Reviewer: Kristine Gotham
Venue: Bay City Players
Spell “Fun”. Spell “Exciting”. Spell “Heartwarming”. With words like those, Bay City Players opens their 108th season with a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Director, Michael Wisniewski, brings together a cast of 9 along with 4 audience members, in a delightful play about the ups and downs of participating in a contest that could land you a spot at the national level if you win.
Katrina Doud plays moderator, Rona Lisa Perretti. Perretti knows only too well what these kids are going through. She won the “Bee”, as it is affectionately known, years ago. Doud’s Perretti is the perfect blend of mother and coach, helping each child to see themselves and perform what is in their heart.
Kyle Groulx portrays the other adult, Vice Principal Douglas Panch. Through the narrative regarding Mr. Panch you find that he is simply there to replace the original moderator and he knows it. Groulx’s facial expressions and body movements realistically express Panch’s feelings about the whole thing.
Avery LeFevre is Comfort Counselor, Mitch Mahoney. Mahoney’s job, ie. Community Service, is to provide a shoulder to cry on and a light hook to lead the losers off the stage. While he isn’t thrilled about the job, Mahoney isn’t adverse to it either. LeFevre fully embraces the “bad boy” image that his character is called on to portray, while also stretching his own acting and singing abilities in solo numbers and cast songs.
Olivia Greanias plays the character with the longest name, Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, and the biggest drive to win. With two dads who will accept nothing less than total victory, Greanias’ portrayal of Logainne reveals a young girl who wants to please her dads but also feels the pressure of doing so. Her clothes may be bright but her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
Marcy Park is portrayed by A”Zharia Pratt. Marcy is smart, super smart, and a winner, but she is so much more than that. Pratt’s athleticism shows in her cartwheels on stage. Her confidence shines through in her smile and you feel Park’s dismay as she cries out that she is so much more than just languages spoken and contests won. Pratt’s depth of character is relayed to the audience as Marcy finds her own voice and decides that she is more than just one thing and being less than the best is what makes her the happiest.
Imagine sitting on a stage, being totally distracted, and then you are called on. Would that make you feel a little flustered? That is exactly what Cody Ridder’s character, Charlito “Chip” Tolentino endures. A total Boy Scout, no really, he has the uniform, Chip wants to win but finds himself distracted by a girl. In the end, the girl “wins”, and Chip finds himself being led off stage. Ridder embraces Chip’s embarrassment and frustration and releases his anger by walking among the audience after the intermission.
Sam Rosin plays Leaf Coneybear, a lovable but very hyper boy, who has always been told that he isn’t smart. Rosin displays an authentic vulnerability that makes you want to comfort Leaf even as he is driving you crazy with all of his questions and bouncing around the stage.
Olive Ostrovsky is played by Olivia Suing. Olive is shy, unsure of herself, desperate to see her dad in the audience and really missing her mom who is off on a spiritual journey in India. Suing makes herself small when Olive is feeling sad or scared, but she explodes on stage when Olive is full of joy or excitement.
Finally, Regan Williams plays William Barfee, that’s Barfay (spelled for pronounciation). William is smart, but he is such a nerd/geek and Regan presents him in such a way. With his half tucked in shirt, his taped up glasses, his ruffled hair and his hanky in his pocket, William Barfee is not the kid that one would expect to make it very far. Regan embraces Will’s eccentricities and brings this character to life with depth and dimension, and not to mention some fancy footwork with Barfee’s special, “magic foot”.
In just about 2 hours of spelling, singing, and dancing, these 9 actors, entertain and invite the audience to look beyond the outside to the person on the inside, to see their strengths and their vulnerabilities, and to root for each of them to win because we all deserve that chance.
Oh, I almost forgot, the 4 audience members who were included. I don’t know if they knew ahead of time that they were going to be called upon, but they did a great job of either spelling the word or trying to spell the word, and following the rules of the bee. Thank you for your participation.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, premiered off-Broadway in 2005 and 20 years later it has made it to our local stage. It is a fun, light-hearted, entertaining play that you don’t want to miss. The show runs through Sunday, August 3 at Bay City Players. Call the Box Office for tickets or visit the Will Call window at the theater.