The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Encyclopedia
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical
comedy
conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn
, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee
set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally-quirky grown-ups.
The 2005 Broadway
production, directed by James Lapine
and produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Barrington Stage Company and Second Stage Theater, earned good reviews and box-office success and was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two, including Best Book. The show has spawned various other productions in the U.S., including a national tour with performances in Canada, and Australian productions.
An unusual aspect of the show is that four real audience
members are invited on stage to compete in the spelling bee alongside the six young characters. During the 2005 Tony Awards, former Presidential candidate Al Sharpton
competed. Another amusing aspect of the show is that the official pronouncer, usually an improv comedian
, provides ridiculous usage-in-a-sentence examples when asked to use words in a sentence. For instance, for the word "palaestra
," he says, "Euripides
said, 'What happens at the palaestra stays at the palaestra.'" At some shows, adult-only audiences (over age 16) are invited for "Parent-Teacher Conferences," also known as "adult night at the Bee." These performances are peppered with sexual references and profanity inspired by R-rated ad-libs made during rehearsals.
Spelling Bee, together with The Drowsy Chaperone
, Xanadu
, [title of show
], 13
, Road Show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
and others, is one of a number of musicals that have no intermission, with a relatively small cast and short running time of less than two hours.
The Broadway cast album was released on May 31, 2005 and is available from Ghostlight Records, an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records
. The original Broadway cast recording was nominated for a Grammy Award
.
's weekend nanny, was in the original production, and Wasserstein recommended that Finn see the show. Finn brought Rachel Sheinkin on board, and they worked together with Feldman to transform "C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E" into a scripted full-length musical.
Spelling Bee was workshopped and developed at the Barrington Stage Company
(BSC), Massachusetts
, where Julianne Boyd
is the Artistic Director, in two different stages. In February 2004, a workshop was done in which a first act and parts of a second act were created – this stage of the process was directed by Michael Barakiva and Feldman. The script was fleshed out and the show was given a fuller production in July 2004, directed by Feldman and Michael Unger. Dan Knechtges choreographed the workshop, summer productions, and the Broadway production. Dana Harrel produced both productions as the Producer of Stage II at BSC. Several cast members, Dan Fogler
, Jay Reiss, and Sarah Saltzberg
remained from C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E. Robb Sapp
(later replaced by Jose Llana
when Sapp moved on to Wicked
), Dashiell Eaves
(replaced by Derrick Baskin
), Jesse Tyler Ferguson
, Celia Keenan-Bolger (joined as Olive Ostrovsky in the summer), Lisa Howard, and Deborah Craig were added to the cast, and a full script was created.
The musical moved Off-Broadway
to the Second Stage Theatre
, opening on January 11, 2005 in previews, officially on February 7, 2005, and closed on March 20, 2005, where it enjoyed critical and box-office success.
Spelling Bee premiered on Broadway
at the Circle in the Square Theatre
on April 15, 2005 and closed on January 20, 2008 after 1,136 performances. The director was James Lapine
and the choreographer Dan Knechtges
. The show won Tony Awards for Best Book (Rachel Sheinkin) and Best Featured Actor (Dan Fogler
).
, Australia, from January 18, 2006 to February 25. It starred Marina Prior
as Ms. Peretti, David Campbell
as Chip, and Magda Szubanski
as Barfée. The production was then presented by the Sydney Theatre Company in Sydney
, Australia in 2007, and again starred Prior and Szubanski, now joined by Lisa McCune as Olive. The production opened on June 11, 2007 and closed in August 2007.
The musical was produced in San Francisco, California, at the Post Street Theatre opening on March 1, 2006 and closing on September 3, 2006. In Chicago
the run began on April 11, 2006 at the Drury Lane Theatre, Water Tower Place, closing on March 25, 2007. The production was directed by James Lapine. In Boston
it opened at the Wilbur Theatre on September 26, 2006 and closed December 31, 2006. The majority of the San Francisco cast moved to the Boston production.
The Equity U.S. National Tour began in Baltimore, Maryland at the Hippodrome Theatre on September 19, 2006 going through May 2007, visiting over 30 cities across the U.S. From May 24 to June 17, 2007, the original Broadway cast reunited for a limited four-week run at the Wadsworth Theater in Los Angeles. The musical returned to Barrington Stage Company, where it originated, in 2008, and ran from June 11 to July 12, 2008. The production included several cast members from the touring company and was a co-production with North Shore Theatre. The first performance in-the-round
was at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts
from August 12–31, 2008.
