The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee @ Theatre Arlington
—Jan Farrington
Can’t quite tell you why Theatre Arlington’s bouncy production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee made me so happy—but it did.
It’s the story of a bunch of tween- and teenage kids competing in the Spelling Bee of the title. Nerds, all of them, though in a range of styles—Eagle Scout nerd, Catholic School nerd, Hippy-Dippy nerd, and so on—but they have something in common. Defying expectations, they aren’t lonely and brooding; they’re mostly happy and self-confident. The script never (ahem) spells it out for us, but it’s a reminder of what a difference it can make, especially when you’re a kid, if you have at least one “something” that you’re very, very good at.
In their own corner of the world, these nerds rule!
Theatre Arlington is picking good shows and making the most of them for their “comeback” season. Quality live music adds a lot (kudos to music director Mark Mullino and his small band offstage), and choreographer Leslie Jones gives the crew some great/awkward dance moves. Bryan Stevenson’s school-gym set, with Janice Pennington’s clever costumes (showing us exactly who each character is), make us grin with nostalgia.
What’s more, each performance has unique “celebrity spellers”—local notables, plus audience members who can sign up at the door. This gives a “fresh” feel to each show, and opens the door to lots of in-the-moment ad-libs and jokes. That’s the territory of the adults in the show, Bee director and ex-champion Rona Lisa Peritti (Brett Warner can sing, shimmy, and is funny as H-E-C-K), and vice principal Doug Panch. (TA artistic director Stephen D. Morris is a stitch; he could “sub” for a real VP any day.) And Sinclair Freeman is wonderful as “comfort counselor” Mitch, assigned to shepherd the losing contestants offstage with apple juice and kind words.
Director Micah Green has a great young cast to work with, and the performances manage to be both natural and a “way out there” version of natural—with hilarious results. Of course, the bones of the show are good: Putnam was a hit on Broadway with Rachel Sheinkin’s quirky script and light, clever music & lyrics from William Finn.
Sweet-natured Olive Ostrovsky (Donovan Marie Lawson) seems a bit timid, but the ringlets are camouflage: she’s might Bee a champ. Tense, driven Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere, or “Schwartzy” (Jude Laine Lewis needs a neck massage to bring down those shoulders!) has two Dads whose hovering feels more like four. Scattered, pirouetting Leaf Coneybear (Darin Martin’s sweet smile makes you smile right back) thinks “I’m Not That Smart”—but once he’s in the spelling zone, watch out. High-energy Marcy Park (Where did Jayden Russell find my old school jumper?) gives the Asian-genius trope a funny, touching depth. Chip Tolentino (Garrett Caelan Weir makes a perky, rosy-cheeked Boy Scout) finds the combo of spelling and puberty…challenging. And William Barfee (“That’s pronounced ‘bar-FAY!’ says Maximilian Swenson) with his Magic (spelling) Foot is a riot—and we pull for him as he makes a move (sort of) on another contestant.
It’s adorable, in other words: truthful enough to dance on our heart strings and funny bones, and light enough to be just right for a summer show.
WHEN: Through June 19
WHERE: 305 W. Main Street, Arlington
WEB: theatrearlington.org
