The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee isn't really about spelling. It's about our anxieties while growing up — about over-protective parents, emotionally remote parents, demanding teachers and puberty, about fitting in and not fitting in and trying to do your best and being happy with yourself even if you don't. Director Kathie Doyle-Lipe's production — which will represent the Civic in March's statewide community-theater competition — is silly but also touching, and it benefits from squeezing nine singer-actors into a black-box space. Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm; no perf. Sunday; closes Feb. 20. SOLD OUT (but you can queue an hour before performances and cross your fingers). Read a Q&A with two of the actors and a review.
V-Day is coming up and the Kenworthy in Moscow, Idaho, is marking the date with performances of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues on Thurs-Fri at 7 pm and Sat 2 pm. $12; $10 if you buy in advance at BookPeople, the UI Women's Center, or Eclectica. 508 S. Main St., Moscow, Idaho. Call (208) 882-4127.
OK, so you've seen the Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp movies. So why see Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in the Spokane Children's Theater version? Because it's a musical, and it's live, and because your neighbor's kid just might be playing one of the Oompa-Loompas. Sat-Sun 1 pm at SCC's Lair Auditorium, near Mission Ave. and Greene St. Closes Feb. 20. $12; $10, children. Call (800) 325-SEAT.
