All-In Productions invite you to one of the funniest shows of the ongoing theater season. Half musical and half comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee focuses on a fictional spelling bee attended by six socially awkward kids and three equally quirky adults. Each wants to win for a different reason, which we discover throughout the a-laugh-a-minute performance.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee blurs the line between fiction and reality by pretending the play’s audience is actually attending the namesake contest. Several members of the audience are actually invited to step on stage to participate as candidates, although the words they are given leave little room for improvisation—when a spectator needs to win a round, they’re told to spell “cow,” which causes hilarious reactions from the characters. Audience participation is a big part of what makes the show so charming; the actors improvise around the audience members onstage and interact with the ones still sitting. Lucky spectators even receive candy, thanks to Chip (Romesh Alex Jaya), one of the candidates of the spelling bee.
Along with Chip, another five kids participate in the Putnam County spelling bee. Olive Ostrovosky (Ava Bush) is a lonely kid who drowns her sorrows by reading the dictionary; Marcy Park (Ashley Oviedo) is sick of being an overachiever; Leaf Coneybear (Adam Qutaishat) is endearingly simple and naïve; William Barfée (Gage Patterson) needs to spell every word with his foot before being able to spell it out loud—and he hates the fact that nobody can pronounce his French surname!—while Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Stephanie Staszak) is trying to impress her gay dads.
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Aided by grumpy Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Robby McGhee) and former spelling bee champion Rona Lisa Peretti (Samantha Sostarich), this motley group makes the two-hour show go by in an instant. Finally, Ernest Bell crushes it as Mitch Mahoney—an ex con who is doing his community service as the contest’s comfort counselor and trying not to violate his parole.
Despite the fact we’re watching a spelling bee, most of the jokes rely heavily on the actors’ performances. With light-hearted physical comedy, funny accents and sometimes childish demeanors, the actors sell the otherwise simplistic plot with surprising efficiency; during the opening performance, the audience was often struggling to breathe between fits of hilarity. The songs and dances are somewhat forgettable, but they complement the show well.
The entire cast is sparkling, though performances by Qutaishat and Oviedo shine in particular. Toeing the line between cartoonish behavior and touching performances, all the kids have something to add to the storyline. Is a spelling bee worth obsessing over? You can only find out by joining the spelling bee’s audience—or its contestants!
Through May 25 at Next Act Theater, 255 S. Water St. For tickets, visit allin-mke.com.
