with. It really is an ensemble work--no star really outshining the next, unless, in fact, their song is better.

The best selections are: the title song (1), Pandemonium (5), Why We Like Spelling (10), Prayer of the Comfort Counselor (11), Woe is Me (13), I Speak Six Languages (15), the I Love You Song (16)

Finally, the clips on this page don't represent this recording well--if I had based my choice to buy this only on the clips, I wouldn't have bought it. Now, however, I'm very glad I have.