Theater review: Selma Arts Center sounds out a successful run of ‘Spelling Bee’
By A.N. Patterson
There are two struggles when you’re young: the pressure of success (or lack thereof); and feeling like you belong. These are some of the themes of William Finn’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” In the musical, we are introduced to a vice principal and former spelling bee winner as pronouncer and moderator, an ex-convict who is serving his community service hours as a comfort counselor, and 10 quirky adolescents as contestants. Selma Arts Center’s current production, directed by Claudio Laso, plays into those early life struggles with a refreshing balance of humor and affection.
Pictured above: The Lugubrious Cast of “Spelling Bee” finishes out the Selma Arts Center run. Photo: Selma Arts Center
The musical has two casts that rotate each weekend, and I got the opportunity to see the Chimerical cast this past Saturday.
The musical takes place in a contemporary setting, following the contestants, moderator, pronouncer, and comfort counselor as they go through the spelling bee. Almost every character is dealing with one of the aforementioned problems. For characters like Marcy Park (played by Jaida Jolene), and Chip Tolentino (P. J. Causing), the pressure of success is high for varying reasons. But for characters like Leaf Coneybear (Caleb Hernandez) and Olive Ostrovsky (Mikayla Rockwell), the sense of belonging lingers in their mind throughout the spelling bee. For William Barfée (Dylan Villanueva Hardcastle) and Logainne Schwartzandgrubeniere (Trinity Mikel), both problems are evident, and whether the sense of belonging is lacking from their friends or family, they feel the need to earn their place. The rest of the contestants were participants from the audience.
Helping the children are moderator Rona Lisa Peretti (Bri Villanueva Hardcastle) and comfort counselor Mitch Mahoney (Aunix Bull), both offering the contestants comfort in some moments and solutions to their problems in others. Trying his best as pronouncer is vice principal Douglas Panch (Rudy Gonzalez), who, despite “being in a better place now”, occasionally allows anger to overcome him.
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An important theme of the musical is defying preset expectations. For Olive, that means becoming a loving parent despite the lack of one in her life. For Leaf, that means achieving individuation and self-confidence in spite of the ridicule of his family. And for Marcy, that means gaining the confidence and freedom of will to do what she wants, even if it means failing in the eyes of others. The musical embodies the words of the psychoanalyst Karen Horney: “If you want to be proud of yourself, then do things in which you can take pride.”
The Chimerical cast members were masterful in their portrayal of the adolescents and supplemental portrayals of family members. Though it’s hard to pick out a standout performance in such a talented cast, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention what may be the greatest portrayal of Jesus Christ in a musical setting. Jesus (also played by Causing with an excellent Jennifer Coolidge voice) speaks to Marcy Park as she worries about disappointing him, and he aims to comfort her and ease her anxiety. Another particularly funny aspect of the production is Hernandez’ musical charm in Leaf’s “I’m Not That Smart,” and its reprisal.
While the stage design is simple, Laso and his design team do an excellent job at making it astonishingly reminiscent of all of those spelling bees from those years. The stage is transformed into half of a school gymnasium with a set of bleachers seating the contestants, and two tables seating the adults. The costume design by Dulce Quezada-Perez allows for more immersion as well, giving the characters fitting expressions of their personalities in their wardrobe.
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It became easy to lose myself in the production, as the performance and narrative was seamless and inviting to the particularly electric audience in attendance. Growing up in an average town in the United States provides the viewer with enough supplemental information necessary to enjoy the production. As I watched it, I was reminded of my years in elementary and middle school, and I believe the frequent laughter of the audience proved as a reminder of theirs, as well.
The musical’s wit was very amusing, and its charm left a very deep impression on me. It provided a very special window back into those growing years in all of their fondness and delightful inelegance. Growing up and experiencing becoming isn’t always a perfect part of life, and it is a joy to see it portrayed as such.
Selma Arts Center is presenting “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” for one more weekend, with the Lugubrious cast returning to close out the production, including Gloriann Arnett as Rona Lisa, Jenna Roza-Cabello as Olive, Toph Ortiz as William, Aiden Flores as Chip, Nick Sterling as Leaf, Shelbey Manley as Marcy, Kaci Clason as Logainne, Jacob Moon as Mitch, and with Rudy Gonzalez reprising his role as Douglas.
