By Becky Evans
As the school year winds down, studnts of all ages will enjoy the quirkiness that is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Terrace Plaza Playhouse in Washington Terrace. The 2005 musical is based on a book by Rebecca Feldman and set to music by William Finn. As a popular comedy, it has been produced a number of times and has even found audiences in places as distant as South Korea and Israel. I first saw Spelling Bee when it opened Off-Broadway in an intimate theater in New York City. To my surprise and pleasure, this local cast from the Terrace Plaza Playhouse was every bit as talented and engaging as the professionals, if not more.
The plot revolves around a championship-level spelling bee, which is attended by some quirky teenagers and run by some very passionate leaders. As a spelling bee usually progresses, there are twists and turns; spellers get eliminated and are escorted off by the comfort counselor until there is a final champion.
One of the characters who brings this show to life is Rona Perretti (Annie Ferrin/ Becky Christensen),who is the head of the Bee and has a passion for spelling and competition. She describes many of the moments at the beginning, middle and end as her favorite moments of the Bee. Ferrin’s soprano is top-notch, which lets her glide through the melodies adding emotion and depth to both her character and her scenes.
Vice-Principal Douglas Panch (Tyler O’Bagy) is the school representative/judge who had an unfortunate incident at last year’s Bee, but is “in a much better place this year.” His vocals are excellent and the explanations he gives for words or the way he uses them in a sentence has audiences snorting with laughter.
Madge Mahoney (Carla Zarate) is a comfort counselor working off her community service hours and handing out juice boxes. Zarate comes across as rough around the edges, but surprises everyone with a moving ballad called “Prayer of the Comfort Counselor.”
The spellers include some zany characters like Winona Burns (Haille Van Patten), Mortimer Tubbs (Tyler Bell), Marcy Park (Zoe Hall) and Chip Torentino (Zackery George). Van Patten and Bellkeep the ensemble moving and grooving with Spencer’s choreography.
George chose to subdue his character a bit, probably to appeal to our local audiences, as Chip develops a crush suddenly and has to deal with puberty at an inopportune moment in the Bee. He sings while passing out concessions, much to the audience’s delight.
Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere (Emily Richards) is most impressive as a politically-driven daughter of two dads with an unforgettable lisp.
Leaf Coneybear (Ethan Montgomery) is a quirky, home-schooled character who reflects spontaneity and child-like joy in every way. Montgomery demonstrates his acting versatility as he steps in and out of another small character role as one of Logainne’s fathers.
William Barfee (John Richards) is hilarious as he demonstrates his key to success which is his magic foot. He has a charm and somewhat aggressive demeanor when he explains that his name is pronounced Bar-fe not Barfy over and over for the judges who seem to neither notice or care.
Olive Ostrovsky (Matraca Mercedes) brings heart and soul to Olive as she sings about her love of the dictionary and her wish to have her parents both in her life. The “I Love You Song” by Mercedes, Ferrin and O’Bagy is a powerhouse of harmony and raw emotion that just might break audience members’ hearts.
Although this is not a children’s show, there were several families at the theater, including mine, who seemed to enjoy the production. My children’s favorite part of the Spelling Bee is that it included some audience participation. Several audience members were asked if they would participate in the spelling bee and actually went on stage to interact with the cast and spell words into the microphone.
The production staff deserves a big round of applause, especially the phenomenal director, Leslie Richards, whose scenes flow freely from one to another with minimal costume changes as characters step into other roles to describe spellers; backstories. Under Music Director Terresa Shreeve, the actors are flawless in their harmonies. Choreography done by Ginny Spencer is simple and helps to move the show along. Tami Richardson and Jim Tatton dress each character in a way that reflects their personality. D.D.Lynch is the technical director and sound designer, which must be tricky with a show that changes slightly each night based on audience participants. This undoubtedly keeps the cast on their toes and audiences can see the show multiple times without ever seeing the same show twice. Jacci Florence produced and introduced the show, and it is apparent from the applause that broke out when she stepped on stage that she is the much-beloved backbone of the Terrace Plaza Playhouse.
This caliber of production is thoroughly entertaining and impressive. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a new show to the Playhouse and is certainly one not to be missed this season.
The Terrace Plaza Playhouse presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Book by Rebecca Feldman, music by William Finn.
Terrace Plaza Playhouse, 99 E. 4700 South, Washington Terrace 84405
April 19-June 1, 2019 Monday, Fri-Sat 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10-17
Contact: (801) 393-0070
Terrace Plaza Playhouse Facebook Page
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