In 2007, the first translated production opened in Seoul
, South Korea, with all of the music and dialogue in Korean, but the words were spelled in English. In September 2008, a German-language adaptation premiered as Der 25 Pattenser Buchstabierwettbewerb. In October 2008, a production opened at the Oscar theatre company in Australia http://www.roundhousetheatre.com.au/02_cal/details.asp?ID=14. In November 2008, Auckland Theatre Company staged the first professional production of the show in New Zealand.
The 2008-2009 Non-Equity U.S. National Tour premiered on October 11, 2008 at the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley, Colorado
, with an official opening in Fort Collins, Colorado
on October 14.
In March/April 2009, Atlantis Productions staged the show in the Philippines. In 2009, the musical opened at The Spotlight Theatre,http://www.spotlighttheatre.com.au/ Gold Coast, Queensland. The Gold Coast Premiere opened May 15 after previews. Directed by Tony Alcock, it ran until June 13, 2009. A Perth, Western Australia
production was directed by Kimberley Shaw. It opened on May 9, 2009 and ran until May 30, 2009.
The Mason Street Warehouse, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck, Michigan
, opened on August 14 and ran through August 31, 2009, directed by Kurt Stamm. The musical opened in 2009 at the Playhouse on the Square in Memphis
, Tennessee
. Dave Landis directed it with costumes by Revecca Y. Powell; lighting, Ben Wheeler; scenery, Kathy Haaga, and sound, Rory Dale. The show ran from August 7, 2009 through September 6, 2009.
Matt Byrne Media presented the show at the Goodwood Institute, opening on September 30, 2009. After thirteen performances at Goodwood, the production moved to The Shedley Theatre, Elizabeth, South Australia
, where a further five performances were staged.
The American Community Theater presented the Hong Kong premiere run on June 1–5, 2010, directed by Allan Nazareno with musical direction by Scott Gibson. Unique to the Hong Kong production was Jesus’ speaking in Cantonese and being able to speak in tongues (glossolalia). Marcy Park (portrayed by Heidi Mak) then comments that she will have to learn Cantonese (since it is the most difficult language in the world).
The musical made its UK premiere at the Donmar Warehouse
, beginning previews on February 11, 2011. It officially opened on February 21,and closed on April 2. The director is Jamie Lloyd.
to the moment when she won the third annual spelling bee by correctly spelling syzygy. The spellers are introduced as they enter, and sing about their anticipation of the bee ("The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"). Rona then welcomes the audience to the bee, and calls the selected audience spellers to the stage. She also calls up Olive Ostrovsky, who has not paid the entrance fee yet. When asked if she has a parent in the audience who can pay, Olive reveals that she has arrived by herself on the bus. Rona lets the fee slide for the moment. She then introduces the official word reader, Douglas Panch, who is returning from a five-year hiatus. Panch alludes to an incident five years ago, but declares that he is in a much better place now. Panch introduces the intimidating-looking comfort counselor, Mitch Mahoney, who is doing this as his court-mandated community service. Mahoney leads the spellers (now including the audience spellers) in the Pledge of Allegiance
. Panch then explains the rules of the spelling bee ("The Spelling Rules / My Favorite Moment of the Bee 1")
The spelling bee begins, and as each non-audience speller is called forward, the audience learns about his or her background through flashbacks (with other characters in the flashbacks being played by the other spellers on stage, including simple nonspeaking roles played by the audience spellers, as guided by the actors). Olive is shown to be shy and reserved, a result of her uninterested parents — her mother is in India on a spiritual journey, and her father is missing the bee to work late. She has come to love spelling by reading the dictionary in her home ("My Friend, the Dictionary").
When Leaf Coneybear is called to spell the first time, it is revealed in a flashback that he came in third at his regional bee, but advanced to the county finals when the winner and runner-up had to attend the winner's Bat Mitzvah. His word is capybara
, which he has no idea how to spell, but he ends up spelling it correctly while in a trance with an unknown cause.
When William Barfée is called to spell for the first time, Rona describes his unusual technique — he spells the word out on the ground with his foot to get a visual before speaking it. He demonstrates his confidence by returning to his seat immediately after spelling his word, and responding "I know" when Panch says that it is correct.
After a particularly easy word is given to an audience speller, the spellers erupt in "Pandemonium" and rant about how the element of luck makes the bee unfair.
When Leaf is called the second time, he receives acouchi, which he again does not know how to spell. He reminisces about how his family repeatedly calls him "dumb", a sentiment that has sunken in and that he has come to believe. Again, in a trance, he spells the word correctly ("I'm Not That Smart").
Barfée is called again, and this time sings about his technique ("Magic Foot").
Chip Tolentino then is called, but he is not paying attention. Rather, he is fantasizing about Leaf's attractive sister, Marigold, in the audience. He is snapped out of his daze, but is reluctant to take his turn because he has an erection. Under threat of disqualification, he takes his turn, but his thoughts (aided by the vaguely erotic word that he is given, tittup) distract him and he misspells the word. He catches himself misspelling the word, and backs up to save himself. Unfortunately for Chip, "if you start to spell a word you may start over, but the sequences of letters already spoken may not be changed," as the rules state. He begs for another chance, but Mitch eventually hauls him off ("Pandemonium (Reprise) / My Favorite Moment of the Bee 2").
At this point, the last audience speller is eliminated (he or she simply is called repeatedly in succession and given increasingly difficult words). Mitch sings a special serenade to this audience member for making it this far ("Prayer of the Comfort Counselor").
The remaining spellers (all of the normal cast spellers except for Chip) go on break, and Chip passes through the audience selling snacks, the punishment for being the first eliminated. He explains to the audience why he lost ("My Unfortunate Erection (Chip's Lament)"). Barfée taunts Chip, who throws a bag of peanut M&M's
at him. Allergic to peanuts, he has Olive pick them up for him. Olive and Barfée converse awkwardly, and Barfée begins to develop a crush on Olive.
With the break over, Rona introduces the finalists as they reenter. Last to be introduced is Logainne, who describes her two overbearing fathers and the stress that they put on her ("Woe is Me"). In a rapid montage sequence, the bee is shown progressing which ends with Leaf’s elimination on the word chinchilla
. He walks away head held high, having proven to himself, despite his elimination, that he is smart (I'm Not that Smart (Reprise)").
Marcy is called to spell, and Rona, who has been announcing factoids about the spellers, says that Marcy speaks five languages. Marcy corrects her, saying, "I Speak Six Languages". She reveals more about her stressful life, where she is pushed to succeed in everything, which she does not enjoy. She is given the word camouflage
, to which she sighs, "Dear Jesus, can't you come up with a harder word than that?" Jesus Christ then appears to her and teaches her that she is in control of her own life. Resolved to do what she wants, not what is expected of her, she intentionally misspells the word and exits excitedly ("Jesus / Pandemonium (Reprise #2)").
Olive's cellular telephone rings — it is her father, who she has been anxiously hoping would arrive. She is not allowed to answer the telephone, but she persuades Rona to answer the call for her. Bothered by the breach of the rules, Panch loses his temper and lashes out at Logainne, who is up to spell. Mitch wrestles Panch out, and in the ensuing chaos, Logainne is left alone in the gymnasium. One of her fathers jumps onstage to calm her down, and he pours some of his soda on the floor to make Barfée's foot stick and thus disrupt his technique.
With Panch calmed down, everyone returns to the gymnasium, and Olive is called to spell. She asks what her father had said, and is saddened to learn that he said he is running even later than planned. Her word is chimerical, and mirroring the word's definition, she imagines her parents’ being there and giving her the love that she always has wanted ("The I Love You Song").
Barfée is called to spell next, and, when using his signature technique, his foot sticks. However, he is able to spell his word correctly anyway. Logainne is next, and she overcomplicates her word and misspells it ("Woe is Me (Reprise)"). Rona is excited that it has come down to the final two ("My Favorite Moment of the Bee 3").
