Review: Greetings and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Up in Enfield, the Shaker Bridge Theatre, is holding forth with Tom Dudzick’s home-for-the-holidays comedy Greetings!

It’s Christmas Eve in Pittsburgh, and young Andy Gorski has brought his fiancée home to meet the folks.

The trouble is, Andy’s parents are staunch working-class Catholics, and his girlfriend is not only Jewish, but an actress!

Worst of all, she’s an avowed atheist!

All this plays rather badly, especially with Andy’s terminal sourpuss of a father.

But after a little help from his mentally disabled brother Mickey – and some divine intervention – things turn out just fine.

Dudzick’s play has those peculiar properties that critics hate and audiences love, probably for the same reasons.

The script is a clichéd and shamelessly sentimental, crammed with loose ends and addicted to bad one-liners.

Its characters and situations are almost entirely ripped off from All In The Family, It’s A Wonderful Life, and, yes, A Christmas Carol.

Even so, Greetings!’ familiarity is part of its appeal, and Shaker Bridge has put together a sincere and relatively smooth production.

Founding Artistic Director Bill Coons does triple duty.

He directed, designed the play’s comfortable, intelligent set, and plays Andy’s dyspeptic father, Phil.

Coons the actor could use more of Carroll O’Connor’s subversive zest.

But he gets good support from Pat Langille as his heroically patient wife, Emily, and very fine, understated work from Lane Gibson as little brother Mickey.

Mike Backman and Jocelyn Parrish are less successful as son Andy and his fiancée, Randi, mostly because both are fifteen to twenty years too old for these roles.

In spite of its flaws, however, Shaker Bridge’s Greetings! still has enough sweetness and pathos to make it an attractive family outing.

Over in White River Junction, Northern Stage has discarded the holiday altogether with a lively, if not quite fully gelled, production of the recent Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Spelling Bee’s plot could hardly be simpler.

It’s the contest itself; six motley middle-schoolers trying to spell their way to glory in a high school gymatorium.

There are frequent diversions for musical numbers and revealing backstories.

And the cast ropes several unsuspecting audience members into playing the roles of additional contestants.

Spelling Bee began as an improvisation, and it shows.

There’s an episodic looseness to the show that leaves room for lots of embellishment by actors, but also tends to slow momentum and dispel dramatic tension.

Catherine Doherty’s direction is mostly sharp, but looks hasty and overindulgent in spots.

Some of the subject matter - such as the song about an inappropriate erection - pushes at the boundaries of family entertainment.

Still, there’s plenty to like here.

Northern Stage favorite Charis Leos is indefatigable as Rona Lisa Peretti, the Bee’s adult organizer, and her superb singing is a great asset to the production.

She’s ably assisted by Doug Trapp as Vice Principal Panch, and the protean Jamal Lee Harris in several distinctive supporting roles.

The rest of the nine-member cast plays child contestants, a difficult assignment at which Topher Nuccio and L. R. Davidson are particularly effective.

Timothy R. Mackabee’s beautifully detailed set design is just about perfect.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will play at Northern Stage through January 3rd.

Shaker Bridge Theatre’s Greetings! runs through December 19th.

They may not be 19th century masterpieces, but if you’ve had it with telescoping Christmas trees and the ghosts of Yuletides past, they’re more than serviceable alternatives.

For NHPR News, I’m Kevin Gardner.