Musical Lyrical Lingo
We're Musical Lyrical Lingo!
Join Tim and Lj who delve deep into the wonderful world of musical theatre and more importantly the lessons they have learned from different musicals.
Join them as they explore some of the greatest musicals ever created, from the classics to the new and exciting shows that continue to teach us something new.
So whether you're a seasoned fan of the stage or a newcomer, this podcast is for you.
So sit back, relax and get ready to immerse yourself in the world of musical theatre.
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Musical Lyrical Lingo
The Spelling Bee: Misfit Champions and Life's Pandemonium
Ever wondered what makes a musical about spelling competitions so captivating? The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee might seem like an unlikely subject for Broadway magic, but as we discover in this episode, it's a masterclass in finding profound meaning in seemingly simple experiences.
Set in a high school gymnasium, this musical introduces us to six middle school spellers competing for glory while navigating the rollercoaster of pre-teen life. What makes this show special isn't just the clever wordplay or the fact that audience members join the competition each night - it's how perfectly it captures that moment in childhood when we're desperately trying to find where we belong.
From the chaotic energy of "Pandemonium" (where contestants rage against life's unfairness when someone gets an easy word like "cow" while others face "staphylococcus") to the heartbreaking beauty of "The I Love You Song" (where a child imagines her absent parents finally showing up to support her), William Finn's score brilliantly balances humor with emotional depth. Each character's spelling journey becomes a metaphor for their personal struggles - whether it's overcoming self-doubt, handling the awkwardness of puberty, or searching for parental approval.
Did you know Julie Andrews once appeared as a guest speller and was eliminated for misspelling "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"? Or that the show originated from an improvisational play? We unpack these fascinating tidbits while exploring how the musical teaches us that being different isn't just okay - it's wonderful. The spelling bee becomes a safe space where "though at school we seem strange, at the B we seem better."
Whether you're already a fan or discovering this gem for the first time, join us for an episode that will have you looking up words like "boanthropy" and "syzygy" while remembering what it felt like to finally find your people. Listen now, and let's celebrate the beautiful pandemonium of growing up!
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Hello and welcome to Musical Lyrical Lingo. We're your hosts.
LJ:Tim and LJ. Today and every week we will be discussing musicals, but specifically what they taught us.
Tim:I'm just thinking we should have spelt our names out today. We didn't think.
LJ:No L-A-U-R-E-M, Lauren.
Tim:T-i-m Tim. Can I have that in a sentence? T-i-m Tim Can I have that in a sentence? Tim has signed his contract and is going to be a movie star.
LJ:Are you?
Tim:Also Paddington, it's not going to happen. No, no, too many other commitments. Too many other commitments. Also, they were offering me alternate. I'm not an alternate, oh, however, right Hands off, you know. Hats off to the alternates out there. Yeah, but you know, if you're going to be in a movie, you know.
LJ:Well, that's a music movie, Music movie.
Tim:No, but if I'm going to be in the Mary Poppins movie, oh right, anyway, moving, you know, anyway, moving on really quickly, two, only two, bits of musical theatre news. Very sad, because Maz Murray has set her final performance date in West End's Mamma Mia at the Novello Theatre, and she will be finishing in it on the 4th of October. Now, murray has led the West End company since 2019 as Donna. However, previously having played Tanya from 2015 to 2017, she has been in that show since 2015 yeah, that's massive, we were talking about Rafiki last week to 2017. She has been in that show since 2015.
LJ:Yeah.
Tim:That's massive. Yeah, we were talking about Rafiki last week and now we're talking about Maz Murray. I wonder what she's got to go into. Oh listen, it will be so interesting because she's done a few wee bits and pieces whilst contracted to Mamma Mia, like she did do, like a Sunset Boulevard concert, like she did do like a sunset boulevard concert, like she's.
LJ:Her voice is rocking.
Tim:I think she's class, so I'm intrigued yeah, what she's doing yeah do you think she's come out of it because there is something there that she's like, or is she just I'm hopeful that that's the reason why right, that's just lovely. They're just popping out of me there.
LJ:Thanks, I'm hopeful that there's something.
Tim:Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
LJ:There's so many rumours as well about what is coming to the West End.
Tim:What? What have you heard? I haven't heard, you haven't heard what Well Beetlejuice. Okay, yeah, Beetlejuice. Nah, I don't see anything in Beetlejuice for you.
LJ:I don't see anything but Death Becomes.
Tim:but death becomes her. Is there talk of death becomes her coming to the west end this early, this soon? I can't, I'm going to wet myself yeah, it's all still she'd be brilliant and death becomes her. I so want to like I am. That's my new, that's my new, I know. That's my new thing. I like. I've listened to it.
LJ:I think about 20 times yeah so that was rude that that was pretty, so I'm hopeful that she's going to go and do something and do something really yeah, like that, really special, special, talking of special.
Tim:I haven Talking of special. I haven't heard of this before, but Samantha Barks is embarking on a cathedral tour. Yes, it just sounds beautiful. It's promising an intimate candlelit affair touring cathedrals across the UK. She's the first musical theatre star to do a cathedral tour. So the Lit by Candlelight. The concerts will take place throughout November, visiting Litchfield, chester, portsmouth, carlisle, lincoln, lundaff and Durham. Now, if you're talking about Cathedral Tour, yeah, we have beautiful cathedrals, yeah, over here.
LJ:I know so.
Tim:I mean just get on the ferry and come over exactly, it's not that far.
