Theater Review by Ron Fassler . . .
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly twenty years since The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee opened on Broadway. It arrived during one of the best musical seasons of the 21st century seeing that it was up against Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Light in the Piazza, and Spamalot at the Tony Awards. In one of those rare splits, Spelling Bee’s Rachel Sheinkin won for Best Book, Adam Guettel took home Best Score for Piazza, and Spamalot garnered the big prize for Best Musical. I caught Spelling Bee while it was still in previews in 2005 and it was a thrill and a half to see it as the third and final revival in the Broadway Center Stage series at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This outstanding production proves that its nearly three year-run was no fluke. It’s as joyous and entertainingly funny as ever.
Under the direction of Danny Mefford (who also choreographed), William Finn’s marvelous score once again takes centerstage. Tuneful, clever and occasionally uproariously funny, the show’s built-in tension and high-stakes of a spelling bee amongst elementary school students is spot on as satire as well as functioning as a genuine drama in terms of the personal relationships depicted. Though painted in broad strokes, it has the power to connect to kids and their deepest wishes and darkest fears. Mefford treads that fine line clinging close to what James Lapine, the musical’s original director, accomplished. Straddling the weird with the wonderful in all its downturns and uplifts, it’s a roller coaster ride that can only succeed if someone smart is at the controls of the machinery. Previously the choreographer of such diverse Tony Award Best Musical winners as Kimberly Akimbo, Dear Evan Hansen and Fun Home, Mefford’s got the goods. It won’t be long before he’s an in-demand director-for-hire on Broadway.
One of the conceits in Spelling Bee is that early in the show, the cast onstage is augmented by four audience members handpicked prior to the start. At the Saturday matinee I caught, its three civilians were actually professional actors. And not just any professionals, but original Spelling Bee cast members Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Leaf Coneybear), Jose Llana (Chip Tolentino), and Sarah Saltzberg Logainne SchwartzandGrubenairre). The audience went wild and to watch them seated onstage during the show’s first 45 minutes, reveling in the actors playing the roles which they originated, was very special. Joining them was Salzberg’s son, Itai, who couldn’t have been more than ten years old and acquitted himself beautifully.
The Broadway Center Stage series always features top talent and this production is no exception. Bonnie Milligan, a recent Tony winner for Kimberly Akimbo, portrays former Putnam Country champion Rona Peretti, who now officiates the ceremony. Possessed of brilliant comic timing and a sensational singing voice, Milligan is the real deal. Her partner in crime is Taran Killam, the former SNL player who scored big last season in the Broadway Spamalot revival. As Vice Principal Panch, who asks the contestants their spelling questions, the role calls for a good deal of improvisation which is squarely in Killam’s ballpark. When Sarah Saltzberg was given the word “election” to spell, she asked for it to be used in a sentence. Killam deadpanned, “The best way to relieve stress during an election is by seeing a musical comedy.”
Of the elementary school students (all played by adults), Philippe Arroyo proved an audience favorite (and my personal favorite as well). With a voice to die for, Arroyo excelled as Chip Tolentino who, if you know the show, is eliminated due to being distracted by his “unfortunate erection.” His cameo in a dream sequence as Jesus Christ was pitch-perfect as well. As Olive Ostrovsky, the heart and soul of the show, Nina White does a fine job though seemed as if she was still finding her way a bit. The role calls for someone who’s rather tentative, so there’s a trap in that. Beanie Feldstein as Logainne SchwartzandGrubenairre (her gay father’s two last names combined) and Noah Galvin as Leaf Coneybear (these names!) both double downed on very broad characterizations (again, traps). They each have their moments with Galvin’s singing particularly impressive (he was a Broadway Evan Hansen), though Feldstein’s choice to fully commit to Logainne’s lisp rendered her difficult to understand. This is where the notorious short rehearsal time for these Kennedy Center shows often become apparent.
Rounding out the cast are Alex Joseph Grayson as “counsellor” Mitch Mahoney (just great) and Leana Rae Concepcion as Marcy Park, the overachiever, who scores with her solo “I Speak Six Languages.” Lastly, Kevin McHale’s William Barfee gives Dan Fogler a Tony winer in the part, a run for his money. Barfee is a scene-stealer and McHale has the adenoidal tone down pat as well as the requisite “magic foot.” Special mention should be made of Roberto Sinha’s fine musical direction leading a swell group of musicians. Paul Tate Depoo II has created a realistic gymnasium interior, which gives sense of both size and intimacy—no easy trick. David Weiner’s lighting is particularly evocative when the moments call for it, though Emily Rebholz’s serviceable costumes didn’t impress me in the clever manner of those in the original. I really missed Chip Tolentino’s Boy Scout uniform but I guess that doesn’t make for a popular choice these days.
Like seeing an old friend after many years, becoming acquainted with this musical again made for a nostalgic afternoon. Hopefully, this production will get the chance to play New York where, after all, anything can happen. This fall has been awfully good (so far) to our two local baseball teams and perhaps a good old fashioned game winning home run might be in store if The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee steps into the batter’s box.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is at the John F. Kennedy Center October 11-20.
Photos by Matthew Murphy.
Headline Photo:
