The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The maxim above the proscenium arch at the Goodwood Theatre (formerly the Mayfair Theatre) sums up Funk Soul Productions latest offering The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee perfectly. In Latin they are ‘Non Sibi, Sed Arti’ (or, ‘Not for self, but for art). This encapsulates Funk Soul’s work perfectly. They work as a true ensemble to produce high quality young adult theatre that can be enjoyed by both young and old.

Their production at this time last year, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, was their first musical foiree and after last night’s production, Funk Soul Productions are a musical theatre force to be reckoned with!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows a group of six geeky middle school students competing in a spelling bee. The story is hosted by Rona Lisa Peretti, who reminisces about her own spelling bee victory. Each contestant has their own unique personality and backstory: Olive, the shy girl; William Barfee, who uses his ‘magic foot’, Chip, the former champion; Leaf, who doubts his intelligence; Marcy, the overachiever; and Logainne, who seeks her fathers' approval. Throughout the competition, they learn that winning isn't everything, and true joy is being true to oneself.

Director Gracie Greenrod (who also designed the set, headed the props and costume design amongst many other things) has wisely chosen to centre the work on the talents of her cast and help them find their early teenage selves. Her set is simple to allow the acting and singing to shine, her use of the stage and audience space is excellent, and the pace her actors set is just right.

Immi Beattie (Musical Director) is to he congratulated for achieving such tight harmonies from the cast. At times the pace of the songs is rapid, but every word is clear and works hand in hand with the script to develop the story.

Allycia Angeles’ choreography perfectly suits each character. Angeles has astutely used each character’s movement strengths to produce numbers that are high energy and allow for each character’s quirkiness.

The lighting (by Gracie Greenrod, Steven Durey and Allycia Angeles) successfully sets the mood for the Bee but also takes us inside the minds of the contestants as we learn about their worlds.

A feature of this show is the use of four audience members as contestants who get eliminated on the first act. This was well handled and brought extra humour to the production. The last audience contestant to be eliminated on the opening night was so funny I thought he must be one of the cast!

Ruby Pinkerton (Rona Lisa Peretti/Olive’s Mom) is the prefect host. A symphony in pink with the voice of an angel. She ‘drives’ the show expertly, and adds pathos to ‘The I Love You Song’.

Corey Major (Chip Tolentino/Jesus) steals the show with is number ‘Chip’s Lament’ which features the unfortunate erection that caused him to misspell a word and be eliminated. It is a show stopper, as is his brief appearance as Jesus.

Neve Sargeant (Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre) plays the daughter of two gay Dad’s with empathy. Her way of spelling a word by writing it first with her finger on her sleeve is a riot as is her work with the audience before the show begins.

Matthew Boyd (Leaf Coneybear/Carl Grubenierre) is every goofy teenager we have ever met. He designs his own clothes (including his cape), and learns that confidence in one’s own ability is important. His song ‘I Like to Spell’ is a highlight.

Jaxon Joy (William Barfee/Leaf’s Dad) is the misunderstood character in the Bee. His surname is usually mispronounced, but he possesses ultimate confidence by spelling with his ‘Magic Foot’. Joy resists the temptation to play Barfee one dimensionally and delves deeper into his backstory in act two.

Yasmin Fitzgerald (Marcy Park) is the high achiever of the group. Unfortunately, this is at the cost of her happiness. Her parents have high expectations, while she would like to fail and be ‘human’ just once. Fitzgerald has all the necessary physical skills to ‘pull off’ this role’ and also has heart.

Amelia Boys (Olive Ostrovsky) is perhaps the deepest character, the teenager that just want to be loved. Boys melts our hearts with her number ‘The I Love You Song’ with her Mum and Dad, a poignant moment in the show.

Flynn Turley (Douglas Panch) plays the semi psychotic Deputy Principal perfectly. His exasperation with the younger generation is wonderful as are the definitions he gives for the words to be spelt, and his ‘melt down’ in Act two.

Parisya Mosel (Mitch Mahoney/Dan Schwartz/ Olive’s Dad) covers a wide range of characters with ease. I loved the difference between the streetwise Mitch Mahoney and the Logainne’s caring dad. He also had the difficult job of managing the farewells of the ‘audience contestants’ which made their experience non-threatening.

The two swings not performing on opening night are Teagan Garvey and Eloise Morriss.

I was in the second row, and noticed there were a few imbalances between music and voice in the larger numbers which meant some of the initial lyrics were lost. However, the balance further back in the auditorium may be better. I am confident these imbalances will correct themselves as the season continues.

The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is two hours of sheer joy as we laugh and maybe shed a tear with the six contestants and the adults who manage the Bee. If you haven’t seen a Funk Soul Production, I suggest you do, as they are setting a high benchmark for young adult theatre!

Barry Hill OAM

Pic Credit Henry Cook