September boasts the Village Players Theater staging The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — a quirky, endearing, musical comedy that became a Broadway hit, scoring two Tony Awards.
The Spelling Bee
The musical began as an improvisational off-Broadway play in New York with a story centering on a spelling bee at Putnam Valley Middle School. Six misfit kids, and three adults with their own quirks, try to navigate the ups, downs and craziness of the competition. One of the most unique features of the show is that it puts the audience in the middle of the action as spectators and, at times, contestants. The “kids” are portrayed by adults (think Gilda Radner’s Judy Miller character), each with their own worries, fears and stories. Several audience members are invited onstage to participate in the spelling bee, identified through a sign-up sheet before the show.
Meet Mitch, the Comfort Counselor
Brock Burkett plays Mitch Mahoney, an ex-convict performing community service (but the audience does not learn for what) by working with the Bee as a comfort counselor, which means he hands out juice boxes to contestants when they lose. Burkett says that this has been one of his favorite musicals, so when he saw it was being cast by the Village Players, he jumped at the chance to audition.
“I have the time; I’m a teacher so it fit perfectly into my schedule,” Burkett said. “The comfort counselor is one of those tough guys with a heart, like Hagrid in Harry Potter. He looks scary, but he’s a super softie.”
At age 27, Burkett is still very young, but he’s acting with adults as old as 40 who are playing kids. “I’m actually younger than my character and there are people older than me playing kids, so it’s fun,” Burkett said. “The actors playing kids all have great child-like qualities they bring to their performances.”
Regarding the improvisation by actors in the show, Burkett notes, “There’s a script, but there’s also a lot of improv in moments where you’re reacting to the student spelling a word. When the vice principal gives word definitions, you never know what he’s going to say. There are suggestions in the script, but no one has to use those. Sometimes there’s a little cursing, but it’s very PG-13.”
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Burkett fell in love with performing in musicals early on, even snagging the lead in a high school production of Seussical when he was only in eighth grade. He went on to get a degree in Music Education from BGSU and currently teaches in Maumee.
The kids are alright
Every “kid” in the show has their own quirks, their own personal journey and their own way of learning, just like most kids in real life. Burkett explains, “You see the different ways of thinking each kid has. One of the characters has a song called ‘Magic Foot’ because he writes the word out with his foot. Another girl writes the word out on her arm to visualize it. The relatability through these little touches of human truth are one of the reasons the show is so successful. It doesn’t matter how you arrive at the answer, as long as you get to the correct answer.”
Musical director’s debut
Music Director Joelle Stiles is doing her first production with The Village Players. Though it’s a more intimate venue, they still have a “pretty full orchestra pit under the stage” including a full drum kit, piano, synthesizer, saxophone, violin and cello. When Stiles prepares to bring the score to life, she thinks about the actor’s vocal ranges, memorizing the score to better be able to teach it to the actors.
Despite a small cast of only nine, the music contains intricate harmonies. Stiles says “Pandemonium,” where the kids commiserate about the unfairness of life, is one of her favorites, along with “The I Love You Song.” “It’s a gorgeous, heartfelt ballad one student sings to her family. What I love is that each character has their own song, and it gives the actors their own moment and their own story.”
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 15 at 2740 Upton Ave. Students $20, general admission $25. thevillageplayers.org
