by Harry Duke *
Musical theatre is an art form that rarely comes with a trigger warning. One wouldn’t think that a show as innocuous as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee would need an alert that the show’s subject matter may cause distressing psychological or physiological reactions, especially in people who have previously experienced a related trauma, but then how could the artists behind the Novato Theater Company’s production, now running through Oct. 11, know of this writer’s disastrous performance in 1974 at the Antilles Middle School/San Juan Star Spelling Bee?
After being crowned Mrs. Plyler’s 6th grade classroom champion, I vigorously studied the word book and felt I was prepared to go all the way at the schoolwide competition. I joined my classmates in the cafeteria on a humid May day and took my seat. My name was called. I trotted to the microphone, was given my word, vociferously repeated it, spelled it, and repeated it again: “Carrot. C-A-R-R-O-T. Carrot.” I turned triumphantly to the judge’s table only to watch in horror as she reached for the bell. DING! And I was done.
I had not asked for a definition. I did not ask for it to be used in a sentence. Had I done so, I would have known the word I was assigned was carat, a unit of weight for precious stones. My years of watching Bugs Bunny cartoons had betrayed me. Life as I knew it was over. I would never compete in a Spelling Bee again.
Damned homophones.
…Spelling Bee is the tale of a group of youngsters competing in the title event. The show’s hook is that the kids are all played by adults (Dominic Marco Canty, Carly Harrington, Paul Hogarth, Marlee Ostrom, Emily Rutledge, and Nicole Stanley). The Bee is overseen by Putnam County’s most successful realtor (Daniela Innocenti-Beem), a troubled Vice Principal (Pat Barr), and an ex-con doing his community service as a comfort counselor (Nicholas Augusta).
Director Larry Williams seems to have taken the “bigger and louder is funnier” approach but it often isn’t, especially in a smaller space. The humor is in the book (Rachel Sheinkin) and songs (William Finn). Deliver them well and you’ve got a show.
The always-dependable Beem, Stanley, and especially Rutledge get it. By all means, accent the characters, but don’t overplay them. If you do, the characters (and the show) lose some of their amiability.
The other members of the ensemble all have their moments. Barr’s responses when asked to use a word in a sentence garner hefty laughs, as does Ogarth’s delivery of “Chip’s Lament” (aka “My Unfortunate Erection”.) As the song’s alternate title might suggest, this is not a kid’s show.
The often amusing and occasionally sweet songs are well delivered both vocally by the cast and instrumentally by the five-piece band led by musical director Christopher Hewitt, but both often seem to be playing to a 1500-seat house.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a show with a little more depth than its silly trappings would indicate, which is why playing it at the right level is key. Turning things down a bit (on both characterization and volume) would allow a little bit more of the show’s humanity to come through.
Your word is “moderation”.
‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ runs through October 11 at the Novato Theater Company, 5420 Nave Drive, Ste. C, Novato. Fri & Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm., $27–$39. 415.883.4498. novatotheatercompany.org
Photo by Jere Torkelsen
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This review originally appeared in an edited version in the Pacific Sun.
