CSUN's 'Spelling Bee' Filled With Sweet and Funny Moments

Loveable losers generate their own brand of humor, as evidenced by the sweet nerds who compete in the CSUN production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a musical first produced off-Broadway in 2005.

In this quirky cross between A Chorus Line and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the characters are caricatures of kids who are such blatant outsiders that their only chance for success and popularity is through victory at the county spelling bee.

The kids aren't the only exaggerated characters in this energetic production. So, too, are the Realtor and former bee winner who plays host to the bee and her associate, the vice principal, who doles out the words and provides definitions and examples of how they are used in a sentence.

Comedic moments are abundant but, despite the tension inherent in any elimination contest, truly dramatic and suspenseful moments are few and far between. Even so, the CSUN cast succeeds at getting across the show's message that winning, even among this group of misfits who have few opportunities to shine, isn't everything.

Ten kids complete, including four volunteers chosen from the audience before the musical begins. After the four are eliminated, we're left with sweet, affection-starved Olive Ostrovsky (Leatrice Innocent), overachiever Marcy Park (Katelyn Fike), hormonally sidetracked Chip Tolentino (Patrick Batiste), politically correct Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre (Jasmine Cervantes), utterly daffy Leaf Coneybear (Alex Tordi) and hard luck finalist from the previous year William Barfee (Marcos Avila), who uses his magic foot to mentally work out the correct spelling.

On the sidelines, host Rona Lisa Peretti (Kelsey Porter) is a mother hen-type and vice principal Douglas Panch (Kevin Hansen) provides consistently funny examples of how words are used, generating the majority of laughs.

There is an innate joy and exuberance to this musical, which is magnified by its performance in the intimate Nordoff Hall Little Theatre. But there are shortcomings, as well. Most of the humor comes from Hansen's spot-on delivery of the words and their usage, not from the characters' relationship. And there is a puzzling failure to develop the character of Mitch Mahoney (Barton Perry), an ex-con who does community service as a comfort counselor at the spelling bee. The music and lyrics are engaging and, at times, clever but not particularly memorable.

These are flaws in the book by Rachel Sheinkin and the music and lyrics by William Finn and not in the way director Garry D. Lennon crafts the production.  Overall, Lennon maintains a lively pace with his talented ensemble. Innocent is particularly effective as sensitive Olive, Avila's nifty footwork really is magical and Hansen hits just the right notes as vice principal Panch.

The role of Leaf Coneybear was originated off-Broadway by Jesse Tyler Ferguson of ABC's Modern Family, a gifted actor who can be flaky and charming at the same time. In the CSUN production, Tordi concentrates so hard on the goofy dimension of the character that his antics come perilously close to being more tiresome than endearing, at least after a while.

If sales are any indication, a growing number of theater goers are indicating their confidence in the CSUN theater program. Opening weekend performances of Spelling Bee were sold out before opening night. That leaves performances scheduled for Sept. 28, 29 and 30 and Oct. 1 and 2. For tickets, call 818-677-2488 or visit csun.edu/theatre.

Follow Chatsworth Patch on Twitter and Facebook for more updates, tips and news.