The finals are shown quickly through another montage ("Second"), and Olive and Barfée continue to grow closer, in part by taunting Panch for his earlier outburst. Eventually, Olive misspells a word, giving Barfée a chance to win by spelling his next word correctly. He is torn between winning and letting his Olive win, but with Olive's encouragement, he spells his word correctly ("Weltanschauung"). Panch awards Barfée the trophy and two hundred dollar prize, and in a surprise act of charity, gives Olive a fictitious runner-up prize of twenty-five dollars from his own pocket — exactly the amount needed to cover her entrance fee. Olive congratulates and hugs Barfée, and all of the characters read their epilogues (see below) ("Finale").
since with audience members on stage, the timing of the "Goodbye" songs varies with each show and because it could spoil who wins the bee.)
Minor characters (the cast doubles these)
About half an hour before the show begins, audience members in the lobby are given the chance to sign up to participate in the show as "spellers." The registration form asks for name, occupation, hobbies, description of clothing, spelling ability, and age range. Interviewers look for people with no acting experience, unique names, traits, and backgrounds. The audience participants are taken backstage prior to the show and are shown where to stand when called from the audience and given instruction about what to do when called upon to spell. They are asked to request a definition of each word and its usage in a sentence, and to attempt to spell each word rather than giving up. During the performance, the actors sitting next to the audience participants periodically whisper hints about when to stand, sit, move in "slow motion," "freeze" or hang on because the seating platform unit is about to spin.
Ms. Peretti calls the spellers to the stage at the beginning of the show, and they are given badges to wear that say "Finalist." As the show proceeds, each one is eliminated with successively more difficult words. The final audience participant to be eliminated is serenaded by Mitch ("Prayer of the Comfort Counselor") on-stage. Mitch also gives each eliminated finalist (both audience members and regular characters) a juice box and a hug.
Katharine Close, the 2006 winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
, was invited to be a contestant at a performance of the show. She was the last speller from the audience to be eliminated and survived fourteen rounds.
The musical treats the audience members as if they were the audience at the fictitious spelling bee. For example, the characters single out audience members as their "family" members. For example, Barfée periodically refers to an age-appropriate woman near the stage as "mom." Similarly, Chip is distracted by an attractive female audience member (or male in the adults-only version), contributing to a misspelling. He is the first contestant eliminated and is thus forced to sell snacks in the audience in the manner of the refreshment hawkers at a sports event. Other characters frequently walk through the auditorium among the audience during the show, sometimes integrating the audience into the show and occasionally dropping the "fourth wall"
.
Words used
Examples of words spelled by characters in performances of Spelling Bee include Astrobleme, Cat, Dinosaur
, Hasenpfeffer
, Origami
(Adult Show), and Weltanschauung. Words spelled by the audience volunteers are often unscripted and sometimes improvised by the cast to gently poke fun at the volunteer speller. Past examples include: Cenacle
, Elephant
, Hemidemisemiquaver, Homunculus
, Cow, Jihad
, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and Didgeridoo
spelt by Rolf Harris
. Julie Andrews
missed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
" when she was a guest speller on KIDS night on Broadway, 2007.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn
William Finn
William Alan Finn is an American composer and lyricist of musicals. His musical Falsettos received the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Music and Lyrics and for Best Book.-Biography:...
, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee
Spelling bee
A spelling bee is a competition where contestants, usually children, are asked to spell English words. The concept is thought to have originated in the United States....
set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally-quirky grown-ups.
The 2005 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production, directed by James Lapine
James Lapine
James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
and produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Barrington Stage Company and Second Stage Theater, earned good reviews and box-office success and was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two, including Best Book. The show has spawned various other productions in the U.S., including a national tour with performances in Canada, and Australian productions.
An unusual aspect of the show is that four real audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
members are invited on stage to compete in the spelling bee alongside the six young characters. During the 2005 Tony Awards, former Presidential candidate Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
competed. Another amusing aspect of the show is that the official pronouncer, usually an improv comedian
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
, provides ridiculous usage-in-a-sentence examples when asked to use words in a sentence. For instance, for the word "palaestra
Palaestra
The palaestra was the ancient Greek wrestling school. The events that did not require a lot of space, such as boxing and wrestling, were practised there...
," he says, "Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
said, 'What happens at the palaestra stays at the palaestra.'" At some shows, adult-only audiences (over age 16) are invited for "Parent-Teacher Conferences," also known as "adult night at the Bee." These performances are peppered with sexual references and profanity inspired by R-rated ad-libs made during rehearsals.
