“Your word is astonishing!”
“Can you use it in a sentence please?”
“The VHS Spotlight Players’ performance of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was astonishing!”
“A-S-T-O-N-I-S-H-I-N-G”
On March 7, 8, and 9, the group, under the direction of English teacher Frances Young, put on a performance many thought was one of their best shows in memory.
Playing six quirky lead spellers and three unique adult supervisors of The Bee, the relatively “normal” VHS students had to do some really strong acting to incorporate the oddball characteristics and qualities none of the real life actors possessed.
Gabe Riccitelli with his “magic foot” had to dance around the stage while worrying about his character’s health issues, and competitive disposition.
Gabi Latimer brilliantly portrayed Olive, the lead female role who has a heart-wrenching story. She sang wonderfully in her character’s dialect, which seems extremely difficult considering I can’t even sing well in my normal voice.
Mike Hardenberg played a boy with an attention span as short as the antlers on his helmet, but of course sung and acted beautifully. But then again, when doesn’t he?
Austin Williams seemed like a goody-two-shoes because his character was a proud Boy Scout, but he soon faced embarrassment when introduced to a cute girl. Maddie Meyer played a character with not only two mothers, but a passion for women’s rights and dreams of being the next president (first she must graduate middle school). And as the self-proclaimed spelling bee queen, Kelsey Mitchell played a head-strong girl known for usually being right.
However as great as the spellers were, the actors that played the adults stole the show. Who knew Ned Denton could sing really well? Jill Lanese also did an incredible job singing, but more so acting. The number of lines she had to remember was an insane amount for anyone, especially a high school student with tons of other work and commitments going on.
And my personal favorite was Alex Karpinski, who undoubtedly has a future in acting. With perfect timing and a perfect voice for his witty remarks, Alex kept the audience laughing throughout the entire performance.
The seniors can be proud they went out on such a high note, and with so many talented underclassmen, the future is bright for the Spotlight Players.