Weston theater's 'Spelling Bee' silly – and fun
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By JIM LOWE Staff Writer - Published: July 12, 2009
WESTON – "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is awfully silly – and terribly funny.
Weston Playhouse Theatre Company opened an effervescent, hilarious, occasionally bawdy and touching production of this 2005 Broadway musical last week at its theater in Weston village. Despite being superficial and trite, it kept its Thursday preview audience, including this reviewer, laughing throughout its short 90 minutes.
Set in a small-town American elementary school gymnasium, "Spelling Bee" is just that, the story of a spelling bee. All the participants are misfits, of course, and though stereotypes, characters that we know and relate to. The music by William Finn isn't terribly memorable, but his lyrics give the songs charm and wit. Rachel Sheinkin's book is based on "C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E," an original improvisational play created by Rebecca Feldman.
Directed by Tim Fort, one of Weston's three producing directors, the production is well cast, fast paced, imaginative and just plain fun. Susan Haefner is perfect and intrepid as the perfectly dressed and made-up Rona Lisa Peretti, Putnam County's No. 1 Realtor who won the third annual spelling bee, who is now the ever-so-proper host. Marcus Neville is a riot as the nerdy Mr. Panch, the vice principal providing the words and their definitions, who now is recovered from an "incident" five years ago. Mr. Panch also has a romantic interest in Ms. Piretti – which she doesn't seem to return. C. Mingo Long, with a beautiful baritone, is Mitch Mahoney, the con doing community service as the official "comforter."
The contestants are a host of stereotypes, but it just doesn't seem to detract from the fun. Randy Blair managed to create a both funny and sympathetic William Barfee (Bar-FAY, he insists), the obese boy whose OCD requires him to spell first with his feet. Marcy Park, too, is both funny and touching, as Ka-Ling Cheung, who plays piano and does gymnastics (as Park does), and speaks six languages – but isn't allowed to fail.
Piper Goodeve manages to create a sympathetic caricature as Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre, with same sex parents whom she cannot afford to let down. Logan Lipton is a wacky Leaf Coneybear, an eccentric whose family thinks him "not too smart." Tracy Michalaidis is a perfectly sad Olive Ostrovsky, whose mother is in India finding herself and whose father is always working.
Jason Yau is especially funny as Chip Tolentino, the previous year's champion who, this year, is visibly overcome by puberty.
Several audience members, too, participate in the bee, and Thursday's were enthusiastic and entertaining.
The songs are fun, but hardly memorable, save for "The I Love You Song," where Michalaidis, as Olive, beautifully laments the loss of her parents' attention. Throughout, the Broadway-style singing is excellent, well accompanied by Adam Wachter, the music director, on piano.
Traditional but stylish choreography by Tesha Buss, set by Howard Jones, costumes by Rachel Kurland and lighting by Kendall Smith all contribute to a polished production.
Weston's "Spelling Bee" is pure corn, and delightfully funny.
Weston Playhouse
Weston Playhouse Theatre Company presents an Equity professional production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the William Finn-Rachel Sheinkman-Rebecca Feldman musical, July 9-25 at the Weston Playhouse, off Route 100, in Weston village. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday, plus 3 p.m. matinees on Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are $40-$36; call (802) 824-5288, or go online to www.westonplayhouse.org.
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