BWW Reviews: Newington Mainstage PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Entertains for a Spell

The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music & Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Directed by Kelly Boucher
Newington Mainstage at Newington Town Hall Auditorium, 131 Cedar Street
www.newingtonmainstage.com

I am not exactly certain how, but over the past nine years I have managed to not see The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Workshopped to our north at Barrington Stage and premiered to our south in Manhattan, where it ran for over 1,000 performances and garnered two Tonys, it would not have been difficult. Since those runs, the tour stopped at The Bushnell and has been produced at various local community theatres. I really had no excuse. For some reason, Spelling Bee completely eluded me, but no longer.

Newington Mainstage has mounted a straightforward rendering of what is composer and lyricist William Finn's most accessible show. I do not believe the sprightly and fun Spelling Bee is his best show, a distinction that most likely falls to Falsettos, or possibly Elegies. The score in general has more bounce and is assured a wider audience than Finn's other work. Then again, it is a play about a middle school spelling competition, rather than a meditation on love and family in the face of death by AIDS (Falsettos) and other devastating losses (Elegies).

The intent is clearly to entertain and create laughter. Abetted by Rachel Sheinkin's gut-busting, Tony Award-winning book (in my estimation, better than the songs), Finn has hit an audience home run with The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. And it would be harder to imagine a more faithful and funny production of the show. This does come with some reservations, but let's get to the fun stuff first.

The cast is uniformly solid and energetic. Clearly they are amped for the show (and why wouldn't they be with only three performances scheduled?). Leading the bee itself is Cindy Lesser, spelling-bee-queen-bee-of-yesteryear stylish, as Ms. Peretti. Blessed with a lovely voice and just the right touch of artificial poise, Lesser anchors the more comic characters that surround her.

Michael Cartwright makes for a witty Douglas Panch, the gentleman tasked with reading the words, definitions, and, most humorously, uses them in the sentence. Cartwright lucks out being handed the lion's share of Sheinkin's funniest lines, and he plays them drily, wringing out every laugh. Garth West portrays the thuggish "Comfort Counselor" Mitch Mahoney, as well as two other characters (no spoilers here), displaying a muscular vocal instrument.

Of course, the centerpiece of the musical is the sextet of child spellers. Emely Larson is sweetly uptight as the competitive Logainne, the uber-programmed daughter of her similarly competitive gay fathers. Katie Keough comes close to stealing the show as Marcy Park, a girl that Wednesday Addams would have a tough time warming up to on the playground. Keough knocks her big number, "I Speak Six Languages," out of the park.

Ian Lynch-Passarelli is terrific fun as Chip Tolentino, the winner of the 24^th Annual Spelling Bee. His riotous Act 2 opener, "My Unfortunate Erection," is a showstopper, with the composer knowing that actor singing a naughty song + free snacks = undying audience affection. Eric Michael Gray, in fact, does steal the show as William Barfee. An utterly unique and odd stage creation, Barfee has several great vocal gimmicks that Gray embellishes with a Muppetish voice. His "Magic Foot," Barfee's secret weapon in the bee, is terrifically demented and slays the crowd.

Rosanne Gowdy portrays the most realistic of the children, Olive Ostrovsky. Essentially abandoned by her parents, she is the one that needs to win the competition the most. One can tell where William Finn's heart lies as he writes the most Finn-esque, emotional song in the show, "The I Love You Song," for young Olive. Gowdy shades her character with just enough goofiness and pathos to win the audience, regardless of the outcome of the bee.

Ian Galligan rounds out the cast as the hippy-dippy Leaf Coneybear, played with vivacity and a terrific singing voice, particularly his big number, "I'm Not That Smart." But, and here comes my #1 theatre pet peeve. It is only fitting that my 3^rd Annual Uncle Jacques' Acting School Reminder coincides with a production of 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I am hoping I will say this one last time, but I can see myself already typing it out for 2014. If you are an adult playing a child, it does not mean that you act brain-damaged. There are only two exceptions to this rule: 1) you are playing a brain-damaged child, or (2) you are actually a brain-damaged adult. If you do not know how a real child behaves, go watch one. They are generally available for no-cost observation in parks, libraries and stores. Galligan's performance is so busy with little distracting bits, futzing and gaping that it pulls the eye away from the other actors and the text. Even a child with ADHD would look at this Leaf Coneybear and say, "Damn, kid, chill out already!"

I might as well dredge up Pet Peeve #2. This is the first time I have reviewed Newington Mainstage, so I may give them a free pass on this one. Oh, heck, no I won't. Community theatres have their own artistic vision and a need to put their own artistic stamp on a show. The costumes in this production are almost identical to the original Broadway production, right down to the color choices and accessories. Find your own designs and make the characters your own. Then it will truly be a Newington Mainstage show. Otherwise, you are just copying someone else's homework and that doesn't fly in theatre or in a spelling bee.

And, finally, Pet Peeve #3: please be sure to credit the writers in your playbill. In a production centered around spelling, you should know this stuff doesn't write itself. With my pet peevishness aside, Newington Mainstage and director Kelly Boucher have proven that they can mount a fun, polished, audience-pleasing evening of entertainment. I'm glad to have finally gotten to see Spelling Bee and look forward to their future productions. P-R-O-D-U-C-T-I-O-N-S. Productions.

Image provided by Newington Mainstage.

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