Student produced, student directed, student designed, and student performed, Musical Theatre Repertory at USC’s intimate staging of the 2005 Broadway hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is as all-around splendiferous a Bee as any of the sixteen I’ve now seen.

The William Finn/Rachel Sheinkin Tony winner (conceived by Rebecca Feldman) imagines a group of pre-teens for whom winning is everything, then has a cast of post-pubescent performers bring them to irresistible life.

There’s last year’s winner, boy scout Chip Tolentino (Sam Avila), plagued by a pesky penile problem that swells up at the most inopportune moments.

William Barfée-with-an-accent-aigu (Benjamin Cross) provides Chip with his most heavy-weight competition thanks to a secret weapon whose virtues he extols in “Magic Foot.”

Not about to be beaten is Marcy Park (Gena Baek), ninth in last year’s nationals and the epitome of the 2nd-generation Asian-American over-achiever, her many extracurriculars allowing the sprite a mere three hours of sleep a night.

Posing every bit as much a threat to the trio of front-runners are Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Gabby Baldacchino), who might welcome some disinterest from her overly demanding gay dads Dan Schwartz (Dylan Field) and Carl Grubenierre (Sam Guillemette), and Olive Ostrovsky (Sophia Baek), hoping in vain to impress her new-agey off-on-a-pilgrimage-in-India mother (Lily Castle).

Leaf Coneybear (Guillemette) shouldn’t even be there having come in only second runner-up in his district, but when the winner and the first runner-up proved unavailable to attend the finals, who should get to take their place but child-of-hippies Leaf.

The remaining finalists are chosen among audience members by 3rd Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee winner Rona Lisa Peretti (Castle) and Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Field), returning to The Bee following a five-year hiatus after a “college admission scandal” brought about the teensy-weensiest of nervous breakdowns.

Finally, there’s “comfort counselor” Michelle Mahoney (Tali Green) doing community service by handing out juice boxes, hugs, and tough love to the losers.

As one by one, spellers are eliminated by the ding of Vice Principal Panch’s bell, hopeful hearts get broken, unexpected life lessons get learned, and a little romance gets thrown in to bring a sentimental tear or two amidst the laughter.

Under Tyler Joseph Ellis’s spirited, imaginative direction, MTR’s 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee guarantees audiences a pack of pitch-perfect performances, some excitingly fresh choreography, and a pro-caliber production design.

Giving Tony-winning Barfee originator Dan Fogler a run for his money, Cross not only takes social awkwardness to painfully real but no less hilarious extremes, he gets the rarer-than-rare bonus of stepping in as Olive’s absent dad to reveal gorgeous pipes his Barfee can only suggest.

Avila’s Chip is a spunky delight (especially when bemoaning the most unfortunately timed of erections) and his Asian Jesus is a fresh-faced 11th-hour bonus.

Konat gives Olive an aching vulnerability and a pure-as-gold heart, and just wait till she shows off unexpected power pipes in “Second.”

Baldacchino is precothious perfecthion as Logainne, and delivers a “pumpkin spice” rant that proves a refreshing change from the live-wire lisper’s usually more politically-based diatribes.

 Guillemette’s Leaf is not only a gangly treat, just wait till Cookie Monster’s voice takes control when spelling inspiration strikes.

Baek nails Marcy’s tightly-wound automaton persona, surprises with some authentic violin virtuosity, and when at last given the chance to not live up to expectations, reveals the most radiant and unexpected of smiles.

As for the over-twelves, Field’s on-the-brink-of-a-second-breakdown Vice Principal Panch and Castle’s living-on-past-glories Rona Lisa not only make for a deliciously in sync pair of judges, they riff off of audience participants’ idiosyncrasies to hilarious effect, and when Castle, Cross, and Konat join voices in “The I Love You Song,” they make some heartbreaking three-part magic.

A gender-switched “Michelle” allows Green to play tough with an engaging touch of tender, and in the dual-role department, Guillemette and Field give us a believable bonded pair of gay dads with a thing or two to learn about parenting.

Ellis (who’s been USC’s premier musical theater star since his freshman year and proved himself a director to be reckoned with in last year’s Cabaret) not only adds his own fresh touches throughout, he and Zach Manske (additional choreography) and Emily Lane (associate choreographer) turn production numbers like the hilariously out-of-control “Pandemonium” and the 42nd Street/A Chorus Line-inspired moves of “Magic Foot” into bona fide show-stoppers.

From scenic designer Jordan Fox’s orange-is-the-new-orange gymnasium to Cole Slater’s character-defining costumes to Edward Hansen’s vivid lighting to Zoya Naqvi’s impressive plethora of props, MTR’s Spelling Bee’s easily rivals any professional blackbox design in town

Sound designer Alex Attalla expertly mixes resonant unamped vocals with music director/conductor Stephen Jung’s Grade-A five-piece orchestra*.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is produced by Austin Karkowsky and Beth Yeo. Nick Kassoy is assistant director/music director. Chloe Willey is production stage manager and Sarah Campbell is assistant stage manager. Fox is technical director. Erica Ammerman is assistant lighting designer.

In the nine years since Musical Theatre Repertory staged its first Spelling Bee, that production’s then fledgling cast has gone on to successful professional careers in regional theater and on Broadway, and the same could well prove true for their 2019 successors, not to mention its multi-talented director. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is not just student theater at its best, it gives any intimate professional production in town some stiff competition.

*Faiz Haque, Kassoy, Matias Pachalian, Collin Schuster, Hannah Sobelman

Massman Theatre at USC.
www.uscmtr.com

–Steven Stanley
September 28, 2019
Photos: Jordan Fox

Tags: Los Angeles Theater Review, Musical Theatre Repertory, Rachel Sheinkin, USC School Of Dramatic Arts, William Finn