Spelling Bee' spells l-a-u-g-h-s and g-o-o-d t-u-n-e-s

At the "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" it's easy to get lost in the atmosphere.  It felt as if I were watching young pubescent adolescents give their all in a contest of wits that was anything but usual.

The play, directed by Gene Johnson was performed at the Twin City Stage, with impressive music by Steve Bradford.

Featuring two judges, a "comfort counselor," six outlandish contestants and their parents, and four guest spellers [select audience members] that the audience might find familiar -- the cast of "Spelling Bee" absorbs you into their world.

It was incredible to see adults acting out the roles of children, and even more impressive was how immersed I was in the play.  The talents of the cast made me feel as if I were watching actual children compete rather than adults attempting to portray children.

All the characters in "Spelling Bee" are quirky. Carlos Luis Nieto plays William Barfee, who is the nerdiest of the spellers and uses the intuition of his magical foot to spell words while tracing them on the ground.

Leaf Coneybear played by Brad Stephenson is one of a kind and seemingly in his own world.  Appearing to be dimwitted and unaware of his intelligence, Coneybear falls into a trance and emerges with the correct spelling of his assigned words.

The boy scout with the worst of luck, Chip Tolentino is played by John Aguilar and has one of the funniest songs with "My Unfortunate Erection."

While this play is an overwhelming musical comedy, its social commentary cannot be ignored.  Mitch Mahoney played by Justin C. Hall is the "Comfort Counselor" and an ex-convict with a little more insight than he initially reveals to the audience.  

Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre has two gay men as parents that almost treat her as an adult and in the process Schwartzandgrubenierre is very socially conscious.

Melissa Rivera Saake plays Schwartzandgrubenierre  and Liz Townley plays Marcy Park. 

Both characters share similarities.

Park is the perfectionist of the bunch and quite possibly a "baby Einstein."   Park speaks six languages, excels in several sports and plays multiple instruments.  However, it is later revealed that Park has a lot of pent up frustrations, sleeping only three hours a night, hiding in cabinets and just plain sick of always being so perfect.

Savannah Lee Mumford plays Olive Ostrovsky who is focused on winning the Spelling Bee, but perhaps for different reasons than the other contestants.  Ostrovsky's parents are workaholics and are never around and maybe just maybe Ostrovsky believes her success will bring their attention.

Songs by cast members  like "Magic Foot" and "I Speak Six Languages" deliver insight into their  past and intimate feelings.

"The I love You Song" was without doubt the show stealer for me.  The parents of Ostrovsky sing a duet professing their love for their daughter.  The vocals of Hall and Sheri Masters who also plays Rona Lisa Peretti  [the co-host of Spelling Bee] are amazing.

All in all, I found "Spelling Bee" to be more than entertaining. Plays create a totally different atmosphere especially in the case of "Spelling Bee."