Review: Spelling Bee Tour: L-A-U-G-H R-I-O-T

*Please see note at the end of the review. 

It isn't often that in one evening of theatre, you can laugh until your sides hurt, and be touched by the sweet and sad stories of children.But that is exactly what happens at The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the first national tour of which launched last night at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre.  With such an auspicious occasion, one might have expected a little pomp and circumstance, especially with Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning director James Lapine in attendance.  Instead, the event was rather low key, but the show itself is anything but.   It comes flying out of the gate and never really slows down until its charming ending.  And if 6 adults playing young children, a cornucopia of vocabulary words, and decidedly un-P.C. jokes - they abuse just about every group equally - aren't enough to keep you going, then add four audience members vying for the title of Bee Champ, an onstage/offstage band and a bizarre group of adults who run the bee and see how that gets the blood pumping!

This irreverent romp is both a lampoon and celebration of the awkwardness of childhood.  Not your typical childhood, mind you, but one spent immersed in study, memorization and incredible pressure.  You thought kids' soccer games were tense? Try five minutes in a spelling bee!The nicest surprise (of several) of the evening is the gentle undercurrent of seriousness and an interesting message about listening to our children and the specter of parental desire over children's ability to deliver.  Not to worry though - Spelling Bee never let's you get too bogged down in serious soup.  The second the evening gets a little too close to hard core emotion, something equally exciting and hilarious happens to get everyone back on track.

With a clever Tony Award-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss (the riotous "words used in a sentence"), an equally clever, charming score by multiple Tony-winner William Finn and witty, inventive and appropriate (they are little children remember) choreography by Don Knechtges, the Spelling Bee is one of those rare shows that scores on every level, and is enjoyable to theatergoers, musical fans and the general public all at once.  Sheinkin and Finn create characters that we can all identify with personally, whether we can admit they are like us, like someone we knew, or perhaps someone we regret as adults picking on when we were kids.  Owing a nod to several shows, A Chorus Line, Chicago and Avenue Q among others, Spelling Bee is still, nonetheless an increasingly rare thing - an original Broadway musical.

About half the show is set up - we get to know a little about each character, how a "real" Bee works, and how the lucky(?) audience members, who are also contestants, are used in the off-the-cuff, sometimes improvised script.  It is one side-splitting moment after another, peppered nicely with catchy tunes (the title song especially), group dance numbers - which prominently feature the audience-contestants ("Pandemonium"), and revealing character pieces, "My Friend, the Dictionary" and "Magic Foot" among others.  It is only after several contestants, both cast and volunteers are eliminated (and you'll be surprised how far the volunteers get - this is, above all, a legitimate Bee) that the evening gets serious.  Parental neglect, parental interference and cheating crop up in the more serious closing minutes of the show, but it serves a sweet purpose - to reveal the real heart and soul of these weird but wonderful kids ("Chip's Lament" is but one, um, revealing number.).  And the conclusion, interestingly enough is somewhat in doubt up until the winner is revealed.  The Spelling Bee in Putnam County is anyone's game!

So how is the first national touring company? T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C!  T  his variously talented group of young actors is a relief to see in action - the future of professional theatre actors looks exceptionally bright.With only a handful of performances under their belt (the tour previewed in Atlanta), the entire company seems comfortable and is close to having a seamless, carefree performance - that is, they are great, technically proficient, and with seasoning and time will add those little unscripted bits that turn exciting moments into magical ones.