Spelling Bee, together with The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. It debuted in 1998 at The Rivoli in Toronto and opened on Broadway on 1 May 2006. The show won the Tony Award for Best Book and Best Score. It started as a spoof of old...
, Xanadu
Xanadu (musical)
Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane, music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth. The title is a reference to the poem, Kubla Khan, or A...
, [title of show
Title of show
[title of show] is a one-act musical, with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and a book by Hunter Bell. The show chronicles its own creation as an entry in the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and follows the struggles of the author and composer/lyricist and their two actress friends during the...
], 13
13 (musical)
13 is a musical with lyrics and music by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Dan Elish, with Robert Horn newly joining as co-librettist. The story concerns the life of 13-year-old Evan Goldman as he moves from New York City to Appleton, Indiana, and his dilemma when the move conflicts with the...
, Road Show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
and others, is one of a number of musicals that have no intermission, with a relatively small cast and short running time of less than two hours.
The Broadway cast album was released on May 31, 2005 and is available from Ghostlight Records, an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records
Sh-K-Boom Records
Sh-K-Boom Records is a record label, a producer of recorded and live entertainment, and an interactive community at www.sh-k-boom.com — all devoted to the mission of bridging the gap between pop music and theater...
. The original Broadway cast recording was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
Background and original productions
The musical was based upon C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original improvisational play created by Rebecca Feldman and performed by The Farm, a New-York-based improvisational comedy troupe. Sarah Saltzberg, Wendy WassersteinWendy Wasserstein
Wendy Wasserstein was an American playwright and an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University...
's weekend nanny, was in the original production, and Wasserstein recommended that Finn see the show. Finn brought Rachel Sheinkin on board, and they worked together with Feldman to transform "C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E" into a scripted full-length musical.
Spelling Bee was workshopped and developed at the Barrington Stage Company
Barrington Stage Company
Barrington Stage Company is a regional theatre company in The Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. It was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director, Julianne Boyd, and Managing Director, Susan Sperber, in Sheffield, Massachusetts...
(BSC), Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where Julianne Boyd
Julianne Boyd
Julianne Boyd is an American theater director.Boyd received a BA in Theater and Education in 1966 from Beaver College in Pennsylvania...
is the Artistic Director, in two different stages. In February 2004, a workshop was done in which a first act and parts of a second act were created – this stage of the process was directed by Michael Barakiva and Feldman. The script was fleshed out and the show was given a fuller production in July 2004, directed by Feldman and Michael Unger. Dan Knechtges choreographed the workshop, summer productions, and the Broadway production. Dana Harrel produced both productions as the Producer of Stage II at BSC. Several cast members, Dan Fogler
Dan Fogler
Daniel Kevin "Dan" Fogler is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker.-Personal life:Fogler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of Shari, an English teacher, and Richard Fogler, a surgeon. Fogler is Jewish...
, Jay Reiss, and Sarah Saltzberg
Sarah Saltzberg
Sarah Saltzberg is an American actress and singer. She most recently starred in and produced the improv and sketch comedy show Don't Quit Your Night Job at the Ha! Comedy Club in New York. Also she recently appeared in the movie City Island as the Casting Director...
remained from C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E. Robb Sapp
Robb Sapp
Robb Sapp is an American actor and singer who has appeared in musicals, both on Broadway and Off-Broadway as well as in regional theatre.-Early life:...
(later replaced by Jose Llana
Jose Llana
Jose Llana is a Filipino-American singer and actor known for his high tenor voice.-Biography:Born May 5, 1976, Llana, a native of Manila, Philippines, grew up in Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C...
when Sapp moved on to Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
), Dashiell Eaves
Dashiell Eaves
Dashiell Eaves is an American actor. He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and later moved with his family to Rochester, New York where he attended the School of the Arts. He graduated from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 1996...
(replaced by Derrick Baskin
Derrick Baskin
Derrick Baskin is best known for his role of "Comfort Counselor" Mitch Mahoney in the popular Broadway show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.Baskin also played the role of "Jetsam" in the Broadway version of The Little Mermaid...
), Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:...
, Celia Keenan-Bolger (joined as Olive Ostrovsky in the summer), Lisa Howard, and Deborah Craig were added to the cast, and a full script was created.
