"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" - By Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn - Calliope Productions (Boylston, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Kyle Collins as “William Barfee” in a moment from the musical "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn, from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through May 24, 2026. Photo Courtesy of Calliope Productions)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“Adult hood brings its own peculiar rejections."
- ("Chip") / Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn
Calliope Productions
Presents the Musical
"THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE"
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Music & Lyrics by William Finn
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
Additional material by Jay Reiss
Directed by Lisa Tierney
Music Director Elizabeth LaBarre
Choreographer Amanda Lawton
Cast includes: Marissa J. Browning as “Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere,” Kyle Collins as “William Barfee,” Norman Dubois as “Chip Tolentino,” Brian Higgins as “Vice Principal Douglas Panch,” Linnea Lyerly as “Rona Lisa Perretti,” Jared Palazzo as “Mitch Mahoney,” Rain Smallcomb as “Leaf Coneybear,” Libbey Stearns as “Marcy Park,” Heidi White as “Olive Ostrovsky.”
Additional Creative Team:
Stage Manager – Alexis Prosser; Set – Bob Reidy, Dave Ludt; Costumes – Donna Reidy; Lighting and Sound – Matthew Valeri; Props – Kimberly LiPuma; Rehearsal Pianist – John Leslie.
Performances:
May 14, 2026 through May 24, 2026
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
CALLIOPE THEATRE, 150 Main Street, Boylston, MA. 01505
TICKETS:
For tickets and more information contact the Box Office at 508-869-6887 or visit https://www.ticketstage.com/T/CALLIOPE
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
Calliope Productions delights with the witty and charming "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" probably one of the best character-driven musicals written in the past two decades.
Under efficient stage direction by Lisa Tierney, the cohesive ensemble for this Calliope staging is dominated by collective strong performances.
The sparsely adorned Calliope Productions stage space allows for freer movement by the ensemble, which helps in some of the shows’ relatively few choreographed moments by Amanda Lawton.
While smaller in scale to some of his other musical epics (such as his masterpiece "Falsettos"), composer William Finn weaves a simplified, pleasing score showcasing "BEE" participants through moments both spoken and sung but infused with a lighthearted tone yet still performing occasional emotional “deep dives” into each person on stage.
While most of the show is comical, we witness some tender, even touching moments as well.
There are many hysterical incidents occurring in the show, some planned…some not so much…thanks to several audience members brought up to participate in the "BEE."
(Photo: The CAST of the musical "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn, from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through May 24, 2026. Photo Courtesy of Calliope Productions)
"THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" made its Broadway debut in 2005, directed by occasional Stephen Sondheim collaborator James Lapine.
The original Broadway run was a box office smash and received positive reviews, ultimately being nominated for six Tony Awards and winning two, including one for Best Book.
That book, written by Rachel Sheinkin, was conceived by Rebecca Feldman and delivers a multitude of laughs by a solid Calliope cast that never loses a beat comedically nor tunefully under the music direction of Elizabeth LaBarre.
The Calliope Productions' show centers on a fictional "SPELLING BEE" set in a geographically ambiguous “Putnam Valley Middle School.”
Six idiosyncratic adolescent students from various elementary schools compete in the "BEE" run by three equally idiosyncratic grown-ups.
Kicking off the show is former "PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" champion Rona Lisa Perretti (Linnea Lyerly).
Perretti works alongside Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Brian Higgins) introducing the championship spellers of "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" who each begin singing about their collective aspirations and personal demons.
Lyerly is a formidable presence as Perretti who struggles with letting go of the past, while Higgins is precision perfect as the prompting Panch, who functions in supervising correct spelling, offering both definitions of each word presented along with the use of the words in wildly funny sentences.
Rounding out the adults is “Comfort counselor” Mitch Mahoney (Jared Palazzo) who appears far more menacing than comforting.
However, in a terrific performance by Palazzo, Mitch soon displays a more compassionate side as, one by one, each of the contestants is eliminated from the competition.
(Photo: Norman Dubois as “Chip Tolentino” with the CAST of the musical "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn, from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through May 24, 2026. Photo Courtesy of Calliope Productions)
The six "SPELLING BEE" contestants we meet include:
Marcy Park (Libbey Stearns), a highly accomplished student (as she describes in her song, “I Speak Six Languages”) but one pushed beyond her emotional threshold to succeed at everything.*
- (*Editor’s Note: Whether the character of “Marcy Park” should be played only by Asian actresses has long been a subject of debate. While this character was originally conceived to represent an Asian-American overachiever, and while many continue to campaign for authentic casting, current licensing materials do legally allow for multi-ethnic or “blind” casting. For the purpose of this review, we will not engage in this debate.)
