25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Original Cast Recording, Finn, William
The Spelling Rules/My Favorite Moment of the Bee 1
My Friend, The Dictionary
The First Goodbye
Pandemonium
I'm Not That Smart
The Second Goodbye
Magic Feet
Pandemonium (Reprise)/My Favorite Moment of the Bee 2
Why We Like Spelling
Prayer of the Comfort Counselor
My Unfortunate Erection (Chip's Lament)
Woe Is Me
I'm Not That Smart (Reprise)
I Speak Six Languages
The I Love You Song
Woe Is Me (Reprise)
My Favorite Moment of the Bee 3/Second
Finale
The Last Goodbye
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, She... more »inkin'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 Other Great Musicals of the Season
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 Other Great Musicals of the Season
Spamalot
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Little Women
All Shook Up
Altar Boyz
"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."
Small scale with a big influence
Matt Jarvis | FSU, Tallahasee, FL | 06/07/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Tuneful and Funny
news4fan | 07/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Charming, heartfelt, hummable, and touching
Adam Lasnik | San Francisco, CA USA and http://www.bladam.com/ | 10/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Though I have not yet seen the actual musical, I can easily tell that this show is the anthesis of 'big budget' bashes. As compared often in earlier reviews, think Avenue Q... perhaps also Rent, as well as any prior Finn musical. Think small, intimate, and highly character-driven.
YOU'RE QUITE APT TO ENJOY THIS SHOW / THE ALBUM IF...
- You like musicals by Finn (Falsettos, New Brain...)
- You don't really care about sets, costumes, etc.
- You're fine with small, 'moderate' musical ensembles (as opposed to big lush orchestras or rockin' loud combos).
- You sympathize with geeks / nerds / underdogs.
YOU MAY NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS SHOW IF...
- Your favorite musicals involve large props, explosions (Sunset Blvd, Lion King)
- You hope to hear songs you're already familiar with (e.g., Mamma Mia, whatever that Beatles musical is, etc.)
- You're into primarily "weighty" themes or deep love stories (Les Miz, Miss Saigon).
* * *
Other thoughts about this cast album, in part echoing what others have duly noted:
- Enunciation is stellar.
- Balance (amongst parts, between singers and musicians) is excellent.
- Sound quality is quite good... crisp, vibrant.
- Characters' voices are indeed "affected"... but IMHO, very rarely so much as to deter from the enjoyment (and repeat listening enjoyment) of the score.
- While you can tell that this music is Finn'ish, there's enough variety in feel amongst the songs that you aren't likely to get bored.
* * *
Anyway, in case you couldn't tell, I really adored this score and can't wait to see the show in NY (or, here in SF when it finally goes on tour!) I'm eager to support shows like this that are warm, written and performed by people who seem to genuinely care about their characters AND respect the maturity and good will of the audience."
"Spelling Bee," is lovably clumsy perfection
Billy H. | 03/19/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"
With a score that bounces along, and sing-in-the-shower tongue twisting lyrics, this c.d. is the exact definition of "feel good." The talented cast feeds your ears with their goofy antics and extensive vocabularies. Every lyric is a gem of simplicity, so conversational, and they never get old. I listen to this c.d. once or twice every day. It's the first thing I look to pop into the car's c.d. player on the way to school, and it's the tunes that are playing on my ipod during finals.
A review for the staged production described it as "A Chorus Line, with pimples." Indeed, that couldn't be more accurate. Each song tells the story of an individual character, and the emotion in the vocals is especially evident. My favorite of the cast is Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who sings the buoyant song, "I'm Not That Smart." Even through just listening, you can tell that Ferguson embodies the twelve year old he is portraying.
I love this music. You woill love it, too. Such subtle brilliance are the lyrics "If you start to spell a word, you may start over, but the sequences of letters already spoken may not be changed." that they will play over and ove rin your head incessantly. Forever. And it won't annoy you."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1
