INCLEMENT WEATHER CHANGED OUR OPENING DATES to Feb. 27, 28 & March 1, and March 6, 7 & 8th. Same times.
Get out your dictionaries and put on your thinking caps. You may be one of the audience spellers in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at the Imperial Dinner Theatre opening Feb. 27 and running through March 8. Sponsored by Integrity First Bank, this wildly funny, fast-paced musical comedy directed by Sherrill Moffett, is one of Broadways most buzzed about recent hits.
The show opens as Vice Principal, Mr. Panch (Eli Murray), and the lovely but trapped-in-time Rona Lisa Peretti (Sherrill Moffett) gather their spellers onto the stage. It is clear that accidental over-achievers Marcy Park (Ashley Newman) and William Barfee (Jade Lowe) think they will win as Olive Ostrovsky (Lavesta Blackwood) just wishes her parents would come to see her. As the spelling bee begins, musical numbers somehow manage to delve deep into the childhood psyche while simultaneously appearing to be spontaneous extensions of their frustration. No one more than Chip Tolentino (John Cummings), boy scout and flawless speller, and his rival, the neurotic home-schooled kid Leaf Coneybear (Dylan Blackwood), super-hero cape and all. Logainne Schwartzandgrubbinierre (Danielle Broadway) is a little nervous by the prescence of Mitch Mahoney (Bobby Wheeler), ex-convict who is performing his community service time at the bee. To round out this heartwarming and quirky show, an angel (Dorothy Rapert) appears to one of the spellers who has called on Heaven to help her.
The lighting design by Shane Cummings will be run by Torrey Stevens. Ashley Evers acts as sound technician and the set was designed by Sherrill Moffett and constructed by set crew Dave Brownfield and Eli Murray. The technical crew will be led by Stage Manager Meaghan McCrossen.
The Imperial Dinner Theatre serves a fine dining experience with china and linens and your meal brought to you by servers. In-house Chef Steve Clements has announced the menu for this show is choice of salad or homemade chili, pork chop, scalloped potatoes (and yes, that is spelled correctly), sweet carrots, roll and for dessert, choice of cheesecake or Chef’s Special Brownie.
Show dates are February 27, 28 & March 1, and March 6, 7 and 8th. Weekdays and Saturdays dinner is at 6:30 with show at 7:30. On Sundays dinner is at 1:00 with show at 2:00. Dinner and Show tickets are $26.95 (general public) $23.95 (students with ID). Show Only tickets are $15.00 (general public) $12.00 (students with ID). The theater is located at 1401 Hwy. 304 East across from Black River Technical College in Pocahontas. Groups of 20 or more get a 10% discount and busses are welcome. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 870-892-0030.
The spellers in action in the musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at The Imperial Dinner Theatre opening Feb. 20. From L to R: Ashely Newman, Sherrill Moffett, Bobby Wheeler and Eli Murray look on as Lavesta Blackwood spells her word.
