Catch This: An Underground Spelling Bee

Several years ago I attended the Washington State Thespian Festival at WWU with my high school theatre department, and we were blown away when three students performed the "I Love You Song" from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I remember thinking that at some point in my life, I had to see this musical.

Contemporary Classics and RK Productions are putting on the Tony award-winning musical tonight through Friday at 8 p.m, produced by the same people that brought the Seattle premieres of The Last Five Years and A New Brain, and who brought you Reefer Madness. This comedy tells the tale of six students competing in a spelling bee, the only place where these outsider adolescents feel like they fit in.

It debuted on Broadway in 2005 and has traveled the world, now making it's Seattle premier at the Ballard Underground. With an eight-person cast, the show is as intimate as the theatre space it's in, and there's even audience participation in the spelling bee. Tickets for the last three performances are still available.

The Ballard Underground 2220 NW Market St