According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, a syzygy is “the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system.” One of more obscure words in the English language, when typed into a Microsoft Word document it comes up as a misspelled version of “sizing”.
It was also the winning word in the Third Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Over two decades later, the euphoria of winning has not worn down for master-speller turned realtor Rona Lisa Perretti (Nejla Calvo ’12); along with Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Danny Powers ’12) she oversees the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
The result is the Middlebury College Musical Players (MCMP) fall production, an infectious musical that brought the highs and lows of pre-teen spelling bees to the Town Hall Theatre Nov. 4-6.
Equal parts improvisational comedy and musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” thrives on the quirks of its principal characters. The production is unusually short for a musical, clocking in with only one act. All the action is contained within the event of the spelling bee itself. As each contestant takes center stage to spell their first word, we meet an eclectic cast that runs the gamut of every form of middle school awkwardness imaginable.
From braces to nasal irregularities, each of these spellers is thoroughly entrenched in the daily agony of pre-adolescence. In no particular order: Marcy Park (Killian White ’13) wins us over as the classic over-achiever driven to the brink by demanding parents and too much Mozart and Chopin. Logainne SchwartzandGrubenniere (Abigail Borah ’13) has her dads to thank for her unique last name and extensive political knowledge, unusual among the pre-voting set. William Barfée (Santi Zindel ’13) and Olive Ostrovsky (Rachel Goodgal ’13) conduct a not-quite romance with all its awkward playground fits and starts. William’s “Magic Foot” method of spelling has catapulted him to bee history, while Olive is an impressive speller hindered by an absentee father and a globe-trotting mother who has spent the past few months finding herself in an Indian ashram. Leaf Coneybear (Eric Bartolotti ’11) assures the audience he’s “not that smart”, but aces all his words — mostly South American rodents — while in a trance. Chip Tolentino (Cody Gohl ’13) is a Boy Scout destined for greatness, before disaster strikes in the form of Leaf’s attractive sister in the audience. He bemoans his fate in “My Unfortunate Erection.”
The musical does an excellent job moonlighting as an improvisational comedy sketch, with references to class president “Ronnie Liebowitz” and Middlebury town sponsors. Audience members are given the opportunity to sign up for the spelling bee, and are called on stage during the first part of the play to give words like “hao” (Vietnamese currency) and “mizzle” (misty drizzle) their best shot. Brief impromptu introductions play off stereotypes associated with the participants’ names — one volunteer was simply the “whitest kid ever” while another was “fresh off the boat” with a difficult accent to match.
But never fear — at the Putnam County Spelling Bee even losing is sweet. A former convict looking to finish up his community service hours, Mitch Mahoney (Khalid Tellis ’13) plays the role of Comfort Counselor, escorting volunteers and contestants off stage for a compensation juice box.
It’s too bad his services could not be offered to audience members forced to contend with an end to this production that left them wanting more (M-O-R-E) of this raucous spelling sensation.
MCMP Presents: "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"
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