I’ve been on Shifting Ground’s case since their debut, lecturing the ambitious and capable young company about their programming. The company’s early work, though proficient, felt too mature, like the company was simply doing their favourite shows with their friends rather than programming to their strengths. That all changed with The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, the perfect show for a group this young, enthusiastic, and heartfelt. Complex and at times devastating, Spelling Bee was written to be played by adults for adult audiences but the kid characters offer the recent theatre grads who make up the majority of Shifting Ground’s ensembles the chance to tap into something a bit closer to home than the middle aged ennui of their previous shows. Now is the time to take a bite out of rich shows about young people (I’m so here for when one of these companies finally takes on Spring Awakening); they have their whole lives to play sad widows and recovering alcoholics.
Of course, even a young adult is still an adult playing a pre-pubescent kid and that’s famously something that’s tough to do with nuance and care. Under the deft direction of Jennifer Walls, this incredibly strong cast flourishes as the young competitors at a regional spelling bee. Tellingly, it’s the few adult characters who ring the most false (Olivia Daniels has a lovely voice but she never seems to settle into the reality of her characters). The kids are a marvel (again, not real kids). Berkley Silverman plays the key role of Olive with grace and stirring simplicity, capturing her character’s youth but never wearing it as a costume. Lauren Taylor Scott attacks the other end of the spectrum as the wild and intense Logainne but similarly manages to keep her character’s feet firmly rooted in emotional realism no matter how hard she goes (and she goes Hard). Ben Ridd is the other standout, lending a beautiful voice and giant heart to the often annoying character of Leaf Coneybear, emphasizing the character’s sweetness first, his quirkiness second (he also fares better than average in his tricky transitions to grownup cameos).
Spelling Bee’s signature school gym aesthetic allows for a lot of homemade set dressing and costume pieces, which really lets the upstart company show off what they can do rather than their practical limitations. Though Rachel Sheinkin’s book drags at times, especially in act two, Walls’ bright and energetic production is brimming with life and hope.
