William Morris Barfee has no social skills whatsoever.
Supersensitive with a peanut allergy, he's a bully who yells at everyone. But he's got a magic foot that helps to take away his social anxiety and so seem less obnoxious. When he begins to tap out the letters of obscure words in "The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee," the stars align, even if his novel mnemonic device proves to be a stylish crutch.
Beautifully choreographed by Stephanie Anne Bertumen and performed with antic panache by Brendan Nelson Finn, Barfee is but one of the memorable characters in Tyler Michaels King's brisk and entertaining production at Bloomington's Artistry.
The delightful acting ensemble also includes Tom Reed as Leaf Coneybear, the insecure nerd who makes his own clothes, and Gabrielle Dominique as Loggaine Schwartzandgrubenierre, who battles on despite a lisp.
Reed finds a strange head voice for Coneybear, a character who likes to play with hand puppets and who gets lost in his own thoughts. Surprised to hear his name called by spelling bee officials, he speaks like someone whose vocal cords have passed through a party noisemaker.
Dominique is sympathetic in her turn as Schwartzandgrubenierre, whose long, difficult-to-pronounce name is just one of her battles.
All of the characters in William Finn's musical have complicated inner lives that contrast with the bee, in which answers are simply right or wrong. Boy Scout Chip Tolentino (Wesley Mouri), who was last year's champion, is having a hard time with puberty. You feel for him as he covers his groin to sing "My Unfortunate Erection."
"Spelling Bee" exists in a realm populated by dweebs and geeks (Sarah Bahr created the gymnasium-evoking set while Samantha Fromm Haddow designed the characters' ill-fitting costumes, hair and makeup). Music director Ray Berg keeps things moving at a comically lively clip.
