REVIEW: ‘Family entertainment that will make almost anyone chuckle’
Hamilton Theatre Inc.'s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee features great performances and plenty of fun.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, presented by Hamilton Theatre Inc., has been enjoying a robust mid-winter run spurred on by enthusiastic (and interactive!) audiences. It has three remaining performances this coming weekend, and it’s a decent choice for family entertainment that will make almost anyone chuckle.
This zany and high-energy musical comedy takes place at Putnam Valley Middle School, a geographically ambiguous place somewhere in the United States. The set evokes a gymnasium with bleachers and a moderator’s table as well as school emblems hung around the house. A half-dozen oddball, yet captivating, students are competing in the spelling bee, which is being run by a trio of unusual adults. They include the spelling bee moderator who well remembers her own heyday as a competitor, the vice principal who has returned from an unspecified “incident” at a previous bee, and a reformed ex-convict who fulfills the role of “comfort counsellor” and presents all losing students with a supportive hug and a juice box before sending them on their way.
Putnam County Spelling Bee is based on a play by Rebecca Feldman and performed by The Farm, a New York improv comedy troupe. William Finn (music and lyrics) and Rachel Sheinkin (book) worked with Feldman to transform the original play into a scripted full-length musical which opened Off-Broadway in early 2005 at the Second Stage Theatre. The musical then premiered on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre in April of the same year. It closed in 2008 after 1,136 performances and 21 previews. The Broadway production earned good reviews and success at the box office, and it was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two, including best book.
The musical has been mounted in cities across the United States as well as in Australia, South Korea, Norway, and Israel. Some well-known names who have performed in the musical include Dan Fogler, Josh Gad, Taran Killam, Greta Lee, Mo Rocca, Beanie Feldstein and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
The spelling bee competitors put a quirky and charming new spin on what might have been stale caricatures. Olive (Adelaide Bliss) is an anxious, delicate-looking girl with parents who perpetually disappoint her. Armed with her dictionary and a survivor’s spirit, she forges on despite it all and wins our hearts in the process. Chip (Ryan McGinlay) is boyishly charming yet laugh-out-loud awkward, and audiences might think they have Liyah Imbert’s Marcy pegged as an uptight, Type A perfectionist until she turns the tables in Act Two. Her timing and mannerisms are spot on.
It’s hard to say which of these performers steals the scene more often, but the unbridled zest that Sarah Gazzola, Leia Mahoney, and Makenna Louks have for their characters is undeniable. The whole cast is “all-in” but these three are jaw-dropping in their complete commitment to character. Mahoney’s Barfee has a familiar disdain for those who (perpetually) mispronounce his surname while possessing a physicality with similarities to Saturday Night Live character Pat, played by Julia Sweeney. And the way that Louks throws themself around the stage as the underestimated but lovable Leaf Coneybear is absolutely mesmerizing, reminiscent of another SNL alum, comedian Chris Farley.
An unusual aspect of Putnam County Spelling Bee is that several audience members (who have volunteered before the show) are invited on stage to compete alongside the cast members. At the performance I watched, one of those participants was described as wanting to be a speech therapist “when she grew up.” These audience members are well supported while on stage by the cast and add some nice interactions.
The HTI cast as a whole is a dynamic, passionate, and well-rehearsed group of performers that also includes Liyah Imbert (Marcy Park), Alissa Jambrovic (Rona Lisa Perretti/Olive & Schwartzy’s Moms); Matt Moore (Vice Principal Douglas Panch); and Kyle Ferreira (Mitch Mahoney/Jesus).
Moore (VP Panch) and Jambrovic (Rona Lisa Perretti) ad lib well and provide the necessary structure to keep the plot and momentum going while infusing their own well-timed comedic moments. I think most of us would feel our lives improved by the intervention of Ferreira’s Mitch Mahoney, the comfort counsellor, to give us a hug and a juice box when things don’t go as planned. There were a few, unfortunate moments when his lines were overpowered by the live musical accompaniment (though it pains me to mention this as the wonderful live band is well-known as an HTI asset). My companion at the performance, an employee of Ferreira’s when he’s not onstage, nearly expired with laughter when he made his show-stopping appearance in Act Two as … Jesus.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, presented by HTI, shows the degree of passion and enthusiasm that exists in community theatre. It was clear that friends, family, and neighbours were peppered throughout the audience, and folks were enjoying a precious few hours filled with laughs.
Next up for Hamilton Theatre Inc. is Big Fish, opening May 9.
NEED TO KNOW
Continues March 7-9
Friday, March 7, 7 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, March 8 & 9, 2 p.m.
Hamilton Theatre Inc.
140 MacNab St. N., Hamilton
Tickets are here
Reserved seating: $25-$30
Doors open a half hour before show time
