Published: January 16, 2008 04:04 pm      

THEATER: ‘Spelling Bee’ makes for a f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c night

If “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” were a professional wrestler, it would be the good guy who gets the audience on his side by pumping up local landmarks at each visiting city.

While “Bee” stands on its own as a highly entertaining look at teenage life through the guise of a spelling competition, some of the musical comedy’s best moments come from improvised moments and/or details drawn from the tour location on that night.

During Tuesday’s opening night of the show’s run at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, the cast threw in references to state Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (lauded in the show’s conclusion as the future president of the United States) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (“She wanted to be here, but her schedule wouldn’t allow it ... she got all choked up about it,” quipped the bee’s moderator, mixing in some current events).

If that’s not enough to endear Western New Yorkers, 97 Rock deejay Larry Norton was pulled from the audience as one of the guest spellers (he lasted the longest of four audience members, with moderators introducing him as “wanting to be a local radio personality when he grows up — or a proctologist” and “being the first member of his class to grow a beard”).

That wasn’t the end to the topical treatment, though. During a light-hearted tirade about Tuesday’s Michigan primary, Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (played with zest by Sarah Stiles) punctuated a reference to Oprah Winfrey’s presidential endorsement with, “You get a Barack Obama, EVERYBODY gets a Barack Obama,” referencing the frequent giveaways on her talk show.

While these elements may differ from night to night, it’s the core of the show that’s most worth seeing. While poking fun at a culture that breeds children who treat competitions like this as life and death, “Bee” also delves deep enough into each of the six main adolescents to allow the viewer to recall the pain they endured as they approached adulthood.

Whether being tabbed an overachiever like newcomer Marcy Park, lacking in parental guidance like Olive Ostrovsky or having an uncooperative teenage body like defending champion Chip Tolentino, everyone in the audience has gone through at least one of the experiences portrayed.

Though the characters are relatable, it’s the performances that make the trip to Buffalo this weekend worthwhile. There was nary a bad actor in the ensemble, with Miguel Cervantes brilliantly getting across Tolentino’s frustration and Worsham making everyone in the house feel Ostrovsky’s pain. Eric Petersen, too, shined as William Barfee (pronounced “bar-FAY”), the brainiac science whiz who’s still trying to get comfortable in his own skin.

Though the show doesn’t need to add in local references to win over the crowd, such improvisation ensures that everyone who enters the “Bee” comes out a winner.

Contact reporter Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116.





IF YOU GO

• WHAT: Performances of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”

• WHEN: 7:30 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday

• WHERE: Shea’s Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St., Buffalo

• MORE INFORMATION: Call 847-1410 or visit sheas.org