“I hope you still love me, America.
America, I gave it my best try.
If you still don’t love me America,
I understand why.
You hate losers.
So do I.
I’m a loser so goodbye.”

No, this isn’t a lyric from Beck or Nirvana (or, a reality-show contestant’s final plea before getting voted off the proverbial island). It is uttered by ten-year old Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre to a crowd in a junior high school gymnasium and her two dads, Carl and Dan, who constantly tell her, “We hate losers. No one likes a loser. God hates losers. Because losers do not know how to win…”

Wow. Quite an earful, no? Whoever thought Spelling Bees could be so hard-core and prophetic/emblematic of the state of America in the '00s? (BTW— total aside— what the hell are we calling this decade? It’s already 2007 and I still haven’t heard anything that sounds right…Yet another reason why I miss the roll off the tongue ‘90s— in addition to several nostalgic subplots concerning guys with names like Cobain, Clinton, Jordan, and Shakur).

The aforementioned Spelling Bee is the centerpiece for the quirky, surprise Broadway hit musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” And little, blond Logainne (played by Sarah Saltzberg) is just one of six excellently, dysfunctional spellers vying for— cue Ludacris— that “Number One Spot.” Rounding out the competition are Marcy Park, a type-A dynamo who speaks six languages (Deborah S. Craig), Leaf Coneybear, a sweet, goofy, hippie-child who wears a helmet indoors for his own protection (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), William Barfee, a Cartman-esque malcontent who dresses like Angus Young and possesses a magic foot (Dan Fogler), Olive Ovstrovsky, a lonely, earnest girl in pigtails whose mom is in India and whose dad is out to lunch (Celia Keenan-Bolger), and Chip Tolentino, last year’s champion and resident annoying boy scout (Jose Llana).

Like an American Idol for middle school geeks, the Spellers stand before us— young, full of potential, emotional, competitive, damaged— and we get to sit back and analyze their trauma and turmoil from the comfort of our nation’s favorite vantage point, that of couch-potato judge. One by one they pour their hearts out to us, revealing their inner selves and their back stories via the endearing and playful music and lyrics written by William Finn (based on a book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman). Always smart, and often laugh-out-loud hilarious, Finn’s songs sport some of the funniest lines Broadway has produced in a long time. But the tunes also somehow manage to delve deep into the childhood psyche while simultaneously appearing to be spontaneous extensions of adolescent frustrations, and this cocktail of humor laced with pain is what sticks in your belly on the drive home.

The show opens immediately with the title song:

VOICE: Miss Peretti. Please spell “syzygy.”
RONA: S-y-z-y-g-y. Syzygy?
VOICE: We have a winner!
RONA: Oh— thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
CHIP: At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
My Parents keep on telling me
Just being here is winning.
Athough
I know it isn’t so.

Full of outstanding performances across the board— there really isn’t one sour note in this original Broadway cast (Fogler won the Tony for his portrayal of William Barfee)— the Bee is off and running and it doesn’t let up until the curtain drops. Backed by a stripped down, piano-focused orchestra, the Spellers each bring a unique voice and color palette to their characters. Ferguson as Leaf and Keenan-Bolger as Olive are both heartbreaking, digging deep below the surface in their respective solos “I’m Not That Smart” and “The I Love You Song.” Director James Lapine brings an almost improv, spontaneous spirit to the piece, and Dan Knechtges choreography and Jodie Moore’s music direction only contribute to the rollicking fun.

But as mentioned earlier, this is a “fun” constantly underlined and informed with raw social commentary and insecurity. As Chip intimates in the above verse, he knows that just being at the Bee is not enough; in actuality, it’s ALL about winning. The other kids “know” this, too. Why so?

The answer could fill up several books, I am sure. The above the title reason in flashing, neon letters on the marquee, is that America— especially in 2007— is a culture obsessed by the twin towers of Winning and Humiliation. One need look no further than the Survivor/Jerry-Springer/Star Magazine/American Idol/Reality-TV boom to see this strange concoction played out night after night in our living rooms. We are a country geeked by witnessing other people go through the pressure cooker of humiliation (Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears anyone?). It’s all related, believe me. The navel gazing of our stars and young people, the addiction to fame and money, the talking heads on cable TV, Oprah, Dr. Phil, the vast masses who watch TV to feel better about themselves, Entertainment Tonight, the paparazzi, the obscene focus on being number one…The list goes on and on.

The beauty and power of “The Putnam County Spelling Bee” is that it mirrors all of this back to us through French horns and cellos and middler schoolers. Marcy, Leaf, William, Olive, Chip, and Logainne are America. Their obsessions and problems are our obsessions and problems. Their dysfunctional upbringings, their need to be unconditionally loved, their wanting to please their parents, their confusion— this is our confusion, too.

Near the end of the musical, only Olive and William Barfee remain. They are the last two standing and they struggle with their new found feelings for each other and their conflicting desires to win and be kind. At a crucial point in the melancholy “My Favorite Moment Of The Bee,” Olive looks over at William and says, “It’s alright, Barf…” And, for that sliver of time, it is alright. Two kids connect and share a true moment of empathy and friendship, leaving all their screwed up parents and the winning-is-everything contests and the mad culture far behind.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is playing at the Wadsworth Theatre on Wilshire through June 17th. Go see it.

Wadsworth Theatre, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Tue.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m., Sun. 1 & 6:30 p.m. May 27-Jun 17. (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878. www.ticketmaster.com

by Matthew Sidney Long
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Matthew is a freelance writer and filmmaker. You can find out more about his films by going to www.seashantyfilms.com