Theater Review: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” by Golden Fox Theatre Co.

Review by Connecticut Critic Circle member and Patch Contributor Nancy Sasso Janis

Golden Fox Theatre Company is presenting “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” as the new company’s third production. This well-directed production runs through Jane 15 on the stage at the Wallingford Grange.

The endearing and very funny “Spelling Bee” adds music and lyrics by the late William Finn to a clever book by Rachel Sheinkin, who is a visiting instructor at Yale School of Drama. The concept of an elementary school spelling bee with a small group of memorable characters was conceived by Rebecca Feldman and is based on the original play “C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E” by The Farm. The original title is on the Level One word list in the script.

The Golden Fox show is co-directed by Jason Michael and Joey Abate, with adorable and character-appropriate choreography by Amelia Nemeth and music direction by Matt Pacheco, who aptly accompanies the cast on an offstage keyboard. Pacheco previously served as MD for “The 1940s Radio Christmas Carol.” Charlie Härtel provided the lighting design and Matt Bennett worked as the sound technician. All of the technical elements had to be brought into the bare-bones space.

Abate, a North Haven resident, stepped up to play the hilarious role of Vice-Principal Douglas Panch, the word pronouncer for the students. The co-director, a proud co-founder of this company, made the most of every comedic bit of his character while wearing a perfectly-chosen pair of eyeglasses. I loved the “Pandemonium” that exploded on the stage with Panch and the Spellers. Abate recently began to pursue his MFA in Producing for Film and Television at Quinnipiac University.

Emma Czaplinski, a former CT State Spelling Bee participant, is back at “the Bee” to portray the show’s enthusiastic host, Rona Lisa Peretti. In her Golden Fox debut, Czaplinski shows off her wonderful singing voice for “Rona’s Moments” and displays Rona’s especially caring, almost maternal, attitude toward the young spellers.

In his Golden Fox debut, Kyle Riedinger (pictured above) nails every movement of the “alpha male” speller, the Boy Scout Chip Tolentino, who is eliminated on a technicality. Riedinger just finished portraying the title character in Cabaret on Main’s “Shrek,” where he also played Wormwood in “Matilda.”

Faith Fernandes, a kindergarten teacher, plays the overachieving Logainne SchwarzandGrugeniere (“Woe is Me”) in her Golden Fox debut and does well with her well-drawn and endearing speller.

Matt Griffiths brings smiles with every aspect of the home-schooled Leaf Coneybear, wearing a great hand-sewn outfit accessorized with finger puppets (“I’m Not That Smart.”) Griffith’s credits include Richard Hannay in Castle Craig Player’s “The 39 Steps” and Samuel Byck in Fuse’s "Assassins."

The multidisciplinary theatre artist Brighton Horan (they/them) takes on the role of the lugubrious William Barfee and adds some admirable physical comedy to the character. Krystina Diaz effectively conveys the overscheduled parochial school student Marcy Park in their Golden Fox debut. Diaz credits the cast and crew for their “hilarious comedic wit and direction that “manages to preserve the tender heart of the show.”

Kudos to Sacred Heart University freshman Emma Blanchette for an especially poignant portrayal of the lovely student Olive Ostrovsky in her Golden Fox debut. Blanchette recently played Molly in “Peter and the Starcatcher” at SHU and won a Halo Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2024. Hartt School graduate Erin Aldrich portrays the (often male) comfort counselor Mitch Mahoney, beginning quietly for “Prayer of the Comfort Counselor” and wailing for the final notes. “But what is gender if not a performance?,” she writes.

The gymnasium set required for “Spelling Bee” is minimal, and this one is no exception, with metal folding chairs for the spellers and a few gym props. Adorable costumes help to identify the personalities of the student spellers and the adults.

While Jason Michael’s curtain speech covers all of the “clinical stuff,” it also includes the fact that the production team had to struggle to keep up with the talent in the cast, as well as a few hints of the lengths that the company goes to in order to produce their shows in this space.

On opening night, the chosen Guest Spellers seemed to enjoy their time onstage participating in the Bee. The production team let me know that all spots had been filled prior to the first performance, but that didn't stop me from singing along with the choral parts at my table.

The fun Golden Fox production of this delightful little musical is presented with one 15-minute intermission. There are three spots where strobe lights are included in the lighting. You can catch this wonderful cast for one more weekend, June 13 -15. For the first time, they are offering BYOB cabaret seating, in addition to traditional row seating. Tickets on sale now at goldenfox.booktix.com.

Upcoming productions for Golden Fox Theatre Company include "God of Carnage" by Yasmina Reza in late September and Pasek & Paul's "A Christmas Story The Musical" in December, which will be the company's first production with roles for kids.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the newspaper.

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