Archive: Arts & Entertainment

The Tony Award-winning musical comedy "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" catapults you into an adolescent angst leavened with laughter and heart. Moving stories, compelling characters, and brilliant music fill Running to Places' (R2P) production, running July 5-16 at the Kitchen Theatre, 417 State Street, Ithaca.

The scene: a middle school spelling bee. The contestants: superstars at spelling but misfits in life. Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre (Riley Kwortnik) is burdened with two overbearing fathers. William Barfée (Nick Mras) lacks interpersonal skills and Leaf Coneybear's (Josie Clougherty) family calls her dumb. Chip Tolentino (Sebastian Fullerton) is overwhelmed by hormones and overachiever Marcy Park (Alyssa Salerno) feels her life careening out of control. Olive Ostrovsky (Sierra Stallmann) comes alone to the spelling bee because her parents can't be bothered. Her song, "I Love You," is a gut-wrenching paen to wanting what you cannot have.

"They're outcast everywhere else in their lives and so there's some pretty dark things the show explores," says Joey Steinhagen, R2P artistic director. "It's about all of us: we all have this craving to find a place where we belong and where we can be celebrated for the things that we love. But within that occasional darkness is just a pervasive good spirited hopeful, loving, warm and funny kind of show. It's ultimately uplifting and beautiful and inspiring."

The character of Vice Principal Bonnie Patch (Zoe Klausner), the official spelling bee pronouncer, was originally played by a stand-up comic and the part is still largely improvisational, with spontaneous descriptions of the contestants, cast members and audience. "Nobody knows what Zoe is going to say one moment to the next. Everyone had to really practice not cracking up on stage because she is hilarious," says Steinhagen.

But some of those on stage will have had no rehearsal whatsoever, because they will be chosen from the audience. Whether they can spell a given word or not is anyone's guess. "The show is unpredictable; it's full of surprises for everyone every night," says Steinhagen.

The show, with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss, was nominated for six Tony Awards and won two. "The music and the writing are so beautifully crafted that there's no way to avoid getting drawn into the story," says Steinhagen. "The jokes are clever and well written and you will laugh heartily all through the night. And that's just enhanced being at the Kitchen Theatre, which is the perfect place to feel very much a part of the story and very much a part of these kids' lives."

The 13-person cast is drawn from grades 7-12. Because the cast is so young, there's a power and an authenticity that's impossible to create with adults, notes Steinhagen.

While not a dance-heavy show, "every now and then some dance moments will sneak up on you and surprise and delight you," says Steinhagen. "We enlisted choreographers Tucker Davis and Fatima Sowe to come in and work their magic with the cast for exactly those moments."

The costumes, by R2P company alumna Hallie Malina (mentored by Liz Woods), situate the show in the contemporary world. The design team also includes Deb Drew and Brian Ugorowski on the sets and Jeremy Pletter, resident music director.

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