Critic’s review of WSHS fall musical

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”

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WSHS Drama

The WSHS fall musical, “The Putnam County Spelling Bee,” received high praise from students and critics alike.

Hali Reeves of Winter Park High School, Bear Truth News contributer

Exceed. E-X-C-E-E-D. Exceed. That is what Winter Springs High School’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee did to every expectation. It exceeded them.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows the story of young spellers whose dreams include everything from just impressing their siblings to winning the national bee. Each child has a dynamic coming of age story that warms the audience members’ hearts.

It is hard to come by such a well rounded and well developed cast in a high school musical. Every single actor in this cast was fully committed the entire time and shined in his or her own unique way. Sophia Wess, in two roles as Rona Lisa Peretti and Olive’s Mother, stunned audience members during “The I Love You Song” with her beautifully precise and enthralling voice. Laura Staudt as Olive Ostrovsky gave a heartfelt performance full of many truthful endearing moments. It was easy for audience members to be pulled in by her honest portrayal of Olive. Logan Mahan as Vice Principal Panch should also be noted for being so witty and quick on his feet when improvising with the selected members of the audience. Allyson Elliott as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre was astounding in her girlish indignation and the ability to so quickly switch between vulnerability and strength. Nate Elliott as William Barfée had the audience roaring with laughter through his vocals and physicality. No bad word can be said about the cast as a whole or on an individual level.

No less amazing than the acting were the technical aspects in this show. To begin with, congratulations to Kayla Mangold for being involved in so many different technical roles. Her work did not go unnoticed. In terms of Ashlee Golden and Karoline Ingalls’ sound work, the microphones were working perfectly almost all of the time. Also, the lighting design by Karoline Ingalls effectively set the mood for each different song or scene.

Winter Springs High School’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was truly a show to be proud of. Congratulations to the cast and crew on such a job well done.