While appearing combative and condescending to others, Marcy uses much of her vitriol and uber competitiveness to mask her own insecurities.
Stearns is relentless in her portrayal of the highly stressed-out young overachiever and “I Speak Six Languages” is loaded with physical comedy and tricks performed to perfection by Stearns and at a brisk pace.
Next up is Chip Tolentino (Norman Dubois), a dedicated boy scout and winner of the 24th Annual Putnam County "SPELLING BEE" and who is overly anxious to defend his title.
Chip tries to talk to Marcy who cruelly shuts him down by saying, “I only remember the top ten.”
The role requires the actor to maintain a balance between neuroses and sensitivity which Dubois provides effortlessly, especially during his song "Chip's Lament" about an unfortunate occurrence but which helps the Chip character from devolving into something cartoonish or two-dimensional.
That is one of the strengths of the show itself – if we were to only see these characters as cartoonish or bland stereotypes we would not be truly invested in what happens to each of them as the competition unfolds.
Each character has been given a defining backstory that makes us want to root for some (if not all) of them, because we come to care about these young persons regardless of the outcome of the competition.
If it wasn't because both the winner and runner-up of a regional competition had to attend a Bat Mitzvah, third place finalist Leaf Coneybear (Rain Smallcomb) might not even be in the final’s competition, but Leaf’s objective is different from the other competitors.
Smallcomb is thoroughly engaging as Leaf, especially during the song "I'm Not That Smart" about how Leaf’s family constantly berates and belittles the speller who always seems to rise above any negativity in their life.
(Photo: The CAST of the musical "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn, from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through May 24, 2026. Photo Courtesy of Calliope Productions)
Along with showcasing her vocal prowess during her number, "Woe is Me," Marissa J. Browning as "SPELLING BEE" contestant Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre delivers some deliciously incendiary political asides throughout the show, keeping the audience engaged.
Browning is uncompromising as Logainne who laments her two domineering fathers (played by Smallcomb and Palazzo) one of whom applies pressure on Logainne to win the "BEE" competition at any cost.
The obnoxious, arrogant and slovenly speller William Barfée (Kyle Collins), uses his song, “Magic Foot,” to illustrate how he uses his foot to visualize a word before saying it aloud.
Collins completely embodies the Barfée character, again helping to make it less one dimensional as the role might otherwise be played.
While having some decidedly funny hostile interactions with Vice Principal Panch, Barfée also is seen having far more tender exchanges with the final contestant, the sweet and shy Olive Ostrovsky (Heidi White).
In a sensitive portrayal by White, Olive seeks to make friends with the other contestants at the "BEE" but is shunned by each one at nearly every turn.
In fact, in her song "My Friend, the Dictionary," Olive sings about her only true source of companionship.
Later, in the “I Love You Song” (supported by Palazzo and Lyerly on vocals), White offers us a defining moment of Olive’s homelife struggles with conspicuously absent parents.
(Photo: Kyle Collins as “William Barfee” in a moment from the musical "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn, from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through May 24, 2026. Photo Courtesy of Calliope Productions)
Continuing at Calliope Productions until May 24th, 2026, "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" is a heartwarming empathetic musical that draws us older folks inside the minds of young people which (now and has always) we see consists of one completely emotionally paralyzing thought after another.
Coming up in the fall at Calliope will be the comedy “OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS” by Joe DiPietro, beginning October 15th and running until October 25th, 2026.
For tickets and more information contact the Box Office at # 508-869-6887 or visit https://www.ticketstage.com/T/CALLIOPE
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
"THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss.
The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School.
An eclectic group of sixth-graders arrives at "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" - each eager to win for very different reasons.
With an engaging, tuneful score, "THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE" causes audiences to fall in love, both with the show itself and its “perspicacious,” “jocular,” and “effervescent” spellers! (STAGEAGENT)
ABOUT CALLIOPE PRODUCTIONS
CALLIOPE PRODUCTIONS is a year-round non-profit theatre company founded in 1982 that serves the needs and interests of audiences and performers in the Central Massachusetts region. CALLIOPE PRODUCTIONS presents six main-stage productions each year, and operates performance training workshops for students (ages 9 - 18) and adults. CALLIOPE PRODUCTIONS is a member of the American Association of Community Theatre, the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres and the Worcester Cultural Coalition.
150 Main Street
Boylston, MA. 01505
# 508-869-6887
