The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – REVIEW
Image: 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Hayes Theatre. Image: supplied.
It’s not a title that rolls off the tongue nor does the subject sound inspiring, but this simple, no frills musical is thrilling, hilarious and even heart-warming at times.
Spelling bees are an American institution and competitions can be very high stakes. They’re not so popular in Australia, but despite that, it’s easy for audiences to get invested in this particular contest and its participants.
The action takes place on the day of the finals of said competition. Six barely pubescent school children from around the county have spelt their way into the final knock-out round; just one incorrect letter and they will have to surrender their number tag and go home.
The six kids are kind of nerdy, as you’d expect, but the script and songs provide backstory for each, making them empathetic.
Leaf Coneybear (Axel Duffy) is jubilant about being in the contest, having always believed (been told) that he wasn’t very smart. He is fidgety and unsophisticated, perhaps on the spectrum. His patchwork, self-made shirt, bowl-cut hair do, and nervous energy make him a sort of Scarecrow character.
Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Adeline Hunter) has a heavy lisp, pigtails, and feels the weight of her overbearing, competitive fathers — a gay couple played by Duffy and Nathaniel Laga-aia in additional roles.
Marcy Park (Jessica Kok) is an over-achiever who speaks six languages among many other academic credentials. She feels pressured to be the best at everything.
Olive Ostrovsky (Rebecca Ordiz) is an ingenue who worked hard to get to the spelling bee finals. She laments her absent parents and spends the play waiting hopelessly for her father to show up.
Chip Tolentine (Matthew Predny) is a sporty teen, who is cursed by the uncontrollable hormonal reflexes of his penis.
William Barfée (Daniel Raso) is obnoxious, arrogant, and probably the target of bullies.
In addition to this set cast list, a pre-selected contingent of audience members also takes part in the show. Though they have clearly been briefed beforehand, they still add an element of unpredictability as well as ensuring that each performance is different.
Vice Principal Douglas Panch (James Haxby) is the official word-giver and the supplier of the funniest lines. His dryness, coupled with the ridiculousness of the words and their accompanying explanations/uses in a sentence, are a combustable combination.
Mitch Mahoney (Nathaniel Laga’aia) is the most inexplicable character. A prisoner who is doing community service by being the “comfort counsellor”, he hands out juice packs to losing contestants and escorts them out, but his purpose in the whole scenario is never really clear.
Last, but absolutely not least, Rona Lisa Peretti (Katrina Retallick) is the moderator, providing maternal support and a joyful buoyancy that cuts through the tension on stage.
The book by Rachel Shienkin is delightful and very clever. The songs by William Finn, work perfectly for their respective characters and story functions.
This is a very funny, very entertaining musical with inventive design and choreography making up for the minimalism.
