The Tripod

Every year it amazes me how the members of Trinity's January Musicals can pull together a seamless series of plays in a matter of weeks. The cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, one of three productions performed this past weekend in the Austin Arts Center, proved no different in its flawless and hysterical production of the 2005 musical. The child contestants, the real stars, were matched in their vocal and acting talents by the "adult" members of the cast. The cast flourished under professor of music Gerald Moshell's direction. Their quirks and connections made them endearing and entertaining.

The show started off with pomp. The entire cast marched around the stage singing the musical's namesake number, with the idiosyncratic children's costumes an early indicator of their spastic, full-developed personalities. Rona Lisa Peretti, played by Holly Yarmosh '11, acts as the spelling bee's moderator. Her victory at the spelling bee years before, of which she constantly wishes to remind those around her, leads to an overly emphatic concern about all of the goings-on at the bee.

Acting as the proceeding year's victor and loyal Boy Scout, Will Yale '12 played a believable girl-crazy adolescent. His unfortunate reaction to a pretty girl in the audience elicits a premature loss and inspires a lyrical comic lament. Perin Adams '13 portrayed the lisping gay rights activist Logainne Schwartzandgrunbenniere, her personality embellishing the character with hilarious accent. Under the pressure of her two fathers, driven to excel in the bee, she suffers an early lesson on the consequences of cheating.

Leaf Coneybear, played by Scotty Eckenthal '12, was perhaps the most charming of all the competitors. Entering the bee by default after the first two victors in his town dropped out, Leaf reflects on the insignificance of his intelligence while scaling banisters in his blanket cape and bike helmet. After coming in second at the previous year's bee, William Barfee (pronounced Bar-fay, he insists), played by Elliot Faust '12, returns mentally distraught. Faust perfectly encapsulates the insecure and awkward genius, and with the preternatural aid of his "magic foot," returns to take first.

The normal contestants in the production - Marcy Park, played by Caitlin Koufakis '11 and Olive Ostrovsky, played by Kat Lawlor '10 - learned a great deal from their peculiar counterparts. Marcy decides that perfection (about which Koufakis sings magnificently) is no longer her priority, while Olive struggles to discover that her intelligence can't win her parents' love. By far the most beautiful and stunning number is sung by Olive and her parents, Holly Yarmosh '11 and Jake Robertson '10, about the love Olive needs. Roberston also brilliantly acted as Mitch Mahoney, the ex-criminal hired to act as a grief counselor for losing children.

The cast excelled in audience involvement, which I have found to be one of the most successful elements of plays at Trinity. Three audience members were brought on stage to act as members of the spelling team. During the Thursday night production, Dean Margaret Lindsey of the first year program, Dr. Randolph Lee of the counseling center, and Amanda Sweat '12 were forced to spell words along with real contestants. The actors fully engaged with the chosen audience members, as well as those still in their seats. The production kept the audience laughing throughout a two-hour show, and the cast's musical talents made for a very enjoyable play.

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