LJ:Come on, just get on a plane. I mean either way, yeah do you know what?
Tim:we'll go across and get you and bring you over perfect, we'll pick.
LJ:Do you know what We'll go across?
Tim:and get you and bring you over. Perfect, we'll piggyback you. It sounds beautiful, though, doesn't it? And so different. How lovely. What a different thing to do I think that sounds really nice.
LJ:Another thing I have. I haven't actually suggested it to you. Do you know I'm live on the pod, do you hear?
Tim:The people sing. No, I never want to hear that song again.
LJ:That the Devil Wears Prada soundtrack is being released. Yes, but it's not out yet.
Tim:Yes.
LJ:So I was thinking on our you know podcast, we'll mix up a wee bit. Do you want to do like a live listen or do you want to do an episode where we listen to the musical of Devil Wears Prada?
Tim:Oh yeah, let's do it, because I'm so intrigued by that musical too. Do you know what I'll have to do, though? I'll have to watch the film first.
LJ:Have you not seen the film?
Tim:No, oh my gosh, if it's a cult film, I haven't seen it, let's just go with that.
LJ:Haven't seen it. I worry about you.
Tim:Let's just go with that to be fair to myself, as I was growing up as a wee, a wee buck like I didn't really watch very many films like I did, because you were watching the same thing on repeat 20 times.
LJ:Do you know?
Tim:what it was. I didn't even watch films yeah like, unless it was Grace yeah. I was just like singing along to like musicals.
LJ:I know, I know I'm watching like hey, mr Producer, and yeah. Like, yeah, listening to, do you know what I mean?
Tim:Like I didn't, you know, I didn't go to the cinema to see films and stuff like that. It sounds like it was locked away, but I mean it wasn't, but I was having a merry old time, but just not watching cult films Anyway yes, let's do it.
LJ:We'll have a live lesson. Let's listen because, yeah, I think that this is going to be. I think people are really starting to like love, love, love it.
Tim:Yeah.
LJ:And the fact that they did this whole big like social media thing, about get Ellen on the film. If you haven't seen the film, you'll not have understood that any of this no, I haven't seen any of what you're talking about.
Tim:To be quite honest with you, watch the film, okay, no, I will watch the film. I also love that. It's kind of grown legs that show, because it was in for a limited time and then it's just been extended and extended and extended, and fair dues to her Vanessa Williams is extending each time with it, do you know, which I just think is lovely. You know, she wasn't over for a short stint or she was originally, because that's what she'll have been contracted for, you know. And she's like no, I'm not going anywhere.
LJ:I'm staying here. That's what I mean. I'm really excited about that musical because I feel like it's growing.
Tim:Yeah.
LJ:And there's a lot of love for it. A lot of love, a lot of love. So I feel like we should listen to the soundtrack.
Tim:Perfect, we'll do it. Cast recording. Cast recording, Right. What are we going to listen to this week, then?
LJ:The 25th annual Putnam County Spelling.
Tim:Bee Well done.
LJ:Thank you, that was a nice one.
Tim:Yeah, I yes the 25th annual. It's easier if you sing it. De-spelling bee Okay.
LJ:Okay. So, set in a high school gymnasium, right, six middle school age spellers compete in a spelling bee, each a little misfit. Their songs give insight into their lives, though in their six middle school spellers there's actually 12 people on stage.
Tim:Yes, so this was one of the things that I learned about it. So the 25th annual I'm just going to call it 25th annual because to say, oh, just call it Spelling Bee. So the I have to give it to this full account the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It's charmed audiences with its like effortless wit and humour. Charmed audiences with its like effortless wit and humour, featuring a fast paced, wildly funny and touching book by Rachel Shinkin, I think Shinkin, and a lovely, truly fresh and vibrant score by William Finn. I think this is an unforgettable experience, to be honest. But what I didn't realize was it was that the spelling B was originally like took inspiration from Rebecca Fieldman's improvisational play.
LJ:Yes, Crepuscularly C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E.
Tim:Okay, spelled out like that yeah, and in keeping with that improvisational, the improvisational roots, the show invites four audience members on stage to compete in the B during each performance, notably guests and spellers. Included the former presidential candidate Al Sharpton, and Julie Andrews Did you know that? And her daughter. And during a kid's night on Broadway in 2007, film and stage star Julie Andrews, as guest speller, fittingly was eliminated when she misspelt. What word?
Tim:what supercalifragilisticexpialidocious no way, that's hilarious yeah so, like fun, like this is such fun, like I just think this musical is fun, fun, fun, fun, fun with heart, like, oh yeah, and there's such beautiful heart. Yeah, I've only seen it live once and I went and I you know when you go and you don't know what you're going to see, and you were. I was absolutely enamored by it, to the point I went away, listened to the soundtrack and it's not a musical. I think I ever would have thought of listening before having seen it and I would say I'm slightly obsessed by it. And doing the pod and doing this episode, it meant I had to revisit it and I think, in in preparation for this, I have listened to it like five times, from start to finish, five times once, even at the gym, whilst on I cross, trained my whole way through this album.
LJ:Go you.
Tim:I was single on two. They were looking at me but I went. When I'm good and I'm on a cross trainer and I look this good in a cross trainer you can look all you want. I love it. I love it. At the 25th annual. The arms and legs are going like mud. I'm not that smart people have been telling me that for years. Can't you see it?
