A Review

Angst of A Lifetime

By R. J. Donovan

It doesn't happen very often, but once in a great while a show comes along that's so charming, so funny and so well crafted that you feel compelled to call people and tell them they're missing out if they don't drop what they're doing and get tickets.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is that show.

Consider yourself told.

With music and lyrics from William Finn and a book by Rachel Sheinkin (based on a concept by Rebecca Feldman), "Spelling Bee" first came to life a few summer's ago at Barrington Stage Company in Western Massachusetts. It was so well received that it went on to New York, made its mark off-Broadway at Second Stage and subsequently moved to Broadway's renowned Circle In The Square, winning a Tony Award along the way.

It's set down roots at The Wilbur Theatre for an extended run, so there's no excuse if you miss it. James Lapine directs the production, which has added several local references to the delight of local audiences.

The setting is a spelling bee held in a junior high school gymnasium. I sometimes find it creepy when adults play kids' roles, but not here. The cast is that good. The bulk of the characters are children, with the exception of the two adults running the spelling bee and a third serving as a sort of bouncer/counselor.

Each child is unique with his or her own geekish quality. As the show notes point out, the spelling bee is the one place where these quirky and unlikely heroes can stand out and fit in at the same time.

There's Leaf Coneybear (Stanley Bahorek), the new age kid who doesn't think he's very smart but is somehow temporarily possessed by the spirit to spell; Chip Tolentino (Aaron J. Albano), an award winning boy scout who loses it all in a rather physical moment; Marcy Park (Greta Lee) the girl who speaks seven languages and has been marked for perfection despite her longing to let go and lose; William Barfee (Jared Gertner) the outspoken loner who spells his words out with his foot; Olive Ostrovsky (Jenni Barber), the lost kid who needs a friend; and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Sara Inbar), the tight-shouldered pseudo-grownup who marches to her seat, speaks out for social causes and fights to maintain strict adherence to the rules.

Add three audience members recruited at each performance to participate in the bee and you've got a show.

The adults (who barely managed to escape childhood themselves) are Rona Lisa Peretti (Betsy Wolfe), a former Spelling Bee champ who's now manning the microphone; vice-principal Douglas Panch (Daniel Pearce), a bit of a nerd himself with slicked back hair and plaid slacks; and Mitch Mahoney (James Monroe Iglehart), recently released from the slammer and helping out as part of his community service agreement.

On opening night, the audience participants were a well mannered bunch. Obviously there's been a lot of planning here by the writers so that the ringers stay in for a few rounds, only to be eliminated early enough for the show to proceed with the real contenders.

A young guy named Mr. Templer (perhaps a sixth grader), was among those selected the night I attended. He was the last of the original audience members to remain onstage, and you knew his time was up. He was given a seemingly difficult word -- which he spelled correctly while the audience roared its approval.

Not to be outwitted, the moderators immediately called him back to the podium (the ONLY time a contestant had two turns in a row) and gave him a word that even Einstein would have had to look up. Naturally he couldn't spell it and he was eliminated. The show then moved out into the audience as the cast serenaded him back to his seat.

The genius of the show is that, while the evening is carefully crafted to accommodate and allow for a variety of alternate audience members and responses, it all unfolds very naturally and believably.

The show's charm lands on a lot of levels. The music is great and most of the dialogue, from the contestant introductions to the obligatory word definitions is just plain laugh-out-loud funny. As well, Skeinin has cleverly woven each child's backstory into the shadows of the competition. We see why each is compelled to be there. And through it all, the cast does a remarkable job maintaining the aura that winning this championship is the most important thing in the world.

Who wins? It's doesn't really matter, because the journey's so enjoyable. I sat next to two women who had seen the show three days before. They had such a wonderful time, they immediately bought tickets to return. Now there's an endorsement if ever I heard one.

So to end where I began . . .Consider yourself told.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is at The Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont Street in Boston. For information, call 617-931-2787.

-- OnStage Boston

 

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