Mesa Encore Theatre's Spelling Bee reviewed at Mesa Arts Center

Mesa Encore Theatre, opened its 74th season Friday night with the Arizona community theater premiere of Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn's Tony Award winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Spelling Bee is playing in the Mesa Arts Center's intimate Farnsworth Studio now through September 12.

The Examiner wrote after attending one of the show's final rehearsals and having been selected to "spell" with the cast: "At every performance, four audience members will be randomly recruited to participate as an additional character in the show The prize for their knowing how to spell the unexpected? The sip of boxed juice...Okay, it was rather sweet and refreshing! From what I saw at the full reheasal, the MET's Spelling Bee promises to be just as sweet and refreshing." I was not wrong!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is directed by theater wunderkind Toby Yatso. Yatso has staged the musical at a non-stop, frenetically funny pace. The director and his tireless ensemble will cast an unmistakeable spell on you. Expect the unexpected and be prepared to relish an evening of continuous, delightfully delirious musical pleasures, one after another!

Spelling Bee co-stars Aya Nameth (2010 AriZoni nominee for MET's Forbidden Broadway), Jeffrey Davey (2010 AriZoni nominee for Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre's Ragtime), Brady Quisberg, Chad Campbell, Alexandra Ncube, Shandi Illyse , Brett Aiken, Chuck Caruso and Brittany Bradford. This is truly a perfectly matched and totally in tune cast of players. Each and everyone has his or her moment to shine in the spotlight and all of them prove to be the brightest lights possible.

Where to begin? Jeffrey Davey as Barfee (there's an accent in that name somewhere) and Chad Campbell as the hyper Leaf Coneybear are superbly funny as the two nerdiest spellers. Shandi Illyse as Rona Lisa Peretti and Chuck Caruso as Douglas Panch, the two, ahem, adults running the bee, could not be more delightful. Brady Quisberg is the ever sexually aware Chip Tolentino and he finds every last bit of humor in his solo, Chip's Lament. Aya Nameth is Logainne, the hilarious and touching militant daughter of two gay dads. The excellent Brett Aiken plays several roles, the very badass, butch delinquent Mitch Mahoney and, along with Campbell, one of Logainne's gay fathers.

Alexandra Ncube is wonderful as Marcy Park, possibly the brightest student, whose unexpected vision of Jesus allows her to see the true path to the personal happiness that she has always avoided. The very special Brittany Bradford is the sweet and lovely Olive Ostrovsky. Bradford sings the show's most affecting number The I Love You Song with Illyse and Aiken and I defy anyone in the audience to remain dry-eyed.

Musical directors Debra Jo Davey and Lincoln Wright (2010 AriZoni co-nominees for MET's Forbidden Broadway) add a polished lustre to William Finn's fabulously droll score. Conductor Davey and her exceptional "Bee"  Band are in perfect synch and make beautiful music together.

MET's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is ditsy, daffy and thoroughly delightful. What was so much fun in rehearsal has been fleshed out by Yatso, Davey and company into a non-stop hilarious musical evening and the intimate setting of MAC's Farnsworth Studio is the perfect venue to get up close and personal with the joyous cast.

For additional information regarding 2010-11 season subscriptions, individual ticket availability and/or performance schedules for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, please contact Mesa Encore Theatre at Mesa Arts Center directly either by telephone at (480) 644 6500 or ON LINE.

Mesa Encore Theatre at Mesa Arts Center One East Main Street Mesa 85211