LJ:that is so funny. Who is a CCTV? I can access all of them the spellers are eliminated one by one and they are comforted by a comfort counsellor. I think comforted by a comfort counsellor.
Tim:I think we all need a comfort counsellor.
LJ:To be fair, well, yeah, I just saw some hog.
Tim:I'd be happy with that have a wee drink of juice and a wee hug and you'll be fine yeah, and then there's sometimes in some productions they will have a comedian be the announcer.
LJ:Yeah, who will, then you know. Can you put that in a sentence please? Yeah, so I think a lot of the productions. It's not very rigid, so you can play about with it a lot.
Tim:Yeah.
LJ:Get the license for it, you can maybe change a few things.
Tim:Yeah.
LJ:Maybe make it more comedy trip-esque rather than directly musical theatre.
Tim:Yeah, no listen it's supposed to be fun. Do you know what I mean? Like you, totally get that from even listening to it. Go ahead.
LJ:I just love the fact as well. Almost every show is going to be unique, then, because you're going to have different people up, and I think that's fair.
Tim:And that whole idea of playing on who you've got. Do you know what I mean? If you get a real character up, then all those other actors can like really lean into that. Do you know what I mean? And have a bit of fun. Yeah, the musical opened off Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre on January 2005 and then premiered on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre Great name I love the name of some American theatres, Like they're brilliant In April 2005. So didn't take long to move from off to on Broadway. It closed in January 2008 after a really impressive 1,136 performances Like the spelling bee.
LJ:In January 2008, after a really impressive 1136 performances like the spelling B was on Broadway longer than Legally Blonde that we talked about last week like you know, like it's so, so strange, I'm like you said, because it does have a lot of heart, this musical too, and I think that that does come down to William Finn and his. He's also known for Falsettos, falsetto Land, but also the Brave Little Toaster. Do you remember that? No, that little cartoon.
Tim:No, oh my gosh, why? What is the Brave Little Toaster you live?
LJ:under a rock.
Tim:I'm sorry. Where can I see the Brave? Is it on YouTube? Oh, I'm sorry. Where can I see the break? Is it on YouTube?
LJ:Oh, I'm sure it's on YouTube now.
Tim:Right, okay.
LJ:Yeah.
Tim:I am so Googling that data.
LJ:Yeah, so it does have an awful lot of art and I think that's where people, that's where I lapsed it.
Tim:Yeah, yeah.
LJ:He also had these big star names in it. Yeah, jesse Tyler had these big star names in it. Yeah, jesse Tyler Ferguson is so good in that role. Yeah, so so good.
Tim:What role does he play as a lead when I'm not smart? Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
LJ:And yeah, it's just, it's a lovely musical, but yeah, absolutely bonkers, yeah, whenever you think about it, but I love it.
Tim:It won several awards, including 2005 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance and that kind of like leans into what we've been talking about there, like that idea of like using the audience members and working together and always being different and having to work together as an ensemble.
LJ:I love there's loads because it's a big one in the Hampton Road I love. On YouTube you can watch, like you know, william Harvard School in Chicago and put it on. You can put all these like little primary schools or secondary schools or high schools in America, put them on. Like you can put all these like little primary schools or secondary schools or high schools in America, putting them on, and then they've got somebody participating and the cast are lifting them up and they're pulling them down and it's do you know what I mean?
LJ:this is so much fun it's just fun it's fun people on stage having fun it's what it's about people who it's, what it's about? People who didn't realise that they were on stage thought that was the experience.
Tim:Yeah, it also won two Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Featured Actor for Dan Fogler. It got six nominations in total at the Tonys that year. The first production outside of the US was at the Melbourne Theatre Company in Australia in January 2006. And the musical didn't in Australia in January 2006. And the musical didn't make its West End debut until it premiered in the Donmar Warehouse in February 2011. Interestingly, directed by Jamie Lloyd. Yeah, yeah. We didn't even know who he was back then Now look at him.
LJ:I'm so surprised that it only lasted February to April. But then I'm thinking we don't have spelling bees.
Tim:I also don't. Yes, we don't have spelling bees, because that's actually my first musical lyrical lingo, but we also don't have that type of humour. I don't think.
LJ:Yes, yeah, true, true it is.
Tim:I think it's very American it is. Laughs, I think it's very American. Laughs, yeah, I think.
LJ:Yeah, because I originally had missed that it was in the Donner. Okay.
Tim:I was like. Has it had a UK?
LJ:Yeah, it has a hat and then I was like, oh, that was the UK. No, there was a laugh. It's coming back. I think this in November for a very limited run in Broadway. Oh, is that? And it was in 2024. There was a very limited run and it featured like Bernie, no Beanie, he was in Funny. Girl, funny Girl, yes, and your man from Glee.
Tim:Dan Critt. Chris Matthew Morrison, no.
LJ:He's just been in the pros, chris Coughler.
Tim:No oh.
LJ:He was already in the wheelchair.
Tim:Oh yes, kevin, Kevin McCall. Yeah, no, not Kevin McCall.
LJ:That's from the task.
Tim:Kevin McCall.
LJ:Yes, okay.
Tim:There we go.
LJ:Anyway, so yeah, anyway.
Tim:So there's definitely a bit of a buzz about it and you know there is also a buzz because in April 2021, a Disney film adaptation was announced to be in the works. And funny, I was only before we agreed to do this musical. Like a couple of weeks ago I was reading an article about the movie musicals that are in the works or are still, you know in the process, in the process or, like you know, basically movie musicals you could see yes okay, coming soon.
