By Dana Casadei

There’s a Capital One Venture Card commercial where Alec Baldwin tells a classroom of students that spelling isn’t a subject. “Spell check, that’s a program,” he quips back at them. The six spellers in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” would have to whole-heartedly disagree with Mr. Baldwin. Spelling isn’t just a subject; it’s a way of life.

The musical, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin, starts with a bang. The company’s first song lets viewers know who these six spellers, and three adult counterparts, are in a mere matter of seconds, speaking volumes about the show that Finn and Sheinkin created. Credit must also be given to director Barbie Weisserman and music director Jason Wilhoite, who take the show of quirky characters to another level.

The music and book are witty and funny, while at the same time being a showcase of what a difficult age adolescence can be. It’s an age many wouldn’t want to go back to, and yet the cast willingly does, recreating a time when being awkward was the norm for most – and does it brilliantly.

Spelling bee contestants include last year’s winner, Chip Tolentino (Jason Wilhoite), Logainne Schwarzandgrubenierre (Liz Jaffe), Leaf Coneybear (Richard Payton), William Barfee (Jared Schneider), Marcy Park (Stefanie Bainter) and Olive Ostrovsky (Halle Bins).

Judges Rona Lisa Perretti (Diane Hill), a former spelling bee champ, and Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Alan Madlane), are accompanied by comfort counselor Mitch Mahoney (John DeMerell). The trio of “grown-ups” all bring something different, whether it is a little tough love or a little toughing up.

The group numbers range from “Pandemonium” to “Prayer of the Comfort Counselor,” which transforms into a gospel number to close out Act I. Each speller gets a solo as well, with some much more memorable than others.

Instant standouts are Jaffe and Payton, as Logainne and Leaf, respectively. Vocally they both fall in the middle of the group, but damn, do they commit to their outlandish characters. They have chemistry together and work wonders on their own, especially during their respective solos, “I’m Not That Smart” and “Woe is Me.” If there were a workshop on how to fully become a character, these two would teach it.

Olive is the simplest character, but her portrayer, Bins, has one of the prettiest voices. Her first solo, “My Friend, the Dictionary,” gave me chills. And “The I Love You Song” has nice harmonies, but when Bins sings “Mama, mama, mama” during the song’s chorus, it’s heart wrenching and beautiful, earning Bins one of the loudest applauses of the evening. Bins may be making her Two Muses Theatre debut, but I have a good feeling the high school senior will be back, and often.

Schneider is the show’s MVP. He’s the strongest male vocalist, and the way he portrays William is pretty close to perfect. William isn’t a character that can be played small; it just wouldn’t work. So the larger the better, and Schneider nails every moment of it. During “Pandemonium” is when you get the first taste of how wide Schneider’s range is. Then there’s “Magic Foot,” the moment I fell in love with William Barfee, and Schneider.

Weisserman created the costumes, and they are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Bill Mandt’s set isn’t a slouch either, letting us into a gymnasium full with bleachers and locker rooms. Let the flashbacks of gym class begin.

The show also has some audience participation. I won’t tell you what exactly that entails, but it makes for some big laughs.

Spelling may not be considered a subject in a commercial – heck, most people nowadays just use spell check and the world wide web – but it will be the subject of conversation for many viewers days after seeing this production.