Akeelah and the Bee with Waukesha Civic Theatre

While the name did sound familiar, I really wasn't sure what this play was about.

As it started I thought it was going to be a sad play, but while there are definitely some strings of grief and struggle woven into the story, it is mostly about the amazing ability of this little girl, Akeelah to do great things when she believes in herself.

The entire cast did a fantastic job but the young cast who played Akeelah and her friends (and enemies) just blew me away. They not only delivered oustanding performances but they also had to spell a TON of insanely difficutlt words as well.

Akeelah and the Bee is an uplifting, family-oriented film that rises above its “Afternoon Special” subject matter. While treading familiar territory, it dodges most major genre clichés through the creative use of the story’s peripheral characters. The sound story structure at the heart of Akeelah and the Bee gives this “ghetto kid does good” an honest emotional resonance and earns its feel-good ending.