The musical moved Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
to the Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre is an award-winning contemporary Off-Broadway theater company.-Mission:The theatre's mission is to give new life to contemporary American plays and to produce the world premiers of new plays by both established and emerging playwrights...
, opening on January 11, 2005 in previews, officially on February 7, 2005, and closed on March 20, 2005, where it enjoyed critical and box-office success.
Spelling Bee premiered on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Circle in the Square Theatre
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre in midtown Manhattan on 50th Street in the Paramount Plaza building.The original Circle in the Square was founded by Paul Libin, Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village...
on April 15, 2005 and closed on January 20, 2008 after 1,136 performances. The director was James Lapine
James Lapine
James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
and the choreographer Dan Knechtges
Dan Knechtges
Dan Knechtges is a director and choreographer, for musicals, opera, television, film and music videos.-Life and career:Knechtges is from Grafton, Ohio and is a graduate of Midview High School and Otterbein College, with a degree in musical theatre. As a child, he took dance lessons in Elyria,...
. The show won Tony Awards for Best Book (Rachel Sheinkin) and Best Featured Actor (Dan Fogler
Dan Fogler
Daniel Kevin "Dan" Fogler is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker.-Personal life:Fogler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of Shari, an English teacher, and Richard Fogler, a surgeon. Fogler is Jewish...
).
Subsequent productions
The first production outside the United States was at the Melbourne Theatre Company in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia, from January 18, 2006 to February 25. It starred Marina Prior
Marina Prior
Marina Prior is an Australian singer and actress.- Early life :When she was a young child her parents returned to Australia and she grew up in Melbourne, attending Syndal South Primary School and Korowa Anglican Girls' School...
as Ms. Peretti, David Campbell
David Campbell (Australian musician)
David Joseph Campbell is an Australian singer and stage performer. He has performed and recorded many different genres of music from rock to classics. He is the son of singer Jimmy Barnes.-Theatre career:...
as Chip, and Magda Szubanski
Magda Szubanski
Magda Szubanski is a British-born Australian actress, comedian, television presenter, radio host and author.Szubanski's career began while she was studying at university and she progressed to television sketch comedy, as both a writer and performer...
as Barfée. The production was then presented by the Sydney Theatre Company in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia in 2007, and again starred Prior and Szubanski, now joined by Lisa McCune as Olive. The production opened on June 11, 2007 and closed in August 2007.
The musical was produced in San Francisco, California, at the Post Street Theatre opening on March 1, 2006 and closing on September 3, 2006. In Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
the run began on April 11, 2006 at the Drury Lane Theatre, Water Tower Place, closing on March 25, 2007. The production was directed by James Lapine. In Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
it opened at the Wilbur Theatre on September 26, 2006 and closed December 31, 2006. The majority of the San Francisco cast moved to the Boston production.
The Equity U.S. National Tour began in Baltimore, Maryland at the Hippodrome Theatre on September 19, 2006 going through May 2007, visiting over 30 cities across the U.S. From May 24 to June 17, 2007, the original Broadway cast reunited for a limited four-week run at the Wadsworth Theater in Los Angeles. The musical returned to Barrington Stage Company, where it originated, in 2008, and ran from June 11 to July 12, 2008. The production included several cast members from the touring company and was a co-production with North Shore Theatre. The first performance in-the-round
Theatre in the round
Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area...
was at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,343 on , which differs by no more than several hundred from the 39,862 obtained in the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community on the North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides...
from August 12–31, 2008.
In 2007, the first translated production opened in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea, with all of the music and dialogue in Korean, but the words were spelled in English. In September 2008, a German-language adaptation premiered as Der 25 Pattenser Buchstabierwettbewerb. In October 2008, a production opened at the Oscar theatre company in Australia http://www.roundhousetheatre.com.au/02_cal/details.asp?ID=14. In November 2008, Auckland Theatre Company staged the first professional production of the show in New Zealand.
The 2008-2009 Non-Equity U.S. National Tour premiered on October 11, 2008 at the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley, Colorado
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, with an official opening in Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
on October 14.
In March/April 2009, Atlantis Productions staged the show in the Philippines. In 2009, the musical opened at The Spotlight Theatre,http://www.spotlighttheatre.com.au/ Gold Coast, Queensland. The Gold Coast Premiere opened May 15 after previews. Directed by Tony Alcock, it ran until June 13, 2009. A Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
production was directed by Kimberley Shaw. It opened on May 9, 2009 and ran until May 30, 2009.
