THEATER REVIEW

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," which opened at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre on Thursday night, is a very funny show.

You will be laughing, you may be blushing and you may even find your eyes getting a little moist.

Who knew spelling could evoke such emotions!

The Dutch Apple production provides a strong cast under the direction of Galloway Stevens, who also plays Vice Principal Douglas Panch.

One funny example is the word "phylactery," which is a Jewish prayer-book amulet.

Mr. Panch's sentence is: "Johnny, put down that phylactery — we're Episcopalian."

The show really is a spelling bee. We meet the six middle school kids who are participating, along with four contestants who are selected from the audience and spell words until they miss one and must leave. Of course, the script makes sure the audience members miss words at specific moments.

But the show is really about the six cast members who play the spellers. They are all smart misfits and you want them all to win.

Leaf Coneybear (Ryan Dean Albers) has always been told he's dumb by his family, but the flaky guy, who likes wearing a cape and rolling sneakers, does pretty well in the bee.

Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Julie Keough) is, at age 10, a social activist who believes 10-year olds should have the right to vote. Her two fathers expect her to win and have given her a lot of confidence and a lot of stress in her young life.

Chip Tolentino (Sean Riley), is last year's champ. The boy scout is having problems this year, especially when he sees Marigold Coneybear (Leaf's sister) in the audience and things begin to happen to his body.

Marcy Park (Jo Philbin) is an overachiever who finally gets tired of of being perfect and decides to blow an easy word — well, easy for her.

And William Barfee (Steven Mooney), hopes to win with his magic foot, which spells out the words for him. William confidently says "I know" when told he's spelled a word correctly, but ultimately, he doesn't have confidence or any friends.

And Olive Ostrovsky (Elizabeth McMonagle) is wondering where her dad is. He promised he'd try to make it. Olive's mother is on a yearlong spiritual quest in India. The dictionary is about the only thing Olive can rely on in her life.

All six contestants are a little poignant and a lot of fun.

Rounding out the cast is Annie Freres as Rona Lisa Peretti, who is co-hosting the bee and giving funny factoids about the spellers, and Rendell DeBose as Mitch Mahoney, the "Comfort Counselor," who gives spellers a juice box as they leave the stage. He is actually doing community service, but as intimidating as he looks, Mitch is an old softy (and a terrific singer).

What makes "Spelling Bee" such a sweet show is that it loves its cast. Everyone is a misunderstood misfit — and a hero, too.

The cast members also seem to love their characters, which is what makes the show work so well.

The songs are somewhat forgettable and sometimes I wanted them to move a little faster so we could get back to Mr. Panch using strange words in sentences, but that's a minor complaint.

The laughs and smiles are pretty continuous throughout this charming show.

The excellent costumes are by Mary Atkinson, the fun choreography is by Kerry Lambert, the gymnasium set is designed by N. Stock, and music director A. Scott Williams and percussionist Brandon T. Miller sound terrific.

Be warned, there are some adult jokes and situations in "Spelling Bee." I'd rate it PG-13.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" runs through March 10 at the Dutch Apple.

jholahan@lnpnews.com