Tim:and Spelling Bee was still on that list. Oh, is it still? It's still on that list? Oh, is it still? It's still on the list?
LJ:yeah, hang on that's four years ago in the Royal Theatre. That's pretty much, or I don't know, maybe that's pretty much 20 years ago.
Tim:No well, it's still on the list, as was obviously the remake of Mary Poppins, starring yours truly.
LJ:Yes.
Tim:Anyway, back to Spelling Bee. You shouldn't have started that. You have created a monster. Lauren, the Broadway cast recording which I love, was also nominated for a Grammy Award. There we go it was.
LJ:I am going to say that if you have never listened to this musical before, it's another one of my Joe's Top Tips Listen to it again. So, you need to listen to it more than once to understand it, because it's very fast as well with all those like eliminations, like first person. There may be like 30 seconds, but you're if you don't know what the music was about, you're like what is going on, so it'll teach you.
Tim:Maybe about tier three so listen to our podcast and then go and listen to the cast recording.
LJ:Yeah, and it also takes you a wee while to get if you haven't heard his style of songs before. Yeah, I think it takes you a wee minute just because they're not always on the beat. Would that be fair?
Tim:yeah, yeah, yeah. No, they're very, and sometimes they're clashy in a way. Yeah, but I think, dramatically, they have to be clashy, don't they? Yeah, listen, they have to be classy, don't they? Yeah, listen I adore it. I absolutely adore it. There's some really great songs that we would have students would sing in their exams.
Tim:And do you know what I love? Because, obviously, around all the improvisational stuff that's going on, with the audience members being part of it and everything like that. You then have these six main spellers and each of their songs is completely different, like different styles, sounds different, but every single song. You can understand that character. Character, yeah, perfectly. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Like, perfectly, like, yeah, that's great yeah, really brilliant so MLS yeah, so my musical lyrical lingo?
Tim:obviously spelling bees. As you said, we don't have them. These spelling competitions where competitors are asked to spell a broad selection of words with a varying degree of difficulty now, historically the word bee has been used are asked to spell a broad selection of words with a varying degree of difficulty. Now, historically, the word bee has been used to describe a get-together or a communal work, which also makes sense. Yeah, so earliestly or earliestly, not even a word. The earliest known evidence of the phrase spelling bee in print dates back to 1850. Wow, yeah, I didn't think that old either, although the earlier name spelling match has been traced way back to 1808. Whoa, yeah. So the key impetus of the contest was Noah Webster's spelling books, first published in 1786, known as the. You can just imagine what they look like, the blue-backed speller.
LJ:Oh yeah.
Tim:Webster books were an essential part of the curriculum in all elementary schools in the US for five generations. Oh, okay, and you can. I'm sure they were as born as I've farted. Spelling bees became wider spread across the US during the 19th century as a way of motivating students to learn standardized spelling. So there you go.
LJ:Well, I'm going to ask you, as a teacher, what do you feel? Spelling bees have a place.
Tim:I've completely toyed with. So, like in our school we do lots of so our pupils are split up into houses and like we have house competitions and it's really good for morale. Like it's a really positive thing in our school. Like it's a really positive thing in our school, but most of the competitions are like sport led competitions. Now we do do a quiz, like a house quiz, and it's so much fun. But I have toyed with doing a spelling like a house quiz, spelling bee for a couple of years. But the only reason I haven't gone there is because I don't know. I don't know how it would go down. Yeah, because I know what kids are. Like you know, the idea of standing up in front of people today, in today's and spelling like it would give me anxiety. Do you know what I mean? But like, yeah, I don't know yeah.
Tim:I don't know.
LJ:Yeah, I don't know.
Tim:Because even the way of learning, like back in our time, in our time, because we're Jurassic- Old, old is my sound, set earlier.
Tim:Listen. Well, I called him on it, didn't I? I wasn't letting him away with it. I was like, sorry, what do you mean by old, old? Like I didn't let him go. God bless him. He was nearly hiding under the table when I finished. He knows it was just him. Um, we would like our learning process would have involved a lot of rote learning, like calling things out to like your tables, like your spellings, you know, and that's not a done process anymore. Do you know what I mean? Like education, have wanted you to move on from that. However controversial, I still think it has its place. Like it certainly puts stuff into our brains and it stayed there. Do you know what I mean?
LJ:It goes back to we've all got our own learning style. So you know, if you're visual, if you're all trained, if you need to read, if you need to read, if you need to write or if you need to do, I mean, that will all matter.
Tim:And for those kids that need to say out loud spelling is perfect but don't get us started, or this podcast will turn into an educational podcast however, saying that a lot of my musical lyrical lingo's are actually the words they have to spell, I know I that a lot of my musical lyrical lingos are actually the words they have to spell.
LJ:I know, I know me too, and I actually did have to stop and I was like this is actually just going to highlight how stupid I am.
Tim:No, I think the words. I'm not clever, I think the words are difficult and actually I think it is better that you listen to your podcast on this musical and then go and listen to the cast recording, because you'll know these words now. So like for example in the opening number they say Miss Peretti spell syzygy.
LJ:Yes.
Tim:I mean, how would you spell syzygy S-Y-Z-Y-G-Y Like? How would these kids ever get it? The words that the characters spell in Putnam often have a deeper meaning as well. So it's not just about spelling the word, the word metaphorically or simply comedically. Have another job to tell. So Syzygy is defined by the speller, miriam Webster, as the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies, such as the sun, the moon and earth, during a solar or lunar eclipse in a gravitational system. Right In a sense, this word could also represent a moment where the planets align for Rona Peretti, creating a joyful moment that could influence the rest of her life.
