'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' - My Review

Kelly Boucher and Cindy Lesser founded the "new and exciting" Newington Mainstage theater company and their shows are presented in the modern Newington Town Hall.  The beautiful theater is on the first floor of the town hall; Newtown's is on the second floor of their town hall. How I wish that  more towns were blessed with such a resource.

The slogan on all their (better than average) advertising is "It's good times. Seriously." I was invited to attend one of their final dress rehearsals of the upcoming production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, so I know that it definitely lives up to their motto. They have assembled a very strong group of actors to make up this nine-member cast and Ms. Boucher has directed them with a strong comic sense. While the characters at the spelling bee are very well-defined, these performers manage to steer clear of caricatures.

Their website explains:

The competition is intense. The words are hilarious. Let the spelling begin! The show centers around a fictional spelling bee in Putnam County, New York. Six kids face off in the battle of their lives. They compete against each other as well as members of the audience. Three adults help adjudicate the proceedings: a nostalgic former spelling bee winner, a mildly insane Vice Principal and The Official Comfort Counselor completing his community service to the state of New York.

(Please note that due to some adult language and content, neither of which is excessive, this production is recommended for theatergoers age 12 and over.)

The adult characters include Rona Lisa Peretti, the organizer of the spelling bee; she is cheerfully played by Ms. Lesser.  Michael Cartwright plays vice principal Douglas Panch; he looks the part and while he doesn't stray too far from the script, he made us laugh. Garth West plays parolee Mitch Mahoney a bit less scary than I have seen, but he showed off his amazing singing voice throughout. His duet with Ms. Lesser, another wonderful singer, was impressive.  I hope to see Mr. West in another production soon.

The spellers sported perfect costumes for their unique characters. Boy Scout Chip Tolentino/Jesus is well-played by Ian Lynch-Passarelli. Overachiever Logainne Schwartzandgrunenierre  is embodied by Emely Larson. Katie Keough is Catholic school student Marcy Park, while Roseanne Gowdy is a lovely and angelic Olive Ostrovsky.

The Leaf Coneybear of Ian Galligan is worth the trip to Newington. From his over-the-top costume, to his Slinky, to his non-stop movement, this young man is a riot. Even when his isn't "on," he is on. Also of special note was Eric Michael Gray as a very strong and properly unkept William Barfee.

What set this cast apart from the rest was the strength of their voices; not one of them could not sing well, and some were outstanding. In addition, Mr. Galligan and Mr. West had to double as Ms. Logainne's gay dads and the duo was spot on. The entire cast did a very good job of including the four spellers chosen from the audience in the fun.

The excellent band include music director Mike Gowdy on keyboard, Julie Hassler on cello, Michael Paglione on woodwinds and Tim Urso on percussion. They sounded great in the pit at house right and did not overpower the relatively small cast. Sound and lighting were good and props/costume master Mr. Galligan added to the simple set.

Spelling Bee runs this weekend only for three performances.

APRIL 26-28, 2013
Friday & Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm

 If you've never been there before - the physical address of the Town Hall is 131 Cedar Street, but you can't get in from there. The entrance and parking lot is accessible via Mazzaccoli Way/Mill Street (depending on the map/GPS you're using, the street name was changed recently). All the directions are on their website http://www.newingtonmainstage.com/