'25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' Review – Wonderous and Quirky Performances Demand Attention

The lights dim, the audience quiets, and the first character steps forward from behind the curtain. When the rest of the characters join the stage, the musical sequence begins. Colorful and intricate costumes accompany the characters to match their design, but the cast members bring the characters’ personas to life with their expressive and individual traits. This is what Stage Wright delivers with their production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee musical.

The show centers around a fictional spelling bee set in a rambunctious middle school. The spelling bee participants are uniquely quirky with the adult moderators just as atypical. Throughout the show, each participant’s backstory is displayed through wondrous dances and emotional melodies. Although the audience remains seated during the show, the dance sequences and music demands the audience’s attention wholly.

The musical comedy, with lyrics and music written by William Finn, has a run time of approximately 90 minutes. The original storybook was written by Rachael Sheinkin, utilizing the basis of C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E by Rebecca Feldman.

Cast members as their respective characters during performance (Photo credit: Director Thomas Murdock)

Each character has at least one song dedicated to themselves, which allows the respective cast member to showcase the character to their fullest extent. Director Thomas Murdock, also a professor of communication and theatre at Wright, applauds the cast members and production crew for their effort and dedication to showcase the musical.

Murdock disclosed that many of the cast members had little to no experience in performing in a musical before. “They spent months practicing – rehearsing together and separately- to prepare for the show. Students put in the work, and the audience sees the results of lots and lots of work.”

On what he's enjoyed most about this spring's musical, Murdock said, “being able to watch the [student’s] growth." He added, "I think myself and the audience can appreciate the energy that the students brought to the show. Instead of just reading words on a page, [the cast] made the words come alive.”

The remaining viewings for the musical are on March 24 at 7:30 pm, and March 25 at 7:30 pm. Tickets for evening shows are $5 for students and $10 for general admission (cash only). For ticket reservations and info, call (773) 481-8037. Showings are in the auditorium in Wright's events building.

The cast is as follows:

Rona Lisa Peretti - Maeve Sheedy and understudied by Serena Diaz

Vice Principal Panch - Wendy Acosta

Marcy Park - Tracy Ho

Chip Tolentino - Logan Gonzalez

Logainne Shwartzandgrubenniere - Leiana Carrasco-Ramos

Leaf Coneybear - Thomas Velisaris

Olive Ostrovsky - Caterina Benincasa

William Barfee - Ray Ramos

Mitch Mahoney - Paul Scavone