by Stan Jenson

Palm Springs Theatregoers have enjoyed newcomer Revolution Stage Company’s (RSC’s) wide variety of shows and events.  However, we were all waiting for them to stage a “traditional, recognized” musical.  They did so a couple of months ago with their production of Avenue Q and it really blew the audience’s socks off!  So many houses were sold out that they added several additional performances, and some of my friends went back one or two more times just to see if it was as wonderful as they remembered.  The two people I asked both said that they could have seen it even more times if the run had been longer.

This week RSC has opened their production of another “recognizable musical,” The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  Many of us wondered whether they could come anywhere near the excellence they achieved with Avenue Q. Guess what? It looks like lightning really can strike twice in the same place. In a word, the show is terrific.  At intermission it dawned on me that my cheekbones hurt because the only time I wasn’t smiling was when I was outright laughing.  The 2005 Broadway production features words and music by William Finn (Falsettos, A New Brain) and a book by Rachel Sheinkin. The show was conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. 

The show starts with Rona Lisa Peretti (Kelly McDaniel), Putnam County’s leading Realtor, speaking into a standing mic in front of the house curtain.  She welcomes us to the Putnam County Spelling Bee and then the curtain raises and we meet our first contestant – or so it was in rehearsal.  On opening night, the curtain evidently had stage fright and made numerous efforts to rise but only got a foot or two off the ground.  In my mind I was saying, “Stop the show, fix the curtain, and start again.”  However, McDaniel turned the moment into improv heaven.  The ad libs became more and more hilarious as the curtain played prima donna.  Finally it lifted and she started the show again, but most of us in the audience hoped the incident would be repeated every night.  She was hilarious, and it set the pace for a show that actually includes quite a bit of ad lib.

There are six student contestants in the bee.  First is Olive (Candace Coe), a newcomer to the bee whose mother is in an ashram in India. Her father is working late again, though she has saved a seat for him.  Next is Chip (Carlos Garcia), a boy scout who is the defending champion from the 24th Spelling Bee.  He is set to win again until puberty excites his boy-thing just before he is called to the microphone. He works so hard to cover his lap as he stands at the mic that he loses track of his spelling.  Then comes Marcy (Keanna Garcia, Carlos’s sister), an over-achiever who speaks six languages and during a song shows off over a dozen other skills including martial arts, ballet, playing classics on multiple instruments -- and sleeping only three hours per night.  Logainne (Christine Michele) is politically correct with two overbearing gay fathers pushing her to win.  She has an endearing lisp when she speaks, but it makes her song lyrics difficult to understand.  Leaf Coneybear (Samuel Neal Moffatt) comes from a large family of former hippies, has been homeschooled, and makes his own clothes.  He rides in on a scooter, wearing a bicycle helmet and a short red superhero cape.  The last competitor is William Barfee (Joseph Portoles) who constantly corrects the announcers that his name is Bar-Fay.  He is touchy, only has one functioning nostril, and spells using a highly unique technique – his “Magical Foot.”  His foot spells the word out on the floor and he merely reads whatever his foot lays down.

Four additional spellers are selected from the audience and they too try to win, but all have been disqualified by intermission. Rona, whom we met at the top of the show, is one of the adults running the Bee. The other is Vice-Principal Panch (Nathan Cox).  He confesses that he was the word announcer for many years, but was sidelined after “that incident five years ago.”  However, he assures us that he is in “a much better place now.”  The last character is Mitch Mahoney (Alisha Bates), an ex-convict who is now the “Comfort Counselor” who hands out juice boxes to the losing contestants.  The character was written for a man, but I finally understood Alisha’s casting when she raised the roof with a gospel number about midway through the show.

As each speller is called to the mic, Vice Principal Panch gives them a word.  They then ask for a definition and finally ask to have the word used in a sentence. Nathan Cox (yes, the techie who has lit and designed projections on so many shows) brings an incredible number of side-splitting laughs as he defines the words.  For the four “guest spellers” from the audience, the words can be things like “Cow” or “Mexican.”  On the other hand, when it’s time to get the audience spellers back to their seats, their assigned words have eight or nine syllables with lots of X’s and Q’s in the spelling.  The character Panch who gives out the words, their definitions, and their use in sentences is typically played by a comedian who often makes up words and their meanings on the spot.  I don’t know how many (if any) things Cox was making up onstage, but the exasperation he expresses when every single speller demands a definition and usage in a sentence is an ongoing joke that gets funnier and funnier –as do his definitions.  The lady next to me and I were both howling at his character (and she shared that he might just be a bit of a hunk as well).  He spends a lot of his energy trying to attract Rona who is sitting next to him at the judging table, but she makes it clear that she wants none of it.

The cast probably has the most uniformly excellent singing voices of any production I have seen this year (all but Cox have numerous solos).  Judging from applause, the first audience favorite was Joseph Portoles’ “Magic Foot” number.  The whole precept that his foot does the spelling is hilariously impossible but the dance he did with disjointed limbs going in all directions, combined with a truly sweet singing voice explaining how his feet do the spelling, resulted in a tumultuous round of applause.  Other favorites were Keanna Garcia’s “I Speak Six Languages” when virtually every skill she possesses is performed during the course of the song, finishing with a man in a karate suit holding a board which she breaks.  The third is Candace Coe’s “I Love You Song” which is a powerful trio between her, her mother, and her father.  The latter two are both females from the cast with slight costume changes, but the vocal impact of the three ladies delivering this number stunned the audience.

The show was directed by James Owens who also designed the sets and props; choreography was by Allie Mendoza, lighting design byMaria Pryor; sound design by Kelly McGuire; and costume design by Emma Bibo. The assistant director/production stage manager was Gustavo Sanchez.

This was my first time seeing this musical, but I know I’m going to try to go back at least once, even though the run is very limited.  I’m eager to see how much it changes from night to night.  However, one thing that I know won’t change is the superlative skill of these nine performers, as honed by Director James Owen.  Funny, funny stuff throughout!  You will regret it if you miss it!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee continues through Sunday, April 28th. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 27th at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 28th at 2 p.m. One of the delights of Revolution Stage Company is the number and variety of productions they host every week.  Go to their website at www.RevolutionStage.com and look at the calendar to find out exactly when the production you are looking for will be presented.  Billie: Backstage with Lady Day plays April 12-21. Tickets can be purchased at the website or box office. The theater is located at  611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, in the same shopping center as the Palm Springs Revivals store.

PHOTO CREDIT: Nathan Cox