The Winter Musical Debuts on the Hilltop, and Abroad
In Kimball Union Academy’s Flickinger Auditorium, a burst of color, song, and dance delighted audiences February 22 - 24. KUA performers showcased their talents in this year’s Winter musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” before taking the show on tour to the Kristin School in New Zealand.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” centers around an odd-ball group of young students who are finalists in their regional spelling bee, fighting for a chance to compete at the national bee in Washington, D.C. This hilarious and heartwarming musical takes a look at the pressures these young students are under, and just how affected they are by everything from their parents to the agonizing struggle that is growing up.
Each character has a very quirky personality, shown through flashbacks into their personal lives and upbringing. Throughout the spelling bee, the audience quickly falls in love with each of these eccentric individuals. To the further delight of the audience, guest “spellers” from the crowd are chosen to come up on stage, so show-goers got to see some of their fellow students and teachers up on stage as well!
This musical ran on Broadway from 2005-2008 and is one of the funniest and most original contemporary musicals in recent history. Its off-the-cuff humor and catchy music are sure to stick in the audience members’ heads for quite some time!
After the on-campus performances came to a close, the cast brought this witty musical on tour to New Zealand last week to a Global Alliance for Innovative Learning (GAIL) member school, The Kristin School for several peroformances and workshops that were great successes. During the group’s stay, students lived in homestays with Kristin School counterparts, and attended some of their classes to see what the academic day looks like on the opposite side of the world!
By now, the group has now departed Kristin and are touring other parts of the country to take in more of what New Zealand has to offer. During this leg of the journey, students will see performances from the Maori tribe, experience mud baths and hot springs, and visit the Space Needle in the tourist capital of Auckland.
By now, the group has now departed Kristin and are touring other parts of the country to take in more of what New Zealand has to offer. During this leg of the journey, students will see performances from the Maori tribe, experience mud baths and hot springs, and visit the Space Needle in the tourist capital of Auckland.
