"Spelling Bee" Equals B-E-S-T
"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" was a smashing success in Sheffield, Massachusetts where Barrington Stage Company developed the musical play a few summers ago. And Off-Broadway, then at Circle in the Square Theatre in Manhattan. The First National tour of the rollicking comedy hit Hartford's Bushnell Theater Tuesday evening and drew round after round of much deserved raucous applause.
You gotta love this show. Six teenagers compete to become the Spelling Bee Champ. Marcy Park (Katie Boren) is soldier-like in her approach. Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Sarah Stiles) struggles with: her lisp, her background, and her expectations. Chip Tolentino (Miguel Cervantes) has the hots for someone in the audience and corresponding hormonal rage undoes him. Olive Ostrovsky (Lauren Worsham) and Leaf Coneybear (Michael Zahler) are sympathetic contestants whom one admires. Oversized William Barfee (Eric Petersen) is beset with a lifelong mucus problem but counters with his magic foot approach to spelling. Ultimately, he has the goods to become a winner.
Those running this particular Bee display their own adolescent tendencies. Rona Lisa Peretti (Jennifer Simard) won the contest twenty-two years earlier. Douglas Panch (James Kall), as the moderator, is nothing more than a hardly grown-up teenager. Still a nerd, he responds to the contingent before him. Mitch Mahoney (Alan H. Green) is a sweet singing person of color who lends a shoulder to persons from the audience who also had the opportunity to become actual participants.
Segue: At the outset of the performance, several theater patrons take to the stage. They have either volunteered, been selected or combination of the above and join in the fray. Remember: this is live theater, not a film -- and anything might occur.
One of the selected spellers on opening night, Aaron Hayes (forgive the possible spelling gaffe here), showed more than a tad of mettle as he nailed a couple of four star words, the final one being "catterjunes." At this juncture, facilitator Doug Panch and ensemble players, according to script, were obviously primed to moved forward. But, Hayes kept hanging around. Panch then came up with a word which sent Hayes back to his orchestra seat. As he left, however, the cast members mugged and jostled with him, affectionately, before permitting him to leave the stage. You had to be there and you have to love it -- such a precious, spirited moment distinguishes live theater!
The actors were terrific. Accommodating to time and place, they improvised yet retained disclipline within the structure, and, if anything, elevated the level of energy within the house.
"Spelling Bee," conceived by Rebecca Feldman and written by Rachel Sheinkin, was directed by James Lapine. It boasts versatile, catchy music and lyrics by William Finn. Yes, the same guy who has been celebrated a few blocks away, in Hartford, at TheaterWorks with "Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn."
A few summers back, I was wandering around Mount Everett Regional High School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, as I awaited opening curtain of a Barrington Stage presentation. Meandering, I poked my head in a room and saw a group of people (clearly having a grand time) as they sang and jumped about while struggling and straining to spell words correctly. To this day, I'm not certain if I caught glimpses of rehearsal or actual performance of "Spelling Bee." My priorities askew, I never made a point of attending a full run-through.
Don't make the same mistake! "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is, as advertised, cute, clever, hilarious, and moving, too. Having garnered Tony and Drama Desk Awards, it will enjoy a long life on many a stage. Very cool, indeed.
The show continues at the Bushnell through Sunday, Oct. 8th. See: www.bushnell.org.
You gotta love this show. Six teenagers compete to become the Spelling Bee Champ. Marcy Park (Katie Boren) is soldier-like in her approach. Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Sarah Stiles) struggles with: her lisp, her background, and her expectations. Chip Tolentino (Miguel Cervantes) has the hots for someone in the audience and corresponding hormonal rage undoes him. Olive Ostrovsky (Lauren Worsham) and Leaf Coneybear (Michael Zahler) are sympathetic contestants whom one admires. Oversized William Barfee (Eric Petersen) is beset with a lifelong mucus problem but counters with his magic foot approach to spelling. Ultimately, he has the goods to become a winner.
Those running this particular Bee display their own adolescent tendencies. Rona Lisa Peretti (Jennifer Simard) won the contest twenty-two years earlier. Douglas Panch (James Kall), as the moderator, is nothing more than a hardly grown-up teenager. Still a nerd, he responds to the contingent before him. Mitch Mahoney (Alan H. Green) is a sweet singing person of color who lends a shoulder to persons from the audience who also had the opportunity to become actual participants.
Segue: At the outset of the performance, several theater patrons take to the stage. They have either volunteered, been selected or combination of the above and join in the fray. Remember: this is live theater, not a film -- and anything might occur.
One of the selected spellers on opening night, Aaron Hayes (forgive the possible spelling gaffe here), showed more than a tad of mettle as he nailed a couple of four star words, the final one being "catterjunes." At this juncture, facilitator Doug Panch and ensemble players, according to script, were obviously primed to moved forward. But, Hayes kept hanging around. Panch then came up with a word which sent Hayes back to his orchestra seat. As he left, however, the cast members mugged and jostled with him, affectionately, before permitting him to leave the stage. You had to be there and you have to love it -- such a precious, spirited moment distinguishes live theater!
The actors were terrific. Accommodating to time and place, they improvised yet retained disclipline within the structure, and, if anything, elevated the level of energy within the house.
"Spelling Bee," conceived by Rebecca Feldman and written by Rachel Sheinkin, was directed by James Lapine. It boasts versatile, catchy music and lyrics by William Finn. Yes, the same guy who has been celebrated a few blocks away, in Hartford, at TheaterWorks with "Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn."
A few summers back, I was wandering around Mount Everett Regional High School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, as I awaited opening curtain of a Barrington Stage presentation. Meandering, I poked my head in a room and saw a group of people (clearly having a grand time) as they sang and jumped about while struggling and straining to spell words correctly. To this day, I'm not certain if I caught glimpses of rehearsal or actual performance of "Spelling Bee." My priorities askew, I never made a point of attending a full run-through.
Don't make the same mistake! "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is, as advertised, cute, clever, hilarious, and moving, too. Having garnered Tony and Drama Desk Awards, it will enjoy a long life on many a stage. Very cool, indeed.
The show continues at the Bushnell through Sunday, Oct. 8th. See: www.bushnell.org.
posted by Fred Sokol at 5:22 AM
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