LJ:Yeah, and this is the lady that's like running this ballad. Yeah, she's looking back to when she was this age and she won it and obviously, if she hadn't won it, maybe she wouldn't be standing there today doing it. So, it's all like, like it's all connected.
Tim:They sing, we hear the word, we breathe, we wait, unlike idiots, we idiot, yeah. To idiot is to form an image or idea, to think yeah, I know, did you have any for the opening number?
LJ:this is the stories I could tell, but bragg arts don't do well around here, and that just says people who boast loudly about themselves, their possessions or their accomplishments.
Tim:But what a great word. You're such a brag art.
LJ:We all know brag. Yeah, they're bragging.
Tim:Yeah.
LJ:But I was like oh, I love the brag art.
Tim:I know, I thought the same. I was like that is a great word for calling someone who's just having to brag about themselves.
LJ:You're such a braggart in a song, my friend oh, like the fact you've got a friend. It's a dictionary, your dictionary's a friend, I mean you think this song has a little bit of heart, until she returns at the end to her last song and then you're like, oh, that song is heartbreaking yeah, there is a lot of like oh, bless them yeah, I know so she says my mother's in an ashram in India, which is a Hindu spiritual heritage or community, for a religious retreat, so please don't sit there.
LJ:Save that seat for my mother, even though she's there, please don't sit there because that's for my dad so neither of her parents are there, but she still like, leaves seats for them in case they come. Oh, don't my heart. She does also say boon-throbbing.
Tim:Yeah, so, miss Ostrowski, the word is bonanthropy, bonanthropy, bonanthropy, bonanthropy.
LJ:So B-O-A-N-T-H-R-O-P-Y, are you not impressed that I knew Boanthropy. Super impressed. A psychological disorder where people think they are a coy or an ox.
Tim:Yeah. So I then thought this was like. I was like that can't be for real. That is for real, like there are people in this world that have boanthropy, where they believe themselves to be bovine which is like cattle, as you said.
LJ:Like what?
Tim:No, I don't Don't. If I saw someone walking down the street and being like a coy, I don't know what I'd do what I do a lot of that, but we can't, we're not shaming but I didn't know that that was a thing.
LJ:No, like everywhere. One of the best songs in this musical is Pandemonium. Yeah, Pandemonium it's so funny as well, because it's so. It's life and they're talking about life in a spelling bee. You know, sometimes life is just really hard and then you look at your friend and it looks like they're having a really easy time. How are you getting down that? How?
Tim:are you?
LJ:getting down this.
Tim:And it all starts because the previous speller was put out after a really hard word and then the next speller gets up and it's like spell Dinosaur yeah, and they're like what. I know that that's not fair. And then it's like life is pandemonium, because they're all freaking out at the unfairness of it all.
LJ:Yeah, and I think that must be like. That's what I was thinking. If you were to do spelling bee, you would have to make sure that the words are of similar like what's that Not hardness? Do you know what I mean?
Tim:Or they get gradually harder, but there isn't like a. Yeah, you could be spelling broccoli and you could be spelling Like cat do you know what I mean Like it needs to go, you know, in a progression of slowly getting harder. Not like starting with the likes of Staphylococcus, which is one of the words that was mentioned. It's a bacteria that causes, oh, pus formation, especially in the skin. It's basically a spotty skin, isn't?
LJ:it.
Tim:Yeah, staphylococcus yeah.
LJ:I've seen that word not in this but I thought it was a dinosaur.
Tim:Oh, did you? It does sound like a dinosaur. They also mention antediluvian.
LJ:Yeah, I didn't know that. The period before the biblical flood, yeah, hot and traumatic or more common.
Tim:So that also that antediluvian, you're right, biblically wise, it's that period. It refers to the period before the flood, but also more commonly, to anything extremely old, old fashioned or primitive. Hmm, there you go interesting schematic s-c-h-e-m-a-t-i-c. I love that you're just spelling them out bless you.
LJ:You're doing a great job.
Tim:Life is pandemonium abstract. I love that you're just spelling them out. I know Bless you. You're doing a great job.
LJ:Life is pandemonium. Abstract diagram graphic with symbols and lines to illustrate elements and connections to a system. I'm like there's an actual word for those little designs.
Tim:But you know what it is Like. One of the songs describes it perfectly for me and this situation and these words I'm not that smart, yeah, absolutely. Do you know what I mean Like, but oh my god, that wee song, I know. He's just like people have been telling me that for years that I'm not smart, I know, and then he's like I like my hair Really. It is pleasant to the touch.
LJ:I love them.
Tim:I love them.
LJ:I just love them.
Tim:So Coney Bear gets a coochie.
LJ:Yeah.
Tim:So, oh, yeah, the rodent resembling the other rodent, which was the A C O U C. Yeah, the rodent resembling the other rodent, which was the A-C-O-U-C-H-I. So you actually don't get the end of the definition of a coochie in the musical. So I'll tell you, because I learned it A large forest rodent resembling a gutti G-O-U-T-I found in the Amazon basin. Yeah, interestingly, many of the words that Leif is asked to spell, like capybara and chinchilla and, of course, acoochie, they're all names of South American rodents. For some reason.
LJ:Interesting.