The Mason Street Warehouse, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck, Michigan
Saugatuck, Michigan
Saugatuck is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 925 at the 2010 census. The city is within Saugatuck Township, but is administratively autonomous....
, opened on August 14 and ran through August 31, 2009, directed by Kurt Stamm. The musical opened in 2009 at the Playhouse on the Square in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Dave Landis directed it with costumes by Revecca Y. Powell; lighting, Ben Wheeler; scenery, Kathy Haaga, and sound, Rory Dale. The show ran from August 7, 2009 through September 6, 2009.
Matt Byrne Media presented the show at the Goodwood Institute, opening on September 30, 2009. After thirteen performances at Goodwood, the production moved to The Shedley Theatre, Elizabeth, South Australia
Elizabeth, South Australia
Elizabeth is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Playford.-History:Elizabeth was established in 1955 as part of a planned satellite town by the South Australian Housing Trust on rural land between the older towns of Salisbury and...
, where a further five performances were staged.
The American Community Theater presented the Hong Kong premiere run on June 1–5, 2010, directed by Allan Nazareno with musical direction by Scott Gibson. Unique to the Hong Kong production was Jesus’ speaking in Cantonese and being able to speak in tongues (glossolalia). Marcy Park (portrayed by Heidi Mak) then comments that she will have to learn Cantonese (since it is the most difficult language in the world).
The musical made its UK premiere at the Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
, beginning previews on February 11, 2011. It officially opened on February 21,and closed on April 2. The director is Jamie Lloyd.
Synopsis
The musical begins with Rona Lisa Peretti entering the gymnasium to set up. As she passes by the microphone, she has a flashbackFlashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
to the moment when she won the third annual spelling bee by correctly spelling syzygy. The spellers are introduced as they enter, and sing about their anticipation of the bee ("The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"). Rona then welcomes the audience to the bee, and calls the selected audience spellers to the stage. She also calls up Olive Ostrovsky, who has not paid the entrance fee yet. When asked if she has a parent in the audience who can pay, Olive reveals that she has arrived by herself on the bus. Rona lets the fee slide for the moment. She then introduces the official word reader, Douglas Panch, who is returning from a five-year hiatus. Panch alludes to an incident five years ago, but declares that he is in a much better place now. Panch introduces the intimidating-looking comfort counselor, Mitch Mahoney, who is doing this as his court-mandated community service. Mahoney leads the spellers (now including the audience spellers) in the Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
. Panch then explains the rules of the spelling bee ("The Spelling Rules / My Favorite Moment of the Bee 1")
The spelling bee begins, and as each non-audience speller is called forward, the audience learns about his or her background through flashbacks (with other characters in the flashbacks being played by the other spellers on stage, including simple nonspeaking roles played by the audience spellers, as guided by the actors). Olive is shown to be shy and reserved, a result of her uninterested parents — her mother is in India on a spiritual journey, and her father is missing the bee to work late. She has come to love spelling by reading the dictionary in her home ("My Friend, the Dictionary").
When Leaf Coneybear is called to spell the first time, it is revealed in a flashback that he came in third at his regional bee, but advanced to the county finals when the winner and runner-up had to attend the winner's Bat Mitzvah. His word is capybara
Capybara
The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...
, which he has no idea how to spell, but he ends up spelling it correctly while in a trance with an unknown cause.
When William Barfée is called to spell for the first time, Rona describes his unusual technique — he spells the word out on the ground with his foot to get a visual before speaking it. He demonstrates his confidence by returning to his seat immediately after spelling his word, and responding "I know" when Panch says that it is correct.
After a particularly easy word is given to an audience speller, the spellers erupt in "Pandemonium" and rant about how the element of luck makes the bee unfair.
When Leaf is called the second time, he receives acouchi, which he again does not know how to spell. He reminisces about how his family repeatedly calls him "dumb", a sentiment that has sunken in and that he has come to believe. Again, in a trance, he spells the word correctly ("I'm Not That Smart").
Barfée is called again, and this time sings about his technique ("Magic Foot").
