The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Directed by David Perkovich
Theatre at the Center, Munster, IN (map)
thru Aug 18 | tickets: $38-$42 | more info
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A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E
Theatre at the Center presents
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Review by Lauren Whalen
We all like to root for someone, whether it’s an athlete, an Oscar contender or a small-town kid who just wants to make good. Most creative types remember very well the middle school years, when popularity began to matter and most of us stayed squarely on the fringes. This rooting-for-the-relatable-underdog spirit is part of what makes The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee such a strong show, and such an easily produceable one. The dialog is sharp, the score catchy, and the stakes – a preteen word-nerd contest in the gymnasium – sweetly, heartbreakingly high. And thanks to a talented ensemble, sure direction and excellent production elements, Theater at the Center’s Bee is well worth the trip out of town.
Adapted from the play C-R-E-P-U-S-C-L-E, Rachel Sheinkin’s book and William Finn’s music and lyrics are catchy but not cloying, clever but not overly self-referential or indulgent. Although Putnam County’s location is never specified, Bee carries a Midwestern earnestness, and David Perkovich’s direction carries on that spirit. The kids are funny, sure, but the audience isn’t expected to jeer at them (the way their peers at school undoubtedly do). When they spell a word correctly, the audience claps; when they hear the dreaded “ding” that means “you’re out”, we’re genuinely sad. Bee has the childlike charm of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the documentary feel of A Chorus Line and the film Best in Show. The majority of the characters are preteens, yet everyone has separate struggles and stories, and every story is important.
 
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William A. Underwood leads a solid orchestra, and Inseung Park’s scenic design conjures a school gymnasium so realistically, childhood flashbacks encapsulate the whole theater (as evidenced by the three willing audience participants in the onstage bee). Doubling as choreographer, Miller’s work edges toward overdone at times, but overall conjures a nice nostalgia, even for those of us who welcomed adulthood with open arms. Each cast member gives a thoughtful, nuanced performance, though a few really stand out: Goodrich has a beautiful voice, and just the right blend of can-do efficiency and maternal empathy. Bellinger (so wonderful in last spring’s Six Degrees of Separation at Eclectic Theatre Company) brings his trademark charm and rounds out what could have been a very stereotypical character. Wagner is snotty (both literal and figurative) perfection, and Fleming lisps like a champ while surely strutting about with precocity. It’s Tierney and Miller who make the show: the former whips around a homemade cape, using his own weirdness to mask a deep insecurity, and the latter is Bee’s heart, whether she’s passionately dissecting words or delivering a tearjerking ballad to her absentee mom and dad.
It’s easy for me to love Bee because, 20 years ago, I was one of these kids. While watching the show, I absently scribbled the words in my program: proof that the past never really dies. I wouldn’t go back to that time in my life, yet Bee reminded me what it was like to want to fit in, and the great things ahead for those who didn’t. And 20 years later, I no longer have a perm or culottes, but the important values remain. Namely, I love theater. I love words. And now, I love Bee.
Rating: ★★★½
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee continues through August 18th at Indiana’s Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster (map), with performances Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets are $38-$42, and are available by phone (219-836-3255) or online through Tickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TheatreAtTheCenter.com. (Running time: 2 hours, includes an intermission)
Photos courtesy of Michael Brosilow and Theatre at the Center
artists
cast
Rose Le Tran (Marcy Park), Cory Goodrich (Rona Lisa Peretti), Nicole Miller (Olive Ostrovsky), Bear Bellinger (Mitch Mahoney), Frank J. Paul (Isaac “Chip” Berkowitz), Landree Fleming (Logainne Schwarzandgrubenierre), Jonathan Wagner (William Barfee), Patrick Tierney (Leaf Coneybear), Jake Mahler (Douglas Panch)
behind the scenes
David Perkovich (director), Nicole Miller (choreography), William A. Underwood (musical direction, orchestrations), Inseung Park (scenic designer), Denise Karczewski (lighting designer), Barry G. Funderburg (sound designer), Brenda Winstead (costume designer), Kevin Barthel (wig designer), Bridget Earnshaw (props designer), Matt McMullen (stage manager), Ann Davis (production manager, technical director), Richard Friedman (general manager)
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