Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Theatre South

If you’ve ever been to a spelling bee, they’re kind of boring. I have an English degree and love words. I’ve tried watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee and just can’t. The musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the exception to the standard Bee.   

The musical, with music and lyrics by William Finn and a book written by Rachel Sheinkin was originally on Broadway in 2005. It was nominated for six Tony Awards and played 1,136 performances and 21 previews.  It is currently in a revival playing off Broadway at New World Stages with notable cast members such as Lilli Cooper, Jasmine Amy Rogers and Glee alumni Kevin McHale (and has been extended through September 6 as of publication time).  This show has become a cult favorite amongst schools and community theaters.

I only discovered this particular show several years ago as I worked with a youth theater company on it one summer. I am one who usually gravitates toward razzle dazzle musicals with lots of style over substance, large group musical numbers and of course, jazz hands. This show really doesn’t have any of that (except maybe the occasional jazz hands). It does have heart and the structure of the show, like many modern musicals, gives you glimmers of each of the characters while they are competing in the spelling bee. For those not familiar with the show, the storyline itself is kind of silly. It focuses on a group of children (often played by adults, which adds to its kitchiness) all of which are competing at the 25th annual Putnam County spelling bee. It is never made clear as to where Putnam County is located, but it is implied that the winner of said bee will go on to compete in The Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC.   The show is truly an ensemble cast with characters that include the spellers Olive Ostrovsky, William Morris Barfée, Logainne “Schwartzy” Schwartzandgrubenierre, Marcy Park, Leaf Coneybear, Charlito “Chip” Tolentino and the adults, Rona Lisa Peretti (the moderator), Vice Principal Douglas Panch (the word pronouncer) and Mitch Mahoney (the comfort counselor).  

The current production at Theatre South Playhouse, located in the Dr. Phillips area of Orlando is nothing to sleep on. The theater’s facility is actually located in a shopping center. The space is small; a black box theater, which only holds about 100 seats. The wings don’t seem to have a lot of room, but the way the space was utilized was very smart. As a theater director myself, who also uses an unconventional space, I always appreciate when nontraditional entrances and exits are utilized.   Theatre South does this; many of the bee contestants start in the audience and enter and exit through nontraditional wings; the script of this show does allow for improvisation and many of the actors made nuanced choices in doing this. The script also calls for audience participation and interaction in the form of guest spellers, making each performance a different one. This theater company is proof that you don’t need a huge, fancy facility to create theater. 

The cast includes:  Amy Sue Hardy as Rona Lisa Peretti, Jarrett Poore as Vice Principal Douglas Panch, Faith Boles as Mitch Mahoney, Sean Powell as William Barfée,Barfee, Malcolm Gibson as Leaf Coneybear, Kyle Sullivan as Chip Tolentino, Callie Shepherd as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, Logan Laree as Olive Ostrovsky, Louise Bariso as Marcy Park and Bella Nanavichit, Bennet Preuss, Lily Schmoker and Jack Stumbo making up the ensemble.  My personal favorite was Faith Boles, who played Mitch Mahoney. I had the privilege of being in a production of Oliver with her several summers ago, and when I saw her in the program, I found this to be an interesting choice. In Oliver, she played Nancy and in this production she was playing Mitch Mahoney; a very different role. Faith has a powerhouse voice which worked so well for this role.  Faith also sang the father line in the emotional but challenging “I Love You” song.  

As a director at a school, I often view shows with the mindset of “could I do this one day at my school?”  My school does not have a traditional space.  We have three different ones we can use, all of which are transformative and most of our equipment has come from Amazon.  We are also a 6-12 program.  Some shows are a hard no.  Many shows it’s if I have the right group.  More often than not, it’s “I would do this show except for this one thing” and in Spelling Bee, it’s the “I Love You” song.  

All of the characters each have their own idiosyncrasies and teach various lessons. There are themes explored through each of these characters that adolescents face and the societal pressures of fitting in and growing up. This production utilizes adults to portray all of the spellers, but they also work in ACTUAL children to portray their younger counterparts. I found this a nice touch and they were utilized purposefully. Despite the fact that the show is ABOUT children, much of the content leans more to the adult side, and I would not consider this a show FOR children. The younger counterparts were only used a handful of times and added tender touches to some often absurd moments.  

All of the cast does a great job of bringing these characters to life, especially the children, reinforcing each of their quirks and making you glad that you are actually a grown up. Overall, Theatre South’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a joy to watch and you should definitely go see what the buzz is about. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is playing now through March 1st. Theatre South is located in The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips. 7601 Della Drive, Suite #15.