William Finn’s Musical Bee Creates an Endearing Buzz

by Lynne Stevens

I didn’t expect to like this musical. There’s plenty of singing and it’s not particularly melodic and yet it is just enough to pull your heartstrings. Along with a full house of fellow theatergoers, I left the theater with a happy grin.

“The 25^th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee” begins with a previous winner who has a flashback to the time she won with the word “syzygy.”

Syzygy:
Science – a collinear configuration of three celestial bodies.
Philosophy – a term used by Carl Jung to mean a union of opposites, anima and animus.

Like life, really–we’re all trying to fit in and do our best. Four willing members of the audience become contestants—a built-in fan club. Six actors do a fine job of embodying younger souls without stooping to mockery.

We see kid-size colored chairs, a U.S. flag, and holiday decorations. Host Rona Lisa Peretti (delightful chanteuse Molly Bell) shares a desk with Douglas Panch (intensely funny Christopher Reber), an unbalanced Vice-Principal—he had a past melt down.

Six adolescent “misfits” discover that participating in spelling bees makes them stand out. The earnest contestants disrupt the bee with a loud protest over a competitor’s too “easy” word. They feel strongly about fairness and rules.

Each youngster has a convincing backstory about anxiety and family life. Each has a unique way of focusing on the word to be spelled. William Barfée (endearing Beau Bradshaw) uses his “magic foot” to spell out the letters.

Olive Ostrovsky (empathetic Maia Campbell) speaks into her hand. Olive loves the dictionary because it might bring meaning to her life. She sees that language rules don’t always make sense. Some letters are silent, while others, by shifting letters, transpose to new meanings.

Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre “Swartzy” (confident Jenni Chapman) writes invisible letters on her arm.

The host describes their peculiarities like a whispering golf tournament commentator.

We are amazed by William’s high kick and Marcy Park (talented Mai Abe) does the splits. When Olive expresses empathy for William, we smile at syzygy in action!

Costume Designer Courtney Flores-Kerrigan creates suitably eccentric outfits that fit the six contestants. Chip Tolentino (exuberant Dave J. Abrams) sports a backwards ball cap; daffy Leaf Coneybear (comic Blake Kevin Dwyer) wears clown-like pants and helmet; and William has shorts and long socks.

The sound of the bell when a word is misspelled leads to “Goodbye” with a quick escort off the stage.  Chip, who has been disqualified through a body malfunction, returns as a candy hawker, throwing candy to the audience while singing of his “erection” that caused him to misspell.

Spelling Bee bouncer, ex-con Mitch Mahoney (commanding Anthone Jackson) hands out juice box consolation prizes. Jackson plays Olive’s hard-working dad, with his fabulous singing voice in “I Love You.” In a dream-like sequence, Olive’s Mom (Bell) and Dad (Jackson) reinforce their support of her:

We always knew you were a winner.
We saw it when you smiled.
Start from the beginning,
When you were a beginner.
You were the perfect child.

This is really what every kid needed to hear all along.

Remember what it was like to be in middle school? Now spell A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E.

 

“The 25^th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee” –music & lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman, directed by Meredith McDonough, music direction by William Liberatore, choreography by Lee Ann Payne, at TheatreWorks, Lucy Stern Theatre, Palo Alto.

Info: theatreworks.org – to December 24, 2023.

Cast: Molly Bell, Dave J. Abrams, Jenni Chapman, Blake Kevin Dwyer, Beau Bradshaw, Mai Abe, Maia Campbell, Christopher Reber, and Anthone Jackson.

Orchestra: William Liberatore, piano; Artie Storch, percussion; Steve Parker, woodwinds; and Diane Ryan, contractor.

Banner photo: Logainne (Jenni Chapman), Leaf (Blake Kevin Dwyer), Olive (Maia Campbell), William Barfée (Beau Bradshaw), Marcy (Mai Abe), and Chip (Dave J. Abrams) are eager to compete. Photos: Kevin Berne