'Spelling Bee' a W-I-N-N-E-R

Charleston Stage's 'Putnam County Spelling Bee' is at the Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church St. Photo by Julian Wiles

You don't have to be an etymology expert to laugh at the endearing musical, "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," but Rachel Sheinkin's book is a spelling bee geek's dream and reminds us all that we were awkward teenagers once.

The Charleston Stage production, which runs at the Dock Street Theatre through Sunday, tells the story of six highly competitive misfits and four audience participants who vie for the title of spelling bee champion.

Two quirky administrators, former champion Rona Lisa Peretti (Stephanie S. Faatz) and Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Lee Lewis), and Mitchell Mahoney (Ira Lindberg Harris), a gangster turned "Comfort Counselor," guide the competitors through the competition and its life lessons.

The musical unfolds as each student performs an autobiographical solo, a la "Chorus Line," but much funnier.

Charleston Stage's "Spelling Bee" improvises the script with topical and local humor, albeit with one too many references to the crisis in Egypt, lending this production a unique style.

With Kyle W. Barnette's direction and Barbara Young's costumes, the strong ensemble cast develops every charmingly idiosyncratic character.

Mikey Nagy's William Barfee (pronounced "Barfay") overcompensates for his insecurities with bravado and arrogance, but Nagy does so with nerdy wit and unabashed dorkiness.

Drew Archer's Leaf Coneybear -- yes, that is really his name -- lives in his own imaginative world where he makes is own clothes, such as his cape of many colors. Leaf uncontrollably enters a hypnotic trance and spells obscure words and does not know why. Nor does the audience.

"Spelling Bee" satirizes modern parenting and the overscheduled American child.

There is Shelby Smith's Logainne (pronounced "Logan") SchwartzandGrubenierre and her ambitious two dads; Olive Ostovsky (Mary-E Godfrey) has two highly successful but absent parents; Marcy Park (Helen Kathryn DeBuse) commands not five, but six, languages as well as every sport and artistic endeavor.

Under Amanda Wansa's musical direction, William Finn's lively score is highlighted by the gospel-styled "Prayer of the Comfort Counselor" and the heartwarming "The I Love You Song." The orchestra is flawless and the chorus is well-balanced but drops vocal strength at times during dance numbers.

Multicast Harris proves his breadth as an actor and singer, swinging from the gangster to Logainne's effeminate co-dad, then sharing a sentimental duet as Olive's dad with Faatz as Olive's mom. Faatz's full vocal range and easy, classical style are refreshing.

Accompanied by smooth lighting and sound design, Julian Wiles' set design of a school gymnasium is backed by a white drop painted with black, typed letters and random squares, resembling a keyboard. A brightly lit ramp gives the disqualified misspellers a grand send off as Mitch bids goodbye with a hug and a juice box.

The six eccentric students survive the bee and adolescence, and grow up to become us.