‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ Review: A Champion of a Production

Upon arrival at the Loeb Experimental Theater to attend “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” various attendees were greeted by chirpy moderator and former spelling bee champion Rona Lisa Peretti (Caitlin A. Beirne ’25), asking if they knew any spellers. Chances are, they did.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club’s production of Spelling Bee, directed by Julia K. Grullon ’24, made full use of the intimate, cozy setting of the Loeb’s black box theater. The experience of the fictional bee and the musical merged in ways impossible on a typical stage, expertly enhancing the show’s audience engagement portion by utilizing the close proximity between the audience and stage. The talented team took full advantage by filling up every inch of space with exuberant humor, movement, and emotion. The only — and necessary — downside to the space’s intimacy was the inability to accommodate more people who would undoubtedly enjoy the show.

Beirne kicked off the show’s interactive set-up by spelling “syzygy” — the word that led to her character’s win 22 years ago — into a stand-up microphone with bright-eyed enthusiasm, creating a sense of realism for spectators. One attendee discovered that they sat in the seat that Olive Ostrovsky (Roseanne O. Strategos ’25) was saving for her dad, another became the catalyst of Chip Tolentino’s (Elio R. Kennedy-Yoon ’25) lament “My Unfortunate Erection,” and a third audience member became the target of Chip’s childish frustration as he stomped out of the theater upon his elimination from the bee. Lucky bystanders were tossed candy, drawing in the audience even further to generate a lively sense of immersion.

A stand-out contributor was Peretti’s co-moderator, Doug Panch (Max B. Allison ’25), who poked fun at audience spellers with absurd word uses in contextual sentences and punchlines that pitted Harvard against MIT. Allison also joked about family resemblances to performers and snarkily commented on age discrepancies with the characters. Enhancing both the stakes and the humor with its spontaneity, this comedy also made the show’s theme of collective friendship salient, showcasing the community members who attended the bee to support both the characters and the actual team behind the show.

The perfect casting of the six children was a springboard for the engaging acting, as the actors’ physical quirks, coupled with the classic costumes by Dora Ivkovich ’24, imbued their characters with color. Notably, David J. Peters ’25 developed a teetering walk and unfocused demeanor that perfectly encapsulated the sweet and odd nature of Leaf Coneybear. Meanwhile, Marcy Park (Amelia C. Williams ’27) carried herself with a deadpan poise, William Barfée (Justice L. Sirotek ’27) utilized his magic foot with great pomp, and Logainne SchwarzandGrubeniere (Finley McElhinney ’27) gripped her oversized sleeves with concentrated ambition. Each actor was able to bring out the eccentricities of their characters through subtle movements, grabbing attention even as the story shifted its focus through the brilliant ensemble of characters.

Each vocal performance excelled as well, particularly Beirne’s, whose clear belt soared to unmatched emotional heights in “The I Love You Song.” Another moving performance was that of Mitch Mahoney (Madison E. Valley ’25), who left an impression in “Prayer of the Comfort Counselor” with her stirring resonance. In songs that involved overlapping voices, such as the dizzying and spectacular “Pandemonium,” the choreography of Adrienne Chan ’25 offered all sides of the audience an excellent view while manifesting the rambunctious energy of the children in visually fun formations. All the while, the lighting, designed by Mira Becker ’24 and Jocelyn E. Shek ’27, broke from a cheerful realism to poignantly spotlight characters in moments of spelling-induced isolation, further heightening the stress and emotional drama of the bee.

Serving as the backdrop to all this action, the set designed by Aurora Yin ’25 was simple, in part due to the theater’s space constraints. Two painted backdrops surrounded a bench toting a honeycomb pattern, ads, and various signs. Though the backdrops could have evoked a more realistic regional spelling bee with more detail, their handwritten look added to the playful and scrappy feel, effectively color-blocking blue and yellow to counterbalance the black surroundings.

For Harvard, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” was an apt show to stage. It explored several all-too-relatable manifestations of childhood ambition and the pressure to win, while also stepping back to reevaluate the importance of such achievements. Perhaps Williams, acting as the perfectionist Marcy, encapsulated it best as she joyfully left the stage after her elimination, realizing that the world doesn’t end when one fails. This was a musical so perfectly timed with the onset of the college’s midterms season which also delivered effervescent comic relief enhanced by the nonstop energy in motion and visuals. To use the title in a sentence: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” was a stellar syzygy of production and participation.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” ran at the Loeb Ex from Feb. 29 to March 8.

—Staff writer Isabelle A. Lu can be reached at isabelle.lu@thecrimson.com.