March 28, 2024

Last weekend, the Wittenberg Theater and Dance put on a production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and it was a success.
Spelling Bee (Dan Butera) (12 of 30)The play follows a spelling bee competition for middle school children. The audience gets to know the backstories to each of the kids, telling of their personal lives and what this competition means to them.
Chip Tolentino (junior Adam Barstow) is last year’s spelling bee champ, and looks to claim it once more. However, the poor young boy experiences the enticement of another contestant’s sister; he gets overly “excited,” which messes with his focus, causing him to spell too quickly and mistakenly forget a letter. This leads to the song “(My Unfortunate Erection) Chip’s Lament,” in which he describes his woes while selling sugary items to the audience.
Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere (sophomore Kamilla Jensen) is a child of two overbearing fathers, who relentlessly put stress on her to win, even teaching her immoral ethics (such as spilling soda on the floor to mess with another contestant who uses the floor to spell out his words as he says them).
Leaf Coneybear (sophomore Garrett Stout) is from a large family who all look down on him, laughing in his face at his lack of intelligence, and he struggles with the idea, showcased in the song “I’m Not That Smart.”
William Barfee (senior Carl Burgason) was a finalist in the previous year’s competition, and lost due to an allergic reaction; he also has only one working nostril. He has a special technique he calls his “magic foot” to help him – he spells the word as he writes it out with his foot.
Marcy Park (senior Emily Helderman) is an over-achieving student, a transfer student who speaks six languages, is athletic, musically gifted, etc. She gets three hours of sleep a night, and is under great mental distress, as she is “not allowed to cry.”
And finally, there’s Olive Ostrovsky (senior Katie Paolacci), a backward girl with no friends. Her mother is on a “spiritual journey” in India, and her father lets his frustration with his wife affect his relationship with his daughter.Spelling Bee (Dan Butera) (25 of 30)
Actors senior Sarah Van Deusen, freshman Seamus Dunphy and sophomore Carson Betts also portrayed the adults in the show. Van Deusen was Rona Lisa Perretti, a teacher and former spelling bee champion, who has remained passionate about the competition. Dunphy played vice principal Douglas Panch, who has a bit of an anger problem. Betts portrayed the convict Mitch Mahoney, who was fulfilling his community service through assisting in the bee.
Former theater professor Steven Reynolds returned to Wittenberg to direct the musical, and selected a solid cast.
Barstow and Stout were brilliant in their roles, truly emulating the spirit of their characters, with Barstow’s constant energy and Stout’s embracing a childlike mindset and mannerisms, even talking with finger puppets. Dunphy’s fire and passion shone, and Van Deusen balanced him out with her gentle and caring nature.
Helderman perfectly emulated the over-achieving religious-turned-rebel. And the chemistry between actors Burgason and Paolacci was electric, and their voices blended together beautifully.

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