At 2nd Gen, a Honey of a ‘Spelling Bee’
The problems of the world shrink before your very eyes when compared with the high stakes drama of “The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Issues of taxes and tariffs and democratic upheaval pale under the pressure of spelling “c-r-e-p-u-s-c-u-l-e” or “s-t-r-a-b-i-s-m-u-s.” Heck even saying them is a challenge.
Oh, to be in sixth grade again!
Actually, no thanks. It’s much more fun to drop by for a visit at Shea’s Smith stage, where Second Generation Theatre is presenting the spellers of Putnam County in a flat-out triumph of musical silliness.
Six idiosyncratic middle schoolers compete for the cup of Best Speller under the watchful gaze of Ms. Rona Lisa Peretti (Amy Jakiel), herself a former spelling champ. She’s assisted by Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Steve Copps), who, though abundantly unqualified, is filling in as word pronouncer at the last minute.
Other than that, no two “Spelling Bees” are the same. For each performance, four members of the audience are recruited to join the spellers for the first act. Depending on who shows up on any particular night, there may be a couple of ringers among the volunteers, but you never know.
Once things get going, the “Bee” flies by like any other sporting event. Moments of intense action are connected with exposition of the contestant’s backstories, mostly involving relationships with parents and siblings because, hey, these are 11-year-olds. There’s William Barfee (Darrian Brown), who spells words with his magic foot and fights a losing battle to get his name pronounced correctly, a la “Bar-FAY.” He has a crush on Olive Ostrovsky (Sabrina Kahwaty), who is anxiously waiting for her absent father to arrive from work to cheer her on.
Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Stevie Kemp) has the opposite problem – two “helicopter” fathers who expect nothing less than perfection from their perfect progeny and remind her of it in every spare moment. Marcy Park (Sofia Siracuse) has no such issue. She’s so confident of being the best speller she not-so-secretly wishes for harder words.
Leaf Coneybear (Preston Williams) is not burdened by over-confidence, seeking only to disprove his family’s low expectations while spelling out several large South American rodents (“acouchi,” anyone?). Actor Brandin Smalls rounds out the group as Chip Tolentino, who is teetering on the cusp of puberty, which proves to be his downfall.
Waiting to catch the kids when they inevitably mess up is Mitch Mahoney (Brian Brown), a minor offender whose job as “comfort counselor” is part of his community service. If all you could see was Brown at the back of the stage, wordlessly expressing Mitch’s aversion to being there, it would be worth your ticket. Mitch is so far out of his element he could be on the moon, and he doesn’t pretend otherwise.
Jakiel’s Rona, on the other hand, is nothing less than the Bee Queen, relishing every moment from start to finish while counting her favorite moments in song. She rules with an iron hand and elastic eyebrows – Lucille Ball would be envious of her fantastic facial fluidity!
Sitting next to her as Panch, Copps is a comic treat as the impromptu word-master who is out of his depth. His “definitions” are to die for, and his delight when he gets something right is a hoot.
Director Kristin Bentley and choreographer Kelly Copps know their cast and make excellent use of each member’s talents. Particularly appreciated was the work of music director Allan Paglia, whose offstage ensemble sounded great – not overly loud, not muddled, and hitting every step.
The arc of the musical follows the arc of the Bee; the plot never thickens, the kids are all right and the result is d-e-l-i-g-h-t-f-u-l.
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“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin, based on a concept by Rebecca Feldman, is presented by 2nd Generation Theatre, and continues through Nov. 17 at Shea’s Smith Theatre, 654 Main St. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $39.75 general admission; $49.75 VIP reserved seats; and $19.75 for students, at sheas.org. Recommended for ages 12 and up. .
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