Growing up, my mom’s best friend had season tickets to Weathervane Playhouse. Whenever she and her husband couldn’t go, she would give my mom and me the tickets — that’s how I first saw “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
I was young and new to theater, and some jokes went over my head then, but the production was eye-opening for me.
I didn’t get to take my mom to the opening night of the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” on Sept. 20 — because she still lives in Ohio — but the sense of nostalgia the show brought back for me made it feel like she was there… almost.
It’s an eccentric show with lots of adult humor, quirky characters who care way too much about spelling and musical numbers that bring a combination of “wWow!” and “Huh?” But seeing as it was one of the first shows I was ever introduced to, the night was pretty special.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a two-time Tony Award-winning musical for Best Book of a Musical and Best Performance by a Featured Actor. Originally conceived by Rebecca Feldman as “C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E” in 2002 as part of The Farm, the show later went on to become the musical we know and adore today, premiering on Broadway in 2005 with the book written by Rachel Sheinkin.
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It’s cool to see such a lesser-known musical be a season opener for an establishment such as the IRT, because in my experience, not a lot of people (theater nerd or not) really know about “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” so it was really fun to watch it in a packed house — where everyone thought everything was funny.
Directed and choreographed by Patdro Harris, this production was vibrant, high-energy and hilarious. It was about two hours of nonstop fun and laughs. There are lighthearted moments, dark humor, audience interaction and participation and emotions you wouldn‘t expect at a spelling bee. The script was updated to stay with the current times, offering jokes from current events that a diverse audience will understand.
The IRT was transformed into a bright and colorful school gymnasium with the orchestra on the stage within the stage (that was sick), a working scoreboard that lit up during each scene and a set of moving bleachers which houses each of the spellers — and guests from the audience — when they weren’t spelling, singing, dancing or otherwise in the spotlight.
There was also a nod to the Hoosier State with the inclusion of the Indiana state flag on the set and a few Indiana/Midwestern choice words for the guest spellers to try. Given Indiana is one of nine states in the U.S. with a Putnam County, these little treats did really well with the audience, and me too.
“I Speak Six Languages,” Marcy Park’s (Ayana Strutz) own personal lament about being pushed to be good at everything, was clearly an audience favorite. It was already impressive vocally, but then you add all the fast-paced acrobatics, baton twirling and (fake) piano playing and it’s just hands down the best number of the night. I am a little biased, though, because in my theater days in high school and college, “I Speak Six Languages” was one of my go-to audition songs.
If I talked about every great musical number, we’d be here all day, but “Magic Foot” really blew me away. Normally, it’s not my favorite number in the show, but Brett Mutter’s portrayal of William Barfeé really changed my mind. It’s a combination of absurdist humor, awkward tap-adjacent dancing, flashing lights, mildly uncomfortable eye contact and Mutter’s astounding, jaw-dropping vocals. I genuinely don’t think anyone in the audience expected it, but I could also say that about the whole show.
Honorable mention for musical numbers goes to “I’m Not that Smart” because well, I love Leaf Coneybear’s character, and Dominique Lawson did such a lovely job with him — so much so that audiences were audibly disappointed when he was eliminated from the Bee.
I’m always impressed with the sheer amount of talent the IRT can find and put on their show, but seeing as this was only the second musical I’ve seen them do, I certainly hope this sets a precedent for future seasons.
Go see the show; it’s just fun, and everyone needs some fun in their lives, especially right now. The IRT is also running a school supplies drive, and guests who donate will get $10 off the price of a ticket to the show.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is onstage at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington St., now through Oct. 13. The show is recommended for sixth grade audiences and above and runs approximately one hour and 55 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. Tickets start at $25 and are available at irtlive.com.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
