On the weekend of April 28-29, Libertyville High School’s Fine and Performing Arts Department presented the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a musical based on a book written by Rachel Sheinkin with music and lyrics by William Finn.
The musical, you could call it, was unusual. Not only did it provide aspects of young children’s difficulties, but it encompassed the entire audience and offered a few selected audience members to partake in the “spelling bee.”
An evident success of the play was the cast. The selected actors to perform were spectacular. Each student felt as though they had a designated spot on the cast and fulfilled that position as though the audience didn’t even feel was acting.
One actor in particular who stood out was senior Patrick Dunleavy, who played William Barfée. Dunleavy’s emphasis and emotion brought on to his rude, ill-mannered character filled each act with flecks of raw talent. His attitude throughout the show was evident and Dunleavy’s presence commanded the stage.
Along with the actors, the pit orchestra played a key component in the musical. Each song filled the theater with a lively mood and kept the audience on their toes. The reverberating pitch of the music acted as a perfect background for the play.
Unlike many high school productions, the musical provided many scenes of selective comedy that the whole family could enjoy. As an audience member, it was evident that all eyes were glued to center stage along with the continuous chuckles that would resonate throughout the crowd. Each piece of comedy not only marinated in the audience’s brains but brought current issues, political topics and 21st century ideas into the acts, which each individual in the crowd could relate to.
To top off the musical, it would be appropriate to thank each director, manager, designer and choreographer that took their time and dedication to perfect the fine details of the play. I was once again astounded by the effort and talent the LHS has and can’t wait to revisit the Fine Arts Department in the 2017-18 school year.