Tim:I wonder what that is. I don't know. And additionally, later on during second, olive is also asked to spell Ilspile I-L-S-P-I-L-E, and that's the name of a variety of porcupines often native to South America. Oh, there you go. Who knows why? But listen.
LJ:Who knows why. Yes, I like that we are not that smart, because, I mean, we could all say that about a different topic.
Tim:We all feel like that sometimes, don't we?
LJ:We all excel in our own way, and that's the important thing to remember.
Tim:But you know, then you've got the reprise.
LJ:Yeah.
Tim:That he sings at the end. I'm not that smart. Reprise and they say he finally goes, I am smart.
LJ:Like you know, he yeah, well, that's it.
Tim:They say he sings. They say a bell can break your heart, and they're referring to that bell, because if you get a spelling wrong, you hear the bell, the bit they ring, the bell, you know, like one of those ding like tabletop bells, um. So he says they say the bell can break your heart, but just not mine, since I opine o-p-i-n-E, I think I know I'm smart, that's what he says. So opine, this means to hold firmly to an opinion. So Leif is making it clear that he strongly believes that he is smart. Bless him, I know.
LJ:Another word in that song that I did learn was anathema A-N-A-T-H-E-M-A, which is a thing or somebody who has excommunicated from a church. I mean, it's a very big word, very big anyway there's another funny song about selling some oh yeah, my unfortunate, my unfortunate.
Tim:There's another funny song about selling some. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, my unfortunate, my unfortunate erection, or we could just call it Chip's Lament.
LJ:Chip's Lament. I think, whenever you realize that this started off as like a comedy sketch, sort of like show, this all makes so much more sense, doesn't it?
Tim:It does, but also working with children. It also makes sense in that if a child gets something wrong, there will always be a reason why they got it wrong. They didn't get it. I didn't get it wrong. It was because this happened, and I just love when this happened in the show, because Chip has previously been eliminated, which is a big, massive shock, because I think Chip won the year before, so he was like the favourite and I was almost like I can't be wrong, like, and he also like gets it wrong because he got distracted by Coney Bear, I think, or like.
Tim:No, it wasn't Coney Bear, it got distracted. Was it Coney Bear's sister or something? They randomly pick an audience member and they make it clear he fancies, and so he's in the middle of Spelling the World. An audience member who, and then they make it clear like he fancies Okay, and so he's in the middle of spelling the word, he notices her and then goes back to finishing the word but repeats the last letter he's spelt. So it's like no, no, but I got it right. I got it right.
LJ:Yes, that's right, because there's very clear rules where you can't change the order of the letters. That you've already said so he's like I spelled it right. Though I spelled it right.
Tim:So then, like later on in the show, he returns Selling, selling confectionery like sweets, and then he sings a song for the reason why, yes, he's out. He's out because he got distracted by and he got a very unfortunate laugh.
LJ:Yeah, it's funny. There's the word in there derision R-I-S-I-O-N. So he talks about how it's okay whenever somebody goes out and is spelling me, you're allowed to laugh at them.
Tim:Yeah.
LJ:And that's what that word means.
Tim:He says yeah, he says it is a tradition that the person eliminated from the competition is fair game for derision.
LJ:Yeah.
Tim:Bless him.
LJ:That's not nice.
Tim:Especially the alpha male who'll sell goodies at the bake sale.
LJ:Yeah, yeah.
Tim:He sings my unfortunate protuberance Protuberance, I can't say that word seems to have its own exuberance. Anyone for M&M's? Delicious and appropriate. Anyone for chewy gobbers? And it was these gobbers that I went. What on earth is a gober? So gober is slang for chocolate covered peanuts. Did you know that? There you go if you wanted. Well, that covered peanuts. Did you know that? There you go. I thought so. Well, that's what I thought too, and that's what I was expecting to see when I looked it up. But it's actually chocolate covered peanuts or gobbers, chocolate covered peanuts.
LJ:So did I.
Tim:So there you go, very funny.
LJ:No, that's all my actual learning. There were more words, but I'm starting to go, I think.
Tim:I'm nearly done too. I had Woe Is Me. And they sing be smart, be cool, be an adult, be remarkably adroit in social situations. A-d-r-o-i-t. So adroit is often misheard in the musical. They think it is remarkably a joy rather than remarkably a draught. But in keeping with the bees' words, it is instead a draught. Clever or skillful in using the hands or mind? Oh, very clear. So it makes you know. Having it as a draught makes sense, doesn't it? Yeah, I just thought that's funny. Even we're not the only ones that mishear lyrics, Lauren no, no, it's a common problem yeah and then I love you song now.
Tim:Does that not break your heart?
LJ:yeah, so that's so sad and that is like one of my saddest impressions is this is love.
Tim:Me too, yeah. So in the I love you song she has to spell chimerical, and I love that. Like every song starts with spell such and such and then they go into their song Chimerical, highly unrealistic, wildly fanciful, Hoped for but illusionary or impossible to achieve.
LJ:Because she's imagining, if she wins and she's going to have to go off to the final in Washington, who's going to be her chaperone? Because actually her mum isn't just away on this. They just retreat, her mum's having a mental breakdown and then her dad isn't very nice to her. Yeah, I think he does the things to me.
LJ:I think, dad is angry, he, he takes out what he wants to say to you, or something like that, yeah and what I thought I was reading was usually the two people that are representing her mum and dad are usually played or, at the very beginning, were played, by the two people doing the spelling conversation, because they're her father, they're her family figures in this in this sort of safe arena, wow. So I was like, oh, there's loads of layers to this?
