Review: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Casts a Winning S-P-E-L-L in Washington, DC

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the latest star-studded production of the Kennedy Center’s Broadway Center Stage series, and it’s H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S.

A nominee for Best Musical at the 2005 Tony Awards, the show follows a group of six awkward mid-pubescents who compete for the spelling championship trophy, conquering incredibly hard words while sharing amusing and moving personal stories about their lives.

And when contestants are faced with words like acouchi, lugubrious, and sluice, their reactions, as well as the definitions and sentences given for these rarities, are hysterical. Credit Rachel Sheinkin’s clever book and William Finn’s sidesplitting songs, as well as Danny Mefford who directed and choreographed the new production.

Noah Galvin plays Leaf Coneybear, the only speller who doesn’t expect to win, and he’s a standout of the terrific ensemble. He captures all the innocence and wonder of the insecure homeschooler when he sings about how he’s “not that smart” and proudly gleams when showing off his homemade clothes. Galvin shifts into another gear when his character goes into a trance to spell words with a demonic voice, and surprises even himself with every correct answer.

Kevin McHale’s smug William Barfée, on the other hand, thinks he knows everything, and his arrogant “Yes, I know” reply after he’s told he has a word spelled correctly gets funnier every time. The Glee vet brings a great sense of humanity to the role, dropping William’s condescending façade when striking up a conversation with Olive Ostrovsky (Nina White), and leads on the joyous showstopping “Magic Foot.”

As Olive, White is fantastic, portraying both the sadness of a youngster whose parents are less than present and the joy of someone who is excited to be competing. White sweetly conveys Olive’s kindness to others, especially the often-bullied William, and also has a killer voice when she sings with Bonnie Milligan, as Rona Lisa Peretti, and Alex Joseph Grayson, as Mitch Mahoney, for the haunting “The I Love You Song.”

Milligan is a delight, and Grayson is strong as comfort counselor Mitch, while Beanie Feldstein is pitch-perfect as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, the head of her school’s Gay/Straight Alliance. Feldstein, with a flawless lisp, portrays the youngest of the spellers, and shines in “Woe Is Me.” Leana Rae Concepcion charms as Marcy Park and wows us with “I Speak Six Languages.” Philippe Arroyo delivers textbook adolescent angst as Chip Tolentino, and Taran Killam keeps the laughs coming as vice principal Douglas Panch. It’s a cast worthy of its own trophy.

A special treat on the night I attended was Cobie Smulders (the enchanting real-life wife of Killam), who was chosen as one of the “random” audience members. The couple had a cute exchange when it was her turn to spell, with Killam showing his quick-thinking improv skills when she forgot to ask for a definition for her word.

Killam is at his best when interacting with the “regular folks,” especially on one occasion when a contestant shockingly surprises the audience with a correct spelling of “Katterjoons,” and on her next attempt, when asking to use her new word in a sentence, he replies, “Things would move along faster, if you spelled [the word] incorrectly.” Fans of the show know this is a set-up, but it still receives one of the biggest laughs of the evening.

Paul Tate dePoo III’s scenic design is minimalistic, but it makes us feel as though we’re truly inside a gymnasium. Along with the Elementary-chic costumes by Emily Rebholz, the show has a realistic feel. Just as the words fly by fast, the laughs keep coming in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Who knew spelling could be so much fun?