The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Theatre-goers of my generation packed the intimate Richbrooke Theatre in Elizabeth Street in the 1970s for the original Sydney production of Godspell.

Slightly older audiences laughed themselves silly there at Phillip Theatre revues.

Now musical theatre students of AIM (Australian Institute of Music) use the heritage restored, flat-floored auditorium under its original name, the Australian Hall, as a classroom.*

Once again the venue is home to a musical, the debut production of Exclaim! Theatre Company (a praiseworthy new testing ground, showcasing AIM musical theatre graduates as performers and in all aspects of production), though in its current / original form it’s probably a better classroom than theatre. Stripped of its former theatre fit-out, there’s lots of technical barriers to be sorted through before future productions.

Small cast Broadway musical The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee celebrates America’s national Spelling Bee phenomenon, and as the media release suggests, the venue’s ‘Australiana school hall vibe’ is well-matched to the show, becoming the key design element in this bare bones staging.

Putting aside the venue’s technical shortcomings, there’s so much to like about this production of Spelling Bee, a musical I’ve now enjoyed several times, and the performances of the AIM alumni.

Young adult performers are challenged to credibly create a group of awkward offbeat teen / pre-teen spelling nerds who we can empathise with and care about. Several achieve that splendidly in a smart, high-energy production, bubbling with laughs. It’s treading an incredibly fine line, and others go a bit OTT, at the expense of subtext and characterization, with a little too much of the young adult performers themselves peeking through. To be fair, though, not all the roles are equally satisfying, and no-one misses their chance to impress vocally.

Emerging star Emma Cooperthwaite does full justice to easily the musical’s best role, as she mines all the potential of initially withdrawn Olive Ostrovsky’s moving journey from insecurity, disappointment and vulnerability, through to a sense of strength and assurance. ‘The I Love You Song’, exploring her family relationship, is heartbreaking and affirming.

We laugh affectionately with Jaimie Leigh Johnson in her heartfelt performance as Logainne SchwartzandGrubinierre, the intense daughter of two ultra-competitive gay fathers. The character’s lisp is sufficient to be evident, yet never impair understanding, and her rant in the latter part of the show is a joy. Hair, make-up and costume choices truly complement her performance.

Ms Cooperthwaite and Ms Johnson land both the pathos and character-driven humour of their roles beautifully.

Anthony Finch’s simple, gangly Leaf Conybear engages, while Meg Bate gently imparts the conflicted over-achiever Marcy Park’s personal dilemna.

Amongst the adult roles, Holly Summers-Clarke’s poised and contained Rona Lisa Perretti, top local real estate agent, former spelling bee winner and moderator of the current Bee, hits the mark early on with her wistful flashback song, and while her dialogue felt a touch rushed sometimes on opening night, her vocals effectively embody the spirit attached to the Spelling Bee for its participants. As Mitch Mahoney, doing community service as the Bee’s ‘comfort counsellor’, Richard Woodhouse starts out scarily convincing as the rough character you’d expect, but by evening’s end he’s evolved into a rough diamond, imparting a genuinely sympathetic edge to my favourite version of this role to date.

Some of these graduate performers reveal the experience they’ve already gained on our burgeoning independent musical theatre scene, where choreographer Monique Salle, who provided the tight, effective, space-constrained choreography, is rapidly making her mark.

Audience participants really entered into the spirit on opening night, sometimes surprising with their spelling talents. It's a special joy of the show which ensures no two performances are ever the same.

Drama-school sponsored transition companies where young performers can hone their skills are all too rare, though I fondly remember the Ensemble Rep as just such an excellent showcase and testing ground Ensemble Studios’ alumni. It’s great to see another such initiative, which will hopefully bridge the gap between training and the industry for many of AIM’s talented young grads.

The seating is unreserved, so if you plan to head along on the second weekend of this short season, I’d strongly recommend not being too close to the excellent band, who get a bit enthusiastic given the challenges already faced by the sound crew.

It’s a rewarding joy to go future star-spotting, while getting a bright night’s entertainment into the deal. I look forward to future productions by this enterprising company.

Neil Litchfield

* I was amused when one of the new generation of young musical theatre-makers associated with this production proclaimed the Australian Hall a brand new theatre venue in the media release, but it’s great to see the old Richbrooke / Phillip Theatre is again a hub for young performers. It’s to be hoped that the issues associated with making the hall work again as a viable performance venue without altering its heritage features can be resolved.

Photographer: Michael Francis.