Steel Beam's able 'Spelling Bee' cast overcomes tight quarters

Steel Beam Theatre seems like an ideal setting for a revival of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

The intimate, second-floor venue in downtown St. Charles suits composer/lyricist William Finn's and writer Rachel Sheinkin's irresistible, insightful coming-of-age musical about precocious middle-school students vying for the chance to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

However, these quarters might be a bit too close for director Marge Uhlarik-Boller's fresh-faced, able cast members. They're accompanied by music director/pianist Matt Gruel and drummer Pete Steele, whose onstage presence explains the cramped feel.

The staging seems to constrain the cast, including Scott Bussert, whose William Barfee spelled his way into the onstage bleachers during “Magic Foot.” I also got the impression Lauren Pfeiffer's Marcy Park missed the opportunity to really cut loose during her amusing, epiphanic “I Speak Six Languages.”

Production numbers in particular felt a bit claustrophobic. Case in point: the rousing, revealing “Pandemonium,” in which the overachieving adolescents realize life can be unpredictable and unfair and the best and brightest don't always prevail.

As it turns out, these six quirky contestants face challenges far greater than spelling “crepuscule” correctly.

Previous winner Chip Tolentino (Jacob Hawk) struggles to keep in check his hormones, which threaten his attempt to repeat as champion. Multilingual phenom Marcy (the dynamic Pfeiffer, of the artfully arched eyebrow) begins to wonder whether perfection is really worth pursuing. Meanwhile, socially conscious Logainne ShwartzandGrubenniere (Crystal Skipworth) contends with a pair of pushy parents who don't like losers.

At least her parents are there. Olive Ostrovsky (the sweetly vulnerable Cecilia Iole), a lonely, soft-spoken girl with a workaholic father and a mother on a spiritual quest to India, is all alone at the Bee. Unlike home-schooled savant Leaf Coneybear (the adorably distracted Nico Tangorra) who's accompanied by his more accomplished siblings who remind him constantly of his shortcomings. Last but not least is the outsider William (Scott Bussert) whose arrogance hides his insecurities.

Moderating the competition is former winner Rona Lisa Perretti (Amy Steele, a lovely singer), a real estate agent who recalls her champion moment as life-defining. Pronouncing the words and providing definitions is frustrated vice principal Douglas Panch (a nicely droll Tony Calzaretta, who also created the enjoyable, understated choreography). Last but not least, there's probationee Mitch Mahoney (Terry A. Christianson), whose court-ordered community service consists of comforting the losers, who he ushers offstage with a hug and a juice box.

Those contestants include volunteer spellers from the audience, who inspire Calzaretta and Steele's gentle improvised jibes.