Holidays and Broadway Plays

There is a de facto custom in my family (or to be accurate, among my mother, my sister and myself) that ordinates our attendance of a Broadway show on any Jewish holiday with a substantial Chol HaMoed period. I believe this evolved from a time when, due to the demands of school and smaller children (and smaller children in school), it was difficult for my mother to locate a period of time that would be amenable to the late nights, fancy clothing and Manhattan evening traffic that accompany such an endeavor. Although by now these obstacles have shrunk considerably, (attending a play on a school night is less of a parental taboo when you fall asleep before your children do) we still attempt to continue the tradition and so make sure to attend a show at least every Succos and Pesach.

This year, we decided to attend a performance of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a musical freshly minted from Off-Broadway and receiving that alluring kind of secret attention reserved for the truly unique of the Broadway resume. It is currently in previews and opening in May, the fact of which heightened the excitement of the experience for me- somehow, seeing a play in previews gives me the euphorically superior feeling of having discovered something special.

I wasn't remiss in my anticipation- the play was absolutely fantastic. I doubt I've ever laughed so hard, with such genuine mirth (in a theater exhibiting live people) as I did on Tuesday night. It would take far too long to explain each distinct dynamic of the show, but everything from the dialogue to the setting to the lyrics was just brimming with a refreshingly pure sense of fun. Additionally, it is staged in a very small theater, so the experience is very intimate and has a distinctly improvisational aura about it. (For example, they select four people from the audience to be part of the Spelling Bee, and these people remain onstage until they legitimately miss a word. Apparently they have had several audience members go unpredictably far in the "competition," but they also have a list of fail-safe obscurities to ensure the play can eventually reach it's designated conclusion.)

Unfortunately, as in most things today, "Spelling Bee" includes a distinct infusion of unnecessary lewdness. It wasn't overwhelming (it mostly consists of one girl struggling the fact that her parental figures are both men, and a boy dealing with... puberty issues- although this in particular is given it's own song and is severely distasteful) but it is certainly significant enough, in my opinion, to restrict children under 13-14 from attending.

Overall though (and I do feel somewhat guilty in saying this) if you are aware of these issues from the start, "Spelling Bee" can truly be a fun and energetic experience. I do recommend it as a play that adults in particular should be able to appreciate. It has such a fresh, unique giddiness about it, that you almost can't help walking out with a smile.