Tim:Yeah, very much so, yeah.
LJ:Oh okay, where she's actually adopting strangers as her parents, but she doesn't have those figures in her life. Oh, that's sad.
Tim:And then, obviously, if the dramatical and the context of it isn't like hard-hitting enough enough, then what the song sounds like. The fact that you've got three people who all have their own individual melody singing it at the same time, it somehow seems to fit together like it is an amazing song, like really properly specially written it's a beautiful, beautiful song, beautiful song, and it's interesting, like the first time I came across.
Tim:So obviously I saw Spelling Bee here. Actually it was in our Mac theatre a number of years ago, but prior to that I had only heard two songs from this show, and it was during the time. So do you remember when you would have had those like download sites and stuff? Yes, yeah, and you just went on and like musical theatre, musical theatre, and the first song that popped up from the spelling bee was the I Love you song. Oh, OK.
Tim:And I, when I say I burnt that onto CDs and listened to it nonstop, like, listen to it nonstop because it just sounds it's a, it's a wow sounding song, isn't it? And then the second one that I came across on the downloading site was I'm Not that Smart one that I came across on the downloading site was I'm not that smart. Like what? Perfect, like adverts for you know spelling bee, I absolutely love it.
LJ:And one that we haven't really talked about as well is, like, I speak six languages. Yes, it's so funny.
Tim:Brilliant.
LJ:So so funny and I it. It's so, so funny and I it's the subcontext. The subtext where she says that she plays rugby and in America rugby wouldn't be as big as rugby is over here.
Tim:Yeah.
LJ:The fact that they've chosen rugby to show. She's like, you know, it's good for like getting being athletic and stuff, but it's like, it's like she's got so much aggression inside of her yeah, and she's trying to like get rid of it, but she's like just that overachiever. Overachiever in so many different ways. Yeah, Like I just think it says so much yeah.
Tim:It is so, like you know, as a social study, like they've got it so spot on, like they've got it so spot on, Like there are these children and they, like they sing about. You know how, when they're at the spelling bee, they're happy. Yes, and that actually, outside, you know, people like take people, are mean to them and take things out on them because they're smart, because we're smart.
LJ:Yeah, yeah.
Tim:You know, but yet when they come to the spelling bee, they're, they're at home and they're safe, and that that is, that is life for some children. You know, there it is, it's. It's. The song they sing is why we like to like spelling.
LJ:Yes.
Tim:Yes, yes, yeah, you know, and I love the song because it just paints that perfect picture of some children in school. You know they sing. The chaotic life of a 12-year-old is too hard and you never know what's coming next. But in spelling things have logic and line and that's it. Some kids like things to be logical and in line and routine and all the rest of it. They also sing, though at school we seem strange, at the B we seem better. People love to hate us because we're too damn smart and our loves we do not believe that we'll succeed, and our hearts, we do not believe will succeed.
LJ:Yeah.
Tim:Sad Prayer of the comfort counsellor. Yeah, they say I'm sorry you missed the silent cue and that's why they put that speller out, because of the silent Q. Interestingly, that line was actually added into the Broadway version, right, because of a moment that happened during one of the shows, right, okay, so once an audience volunteer actually became a spelling bee champion, what? Because they answered all 14 of the increasingly harder words until they had to make up a word to stop them and get them put out of it, because obviously they couldn't have an audience member win the contest, because obviously that's the plot, is that you know? So, yeah, and so they were like, oh, sorry, you missed the silent Q Because interestingly, there's only there's no English words that have a silent Q in them. Okay, and there's only one word that I know of lacquer l-a-c-q-u-e-r. Okay, that has a silent q, but I don't think it's of English origin oh, okay and they sing.
Tim:You know, yeah, yeah. So there you go, oh interesting so the silent q was added to eliminate the volunteer that was too good at spelling that's brilliant.
LJ:I always do wonder about that how do they make sure that somebody doesn't stay in until the very end?
Tim:They make up a word and make up a reason for them getting the spelling wrong. It kind of adds a bit to the whole unfairness and pandemonium of pandemonium. Yeah, life is random and unfair. Life is pandemonium of pandemonium. Life is pandemonium. Life is random and unfair life is pandemonium. Magic food as well. Magic food like the child who, like, spells the word out using his food before he then reads it out. Or like there's one that is it the same one he like, says it into like cups his mouth and says it into his hand, it's a different one.
LJ:yeah, Like just adorable, I need to do that I need to like spell things out, and sometimes if somebody says something, I'll like write it. Yeah, because I'm I'm visual and a doer that's me.
Tim:I'm exactly the same as you. I hate like spelling out of words. Like you know, every so often a child will come up and go how do you spell such and such? I will never immediately go eh, blah, blah, blah, blah and say it out. I will go and write it down myself and go right, that looks right, that's right. And then I'll tell them you know I can't.
LJ:I can't say it out loud, or like if one of the students that I'm teaching and they need something, they say let me write it down, let me just need it. Or sometimes if I'm writing on the board, then I take a step back and go yeah, that's fine, because sometimes, when you're so close to it, you're just not too sure. But yeah, because I also do like explaining that we all learn differently. But yeah, magic Fitz is a good one.
Tim:It's a good one yeah, so your standing ovations then.
LJ:I love you, so yeah mine is.
Tim:I've just written the show. Exclamation mark.
