The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a musical comedy, premiered on Broadway in 2005 was the  winner of 2 Tony awards, with music and lyrics by William Finn from the book by Rachel Sheinkin.  This production is rarely seen on the amateur stage and proved to be a real treat.

The incredibly  talented and mainly young cast  under the direction of Steve Wooldridge, certainly pulled off a brilliant show.  

The tale is set in the school hall at the Putnam Valley Middle School.  Scenically authentic, well lit with American banners, school lockers and basketball nets. The effect is simple but visually perfect.  As the audience take their seats the characters are already on stage displaying their differing personalities and  interacting with the audience while they wait for the competition to start. Six quirky, slightly  maladjusted  American adolescents compete in the Spelling Bee competition, over seen by three equally  whacky grown-ups.  During the course of the competition we find out more about each of the individuals, as they tell their story, through song and flashbacks.

Last year’s champion, Chip Tolentino, played by Sam Brown, with excellent singing, is  totally convincing in his role, whilst struggling with his erotic thoughts. Eventually he  is eliminated as he is distracted by one of the female members of the audience and is fantasizing about her, perhaps, thinking more about what is happening inside his boy scout shorts than on his spelling!

Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Ebony-Brook Rivers)  does a brilliant job with an unfortunate stutter which she maintains right through her  performance and is totally believable.

Leaf Coneybear  (Dayle Saunders) obviously has many rather manic issues, suffering, one assumes, from severe autism and  imagining he is a Superhero. His authentic performance has to be the result of serious studies of others unfortunate enough to suffer this disability.

William Barfee (Wade Ablitt) has the ability to spell only by using his magic right foot to mark out the letters on the floor.  Congratulations are also deserved for an excellent job devising the energetic choreography in the very limited stage area.

Marcy Park (Aimee Salmon), the all American girl, proves she can do anything in her number “I Speak Six Languages”  whilst baton twirling, hoola-hooping and playing the keyboard. What a talent!

The final contestant Olive Ostrovsky (Eliza Walker) plays the shy, timid girl, missing her parents.  When her father (Steve Watt) eventually turns up, and is joined by her mother (Clare Dungey) together they sing a beautifully tender and emotional song “The I Love You Song”.   

Clare Dungey  also plays the competition moderator  Rona Lisa Perretti and gives a lovely performance,  along with the Vice Principal (Phil Cory) who is mesmerised by Rona , in a fine comedy role. Mitch Mahoney (Jan Needle) portrays the hard ex-con, with the soft heart very convincingly.

The  competitors are also joined on stage by four  audience members, in the first half, who become competitors, risking total embarrassment, and hats off to them for being good sports. As they are unscripted this brings in an unpredictable element which I am sure kept the cast on their toes and demonstrated total confidence in them, by their director.

All the cast are involved in the numerous  songs, with some difficult harmonies, which  are performed so well and with gusto under the direction of Olly Wood and his six piece band.

Steve Wooldridge and his brilliant  cast certainly gave us a splendid evening’s entertainment of music and comedy.  Well done to you all.

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