Each performer has his or her moment to shine, both comically and emotionally.  Each also has excellent stage presence, and while the roles are new to these actors, the easy give and take of focus is a tribute to their innate skills, as well as those of director Lapine.  As Rona, the Bee announcer/hostess, Jennifer Simard stands out for her sharp timing, blistering delivery and for making every line seem natural and not scripted.  The look in her eyes during three separate "favorite moments of the Bee" as she recalls past personal glory as well as reflections on her role as hostess are both funny and touching.  Her Rona is the consummate hostess, but also ever so slightly embittered, perhaps because the year she won the Bee remains the pinnacle of her life and she knows it.  As the second "adult", Vice-Principal Panch, played with bitterness and gleeful abandon by James Kall, the actor gets the lion's share of the funniest punch lines - the "words used in a sentence."  He reads each with a delicious mix of innocence (like the sentences are supposed to be vicious attacks) and mischievousness (like he knows this is his golden chance at getting back at all the bullies in his life or something).  The third "adult", Mitch Mahoney, played with zest by Alan H. Green, is a "comfort counselor" whose sole purpose is to give each loser a hug and a juice box and send them on their way.  Green has wrung every legitimate drop out of this surprisingly deep character, but never over plays or relies on tired, stereotypical shtick.

Of course, it is the contestants that are the focus of the evening and all six are a howl and a delight.  As they are all pretty much equal (and I wouldn't want to name the eventual winner), I'll discuss them in alphabetical order.Katie Boren, as Marcy Park, Catholic School genius is a literal scream to watch.Like any serious grammar school genius, she is rigid, extremely self-assured, and entirely focused.Boren plays these stereotypes to the hilt, but with enough originality to make her completely unique.  Her big number, "I Speak Six Languages," is a visual feast and well-sung.  The content, while funny is also pretty sad, for reasons that I will not give away.Miguel Cervantes (recently seen at CenterStage) has perhaps the most difficult, honest, and also funniest solo number.  Coyly named "Chip's Lament" on the CD, to tell you anymore would be giving away entirely too much.Suffice it to say, there was not a man in the audience who could not completely relate to his predicament.  As William Barfee (pronounced bar-fay, thank you very much), Eric Peterson gets a much mileage out of a respiratory/mucous ailment.  He is totally gross, and endlessly funny.  Barfee's claim to spelling fame comes from his "magic foot", which he uses to spell the words out on the floor before spelling them aloud.  A riot to watch each time he does it, that quirk also provides the show with a great production number.

Dana Steingold, normally the understudy for Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, played the majority of the opening performance in place of an ailing Sarah Stiles, and was superb.  She has a full-bodied character (it helps that it is well-written) in the visual and emotional senses.Her character is afflicted by a severe lisp that does take sometime to get used to listening to, but otherwise her performance was wonderful.Like several other songs, her "Woe is Me" number is both funny and sobering. Lauren Worsham as the shy introvert Olive Ostrovsky is sweet and lovely.  I found myself rooting for her.  She has the shy violet routine down pat, but is always mesmerizing to watch.  Her big number, "The I Love You Song", has the most emotional impact of the evening.  Finally, Michael Zahler as Leaf Coneybear, the home taught, trailer-living boy is very winning as the kid who is clearly in way over his head.   He wears his blanket like a cape, and a helmet when he walks (he needs it), and is nothing short of adorable.  His number, "I'm Not That Smart" is very affecting and nicely performed.

Technically, the costumes (by Jennifer Caprio), sets (by Beowulf Boritt) and lighting (by Natasha Katz) are all first rate.There has been some question as to how well the show would play in a traditional proscenium space.  The answer is simple: B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T-L-Y.

In short, the entire production both onstage and behind the scenes is sharp, thoroughly engaging and fun.  You will leave the theatre happy, and best of all, perhaps a little better off for the experience.  How many shows can you say that about? N-O-T M-A-N-Y!

* Note:There were several difficulties during the opening night performance that were unfortunate, but bear mentioning because none of them shook the cast, who after only a few weeks together and only a few performances, maintained nothing less than complete professionalism and gave great performances in spite of any adversity.  There were several issues with the microphones, which figure prominently into the staging, but the biggest issues would have caused the most experienced actor to lose it.  In mid-number an obviously ill Sarah Stiles left the stage, causing a pause in the show while the understudy got ready.  To remedy that, Ms. Simard lead the audience in a fun participation cheer (I will never hear the word "piranha" again and not smile), later joined by the cast, who, in character, went right along for the ride.  Then the show had to be stopped due to technical difficulties, and in unscheduled intermission was given.  Again, unflapped, the show resumed, with even more energy.  Bravo, cast!

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