Laughter and Music at The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Mar 26, 2023 by

By Sue Weston and Susan Rosenbluth –  Two Sues On The Aisle

Nostalgic for junior-high school? The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee brings those memories to life, set in an eerily realistic gym, with bleachers, a faded floor, abandoned crepe paper pom-poms hanging from the ceiling, and even a deflated balloon with Happy Birthday Bob. This vintage musical comedy, which ran on Broadway, with music and lyrics by William Finn, and the script written by Rachel Sheinkin, is based on an improvisational play developed by Rebecca Feldman. It gave us a pleasant escape from reality unless you are selected as a participant. Four members of the audience are selected to compete in the spelling bee alongside the six young finalists.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is pure amusement, a musical comedy, full of surprises.  The enormously talented cast sings and dances their way into your heart, as they balance the need to succeed with their desire to fit in, a reminder of the complications of growing up. The event coordinators, whose shining moment may be hosting the spelling bee, include former champion, Rona Lisa Peretti (Ally Bonino), Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Kilty Reidy) responsible for reading the words and ringing the bell, and comfort counselor, Mitch Mahoney (Michael Ray), who is completing his community service. They show us that life after junior high school can be challenging.

Meet The Competitors

  1. Logainne Schwartzandgrubeniere (Angel Lin), who has a lisp and writes the words on her sleeve, was raised by two dads who are determined for her to win.
  2. Leaf Coneybear (Sammy Pignalosa), who spells in a quasi-trance, qualified for the bee by default, the first and second place finalists were attending a bar mitzvah, and is surprised by his ability to spell, realizing that he might actually be smart.
  3. Olive Ostrovsky (Lila Coogan), a last-minute entrant, who spells words quietly to herself, has a complicated family situation. Her mother is in India and her father is a no-show for the event.
  4. Marcy Park (Sumi Yi), a Catholic school student and overachiever (who speaks six languages) correctly spells ‘phylactery’, with some divine intervention gives herself permission to make a mistake, discovering that winning is not everything.
  5. William Barffe (Jordan Matthew), (continually correcting the pronunciation of his name) spells his words out with his foot, has a peanut allergy, and suffers from mucus.
  6. Chip Tolentino (Coleman Steele Cummings), last year’s finalist is the first eliminated, momentarily distracted by a Leaf’s sister in the audience.

Leaf Coneybear (Sammy Pignalosa), Mitch Mahoney (Michael Ray), Olive Ostrovsky (Lila Coogan)

Masterful Performance

The premise of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is hilarious, filled with witty dialogue, and masterful performances.

The competitors fiercely battle. With each ‘ding’ of the bell a contestant is eliminated. The sound, that at first dreaded, becomes a sign of accomplishment. The final two, Olive and Barfee, find a comfortable connection, moving from competitors to friends. Olive acknowledges Barfees’ talent, allowing him to take first place, which alluded him the prior year because of a peanut incident.

The play introduces each character providing their quirky backstories and ends with an epilogue, cleverly bringing a sense of closure. The writing is exceptionally witty, with talented actors. The music played by the band who are on the stage pulls everything together.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, playing at the George Street Playhouse until April 9th is a show to be experienced.  The performance left us smiling, uplifted by the power of theater, a reminder to make time to laugh.

*****

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) in order to see the play, show, film, or exhibit being reviewed. 

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Received a 5 Challah rating

5 Challah Rating

Five Challah Rating

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