Spelling as a competitive bloodsport lives in its own stratosphere. The ability to memorize and spell the most obscure words is certified after a few critical questions — “What’s the country of origin,” or, “Are there any alternate definitions,” and the granddaddy inquiry of them all — “Can you use it in a sentence?”
Once the juggernaut of sporting life, ESPN, got hold of the competition, it turned brainiac, memorization hounds into legends, heroes in their communities, boons for the local news rag and worthy of all the savings bonds their ink-stained, dictionary-wielding hands could muster.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ” now being presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, is a wild and wacky tribute to the underdog. There are no deified quarterbacks amongst these denizens of dork, just quirky kings and queens who are revered because words like syzygy and capybara vault them into stinger stardom.
What makes the wonderfully joyous production of the small-cast musical such a delight is how well-balanced the storyline is. Six memorable contestants (and four pre-selected yet non-planted audience volunteers) are loaded into the high-stakes world of competitive spelling, where even the plastic holiday animals on stage stop being inanimate and lock into the thrilling conclusion.
The humor blends well with some absolute poignancy within William Finn’s tender compositions and Rachel Scheinkin’s peppery book, tightly directed here by Meredith McDonough. A dashing set design that turns out to be more complex than it first appears (scenic designer Andrea Bechert) saves some sweet surprises for later.
The 25th anniversary version of the Putnam County Bee has alpha-energy stewards, led by former champion Rona Lisa Peretti (Molly Bell), a woman who steadily carries her all-out obsession with the Bee and its life-affirming powers on her shoulders. Her very unwilling assistant, the hapless vice principal Douglas Panch (Christopher Reber) is the reluctant reader, definer and sentence giver, a sad sap of a dude who delivers pronunciations like a boss.
The participants have their own journeys. While the ball of zest Leaf Coneybear (Blake Kevin Dwyer) serves as a budding tailor fighting with his perceived lack of intellect, Logainne (Jenni Chapman) is all liberal fire, ready to stamp out societal slights with vigor. Marcy Park (Mai Abe) locks horns with her own perfection, and Chip (Dave J. Abrams) fights a losing battle with his untimely, pre-pubescent libido.
As William (Beau Bradshaw) has his brilliance fed to him through a soft shoe step, Olive (Maia Campbell) brings some motivational mystery to the contest, arriving unaccompanied due to her absent parents. Keeping all of these bookheads in order is the avuncular comfort counselor Mitch (Anthone Jackson), a man who has to work harder than he thought while knocking out hours on his community service sentence.
What makes the piece so balanced is in how it oscillates smoothly between charming grate, insane wit, and belly laughs crossed with tear-yanking pathos. Each of the spellers, and the three adults who run the bee for that matter, all have compelling backstories as to how they arrived.
The hilarity also form of some of the show’s improvisational moments. Those may include fun facts about the audience volunteers, or the request for a sentence, which the sharp Reber presents with rib-tickling, deadpan delivery.
Songs offer their own variance of style, the wit of the pithy lyrics that explain rules, serenades that wave audience volunteers goodbye, and the insight gleaned from delving deeper into a contestant’s life. Delivering mightily on his aria is Dwyer’s “I’m Not That Smart,” a tune full of charm just before a rapturous possession forces the correct word spelling. Bradshaw’s take on “Magic Foot” gets the entire room tapping their own toes, and Abe’s ode to hexalingual perfection is a succulent tribute to stamina.
“The I Love You Song” lives in its own orbit, chock-full of poignancy. It’s a number that commits to something darker within Olive’s truth and devastating arc, arguably the most pulchritudinous number in the show. Campbell’s precocity, along with the savory three-part rolling harmonies solidified by highly-skilled veterans Jackson and Chapman are memorable.
The piece is clearly framed around a spelling bee, but the context is much greater. After all, you may be a newly-minted pathetic loser for eternity because you misspelled pyrrhuloxia after excitedly tittuping along the stage to the microphone. But on the bright side, you now have a few new friends.
David John Chávez is chair of the American Theatre Critics Association and a two-time juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (‘22-‘23); @davidjchavez.
By William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin, presented by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
Through: Dec. 24
Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission
Tickets: $37-$92; theatreworks.org
