When The Waldo’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the Tony and Drama Desk award winning musical comedy, opens on Sept 5, two things will be quickly evident. The first is that this show is more like an operetta than a play—much of the plot is advanced through song rather than dialog. The other notable thing about the production is that there’s a lot of choreography. The performers, and performance which has no intermission, is constantly moving on stage. Much of that movement is the vision of Niall Lessard, the show’s choreographer, a Julliard School trained dancer, and resident of Bristol Mills.

Formerly from New Jersey, Lessard attended Princeton Ballet School, graduated with a BFA in Dance from Julliard, then danced professionally with Metropolitan Opera, American Repertory Ballet, and Lustig Dance Theatre. Lessard moved to the Midcoast in 2023 with his beloved husband (and marinescientist) Matty.

“I first saw Niall’s choreography work last year in the Lincoln Theatre’s amazing production of Beauty and The Beast,” said George Bates, “the Bee” producer at The Waldo. “When the mind-blowing dance routine to the song “Gaston” ended, the full-house audience roared. An ear popping roar. I knew then I wanted Niall to bring his talent to The Waldo’s community theater program. This is his second show here since.”

“This show is almost all comedy, and I wanted to make the dance fun,” said Lessard. “I’ve pulled different styles including everything from classic ballet moves, to triple time step tap, to the moon walk! This stuff isn’t easy for most community theatre actors, many of whom have little or no dance training. It’s all about practice, drilling, patience, laughter and repetition. Ultimately, we strive for perfection while accepting reality.”

“At every rehearsal I’m more amazed at what Niall has done with this cast,” said Soren Barker, director. “It’s been three months of hard work, but he has succeeded in pulling the very best from each actor, giving them the skills and confidence to deliver dance performances they themselves might have thought previously unachievable.”

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’s presenting sponsors are Maine State Credit Union and Camden National Bank. The show premieres at The Waldo on Friday evening, September 5, with additional evening performances on September 6 and 13 and two Sunday matinees on September 7 and 14. Online advance adult tickets are just $20 and on sale now at thewaldotheatre.org.