If it’s cold outside, best to stay inside in a nice warm theatre. And there is a wonderfully entertaining musical playing at Riverside Theatre which will bust you out of the early Winter blues. THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE from Theatre & Company is a guaranteed laugh-out-loud comic musical which is such great fun to experience. It’s only on for 2 more days so you need to get onto it quick.
This Tony and Drama Desk winning musical of wordy title has a book by Rachel Sheinkin with music and lyrics by William Finn. It centres around an odd assortment of misfit kids who bring their own quirks, motivations and pre-pubescent baggage to a Spelling Bee that is hosted by a previous winner and judged by local vice principal who seems to have blotted his copybook five years ago. There is also a somewhat banger bloke who is there on his mandated community service and appears to have appointed himself huggy comfort provider for losers. Add to this cast of nine, four poor sods from the audience who are roped in with community support to join the bee.
These willing volunteers are such good sports and with this talented and warm ensemble beside them, they engage with such enjoyable good humour. The terrific cast begins with Caz Curtin as host and syzygy speller, Rona Lisa Peretti. It’s an hilarious text which relies on pinpoint comic timing and delivery and Curtin is the real deal. Leading from the front, she is perk plus and her head tilts and moues keep the momentum from flagging. In addition she has a really lovely voice, well used. Nicely floated tops and rich lower notes, so much to enjoy in her performance.
Some words are just funny … sluice and fecund. Flagellate … always brings me a smile. Is that weird? But as the quiz master Vice-Principal Panch, Peter Meredith is hysterical in his throw of vocabulary and his completely useless “can I have it in a sentence?” Plus he is a brilliant improviser, an absolute requirement when you have four unknown quantities on set.
There are six spellers. Boys first. Guy Webster brings us Chip Tolentino, who wears his heart on his sleeve and another unruly organ undercover. He is a generous crowd pleaser, particularly after interval when he rises to the challenge of ‘Chip’s Lament’. Charlie Hollands’ William Barfee looks the part and maintains his arrogance and depressive aesthetic without losing audience sympathy. Leaf Coneybear is played by Jared Pallesen who is alarmingly energetic and his antics, exuberance and excesses of joy in small successes is a real audience favourite.
For the girls. Tayla Jarret’s Olive Ostrovsky jives with the audience straight away and our sympathy for her knows no bounds. Her ‘I Love You Song’ one of my “highlights of the B”. Such longing and sadness. Marcy Park (Susana Downes) on the other hand is all business. Downes has created a great character here and her tendency to stand in fourth and the effort expressed when she tries to be rowdy with the rest of them is very watchable. The girl contestants are rounded out by Ashli Marin as the girl with the unpronounceable name. Give it a try yourself before the show when you get a program and see how close you get. Marin has a uptightness which is given full rein by the time we get to ‘Woe is Me’ and we feel her pain.
The cast is completed by huggy huggy Mitch. It’s a bit of a thankless role as written but Michael Martis gives his creation a great deal of heart and detail without ever losing the loser inside, especially during ‘Prayer of the Comfort Counselor’.
The vocal work is unique in this show. Rather than a solid, one voice chorus and complex blendings, the multiple voice songs have the individual character voices foregrounded. I mean, they can do it when required, like ‘Woe Is Me’ just after interval. But essentially the show is about the characters and their individualities and the choral sequences reflect that. While they might be pretty damn good at being bad at stuff there is real dexterity evident in songs like ‘Pandemonium’ when the singing is masterful, the choreo is complex and satisfying (Choreographer: Melissa Ayers) and performed with considerable brio by the cast. The tap and softshoe is great and the kick line kicks … you know!
Anyone who reads me often will be well aware that I carry earplugs in my handbag and hand them out to friends quite often when the audio mix is crappy. I confess to having them close at hand when I saw the band was placed on the stage and they were surrounded by foldbacks. If there is one thing I love, it is to be put firmly in my place … in the audience, able to hear the voices clearly supported by musicians that don’t blast.
The band and the mix in this show is superb. And the orchestration and instrumentation from Musical Director Zara Stanton is extra s-u-p-e-r-b ! They had me at ‘My Friend, The Dictionary’ when a single keyboard set the tone and then morphed into 2 and on to the other instruments. It’s a great band, all are engaged and obviously having a great time too, and a special shout out to the percussionist who not only wields the smallest triangle in the world but keeps his drums under eardrum saving control.
Director Adam Haynes has a hit on his hands here. But if I can offer a suggestion … smile wipes handed out after the show. Because I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face for hours! Theatre & Company’s production of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is a crackingly feel good, blues buster of a night at the theatre. Go out of your way to see it.
Theatre and Company‘s [Facebook] production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is playing at Riverside Theatres 10-13th May.