LJ:I just love it.
Tim:I really do, like I really do, and I wish it was done more. Yeah, I really do wish it was done more. Em. I just love the characters and the characterisation of it. I love the funny you know I'm a funny, I like funny but I also love the heart that's in it. Do you know what I mean? And my two standout songs, because they're my earliest memory. I mentioned to you already the I Love you song and I'm not like, I'm not that smart.
LJ:It's such a brilliantly written song, yeah, I do love that For character when you think of the whole thing. It's don't judge people, let people be themselves or be yourself and try, try, try, because that's what all they're doing is trying to spell these words. And then they're trying. They're trying their best and they love it. I think this would be a great musical to do with. We all really know that it's fun with adults being middle schoolers, but I think it would be a great musical to do with actual middle schoolers, so those kids that are around that age, and then also kids that are 16, 17, 18 or have left that age but are not too far away from it just to kind of revisit.
LJ:It would be a really interesting experiment just to kind of give them a couple of these songs and be you know to act like it was five years ago, because I think that would be much harder than acting as if they were seven or six or something like that.
Tim:But now that you've listened to this podcast, please go and listen to the soundtrack. You won't regret it because actually, when you know the context of it, you can listen through to it and you can follow along and you know what's going on and it's not very long either.
Tim:It's not a very long musical, I think it's like an hour and twenty or something like that don't talk too much about the time because, don't forget, I cross trained my whole way through this album, so you know I don't want people one hour twenty minutes plus three hours.
LJ:I don't want people to think I was on that cross trainer for like fifteen minutes like it was a proper stint.
Tim:I did like I was sweating and didn. I didn't feel my legs when I got off.
LJ:Oh, proper jelly like because you were too busy singing literally no.
Tim:My plan was like because I'm not going to lie to you I totally went down a total loving with this musical again because I listened to it, obviously because you know that's what we do when we've decided what we're going to do next, we listen again to the musical and remind yourself of all the good, the good, the bad, the ugly and all the rest of it, and then start listening closely into the lyrics again. And I went oh God, I need to listen to that again. And I listened to it in the car going somewhere and I was like I need to listen to that again. I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to get in that cross trainer. Spelling Bee is going to get me through the torture of that bloody machine, which is not my friend. Oh, there you go. It certainly did. Now I did get a few funny looks.
LJ:Who cares? There should be a musical theatre gym. I'm not this.
Tim:Oh, we could make a fortune.
LJ:Why is this not a thing?
Tim:Like people are all running and raving about these musical theatre raves. Imagine a musical theatre gym where they just pumped in. Imagine, like, oh my goodness, there's so many musical theatre songs that are good for workouts. Like, imagine running on the treadmill to you can't stop the motion of the oil. You'd run faster than you've ever run before. Right, let's do it.
LJ:Okay.
Tim:That's the roar. The video of this episode is going to be hilarious.
LJ:When you go into like the cold iron, then you can have something like Hamilton.
Tim:It's quiet up town. Yeah, in the room where it happened, the room where that's the way it's, room where it happened room. Okay, we need to go. We're just now like completely past, like bend and snap. This is this is pandemonium life is pandemon, is pandemonium, life is pandemonium, pandemonium we're going to make we can do aerobics class too magic foot right, we need to go. We're going to lose listeners like by the hundreds here because we're just talking nonsense. This is because we're just like talking nonsense.
LJ:No, but this is where we're going to fund your maybe musical outfits. We're going to date, sorry am.
Tim:I having to look for funding now. I thought this was happening.
LJ:Yes because the writer that you requested is ridiculous Like this pandemonium. Okay, I'm going to ask you, what would you rather?
Tim:Oh, I forgot, we hadn't done that yet. I was just off in my musical theatre gym.
LJ:Would you rather have an awkward sneeze mid-performance, or would you rather forget the words mid-song?
Tim:Awkward sneeze. You just move on Words. Mid-song is my idea of hell, I know.
LJ:Itkward sneeze. You just move on Words. Midsong is my idea of hell.
Tim:I know it's awful, total nightmare, awful, awkward sneeze.
LJ:I'm just trying to think how you could like get round it. It also depends on what you're doing, like. If you do an Adelaide's Lament, that's perfectly fine.
Tim:You're very funny, though, with your sneezes. When you try and hide your sneeze, you do like a wee.
LJ:It's very cute because my other sneezes are quite long.
Tim:I realised, and I did it the other day and I got the same reaction, because I obviously sneeze in school an awful lot. But I sneezed at home the other day and the reaction I got was like what was that? I can't tell home the other day and the reaction I got was like what was that? And I can't tell, like it just is a react. So I sneeze, I go, like I put it away at the end, but I don't realize I'm doing that. I'm like it was like, uh, sorry, what, what was that? And I was like, oh yeah, I just do that when I sneeze sometimes, sometimes, and I'm like looking at me like I've got five hairs, I'm like sorry.
LJ:Okay, that's something I've assumed before. Okay you are strange. Oh gosh right, we need to stop this podcast and go to the gym Together.
Tim:For this, the gym needs for the gym and then after that can we do a plan, for I think we should put spelling bee on. I think we should produce spelling bee with your 18 year old. You know playing, yeah, okay let's do that. We're busy we might not be back next week because we'll be in the boardroom lots of purchases. I just like stroked your leg. I thought that was the pillow, not your leg. Sorry, life is pandemonium. Let's sign off now until next week. We love you very much. Bye.