Chip Tolentino then is called, but he is not paying attention. Rather, he is fantasizing about Leaf's attractive sister, Marigold, in the audience. He is snapped out of his daze, but is reluctant to take his turn because he has an erection. Under threat of disqualification, he takes his turn, but his thoughts (aided by the vaguely erotic word that he is given, tittup) distract him and he misspells the word. He catches himself misspelling the word, and backs up to save himself. Unfortunately for Chip, "if you start to spell a word you may start over, but the sequences of letters already spoken may not be changed," as the rules state. He begs for another chance, but Mitch eventually hauls him off ("Pandemonium (Reprise) / My Favorite Moment of the Bee 2").
At this point, the last audience speller is eliminated (he or she simply is called repeatedly in succession and given increasingly difficult words). Mitch sings a special serenade to this audience member for making it this far ("Prayer of the Comfort Counselor").
The remaining spellers (all of the normal cast spellers except for Chip) go on break, and Chip passes through the audience selling snacks, the punishment for being the first eliminated. He explains to the audience why he lost ("My Unfortunate Erection (Chip's Lament)"). Barfée taunts Chip, who throws a bag of peanut M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
at him. Allergic to peanuts, he has Olive pick them up for him. Olive and Barfée converse awkwardly, and Barfée begins to develop a crush on Olive.
With the break over, Rona introduces the finalists as they reenter. Last to be introduced is Logainne, who describes her two overbearing fathers and the stress that they put on her ("Woe is Me"). In a rapid montage sequence, the bee is shown progressing which ends with Leaf’s elimination on the word chinchilla
Chinchilla
Chinchillas are crepuscular rodents, slightly larger and more robust than ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mountains in South America. Along with their relatives, viscachas, they make up the family Chinchillidae....
. He walks away head held high, having proven to himself, despite his elimination, that he is smart (I'm Not that Smart (Reprise)").
Marcy is called to spell, and Rona, who has been announcing factoids about the spellers, says that Marcy speaks five languages. Marcy corrects her, saying, "I Speak Six Languages". She reveals more about her stressful life, where she is pushed to succeed in everything, which she does not enjoy. She is given the word camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
, to which she sighs, "Dear Jesus, can't you come up with a harder word than that?" Jesus Christ then appears to her and teaches her that she is in control of her own life. Resolved to do what she wants, not what is expected of her, she intentionally misspells the word and exits excitedly ("Jesus / Pandemonium (Reprise #2)").
Olive's cellular telephone rings — it is her father, who she has been anxiously hoping would arrive. She is not allowed to answer the telephone, but she persuades Rona to answer the call for her. Bothered by the breach of the rules, Panch loses his temper and lashes out at Logainne, who is up to spell. Mitch wrestles Panch out, and in the ensuing chaos, Logainne is left alone in the gymnasium. One of her fathers jumps onstage to calm her down, and he pours some of his soda on the floor to make Barfée's foot stick and thus disrupt his technique.
With Panch calmed down, everyone returns to the gymnasium, and Olive is called to spell. She asks what her father had said, and is saddened to learn that he said he is running even later than planned. Her word is chimerical, and mirroring the word's definition, she imagines her parents’ being there and giving her the love that she always has wanted ("The I Love You Song").
Barfée is called to spell next, and, when using his signature technique, his foot sticks. However, he is able to spell his word correctly anyway. Logainne is next, and she overcomplicates her word and misspells it ("Woe is Me (Reprise)"). Rona is excited that it has come down to the final two ("My Favorite Moment of the Bee 3").
The finals are shown quickly through another montage ("Second"), and Olive and Barfée continue to grow closer, in part by taunting Panch for his earlier outburst. Eventually, Olive misspells a word, giving Barfée a chance to win by spelling his next word correctly. He is torn between winning and letting his Olive win, but with Olive's encouragement, he spells his word correctly ("Weltanschauung"). Panch awards Barfée the trophy and two hundred dollar prize, and in a surprise act of charity, gives Olive a fictitious runner-up prize of twenty-five dollars from his own pocket — exactly the amount needed to cover her entrance fee. Olive congratulates and hugs Barfée, and all of the characters read their epilogues (see below) ("Finale").
Epilogue
Immediately preceding the Finale song, each character gives a brief history of his or her character after the spelling bee.- Vice Principal Panch found a new passion in his life. Her name was Rona Lisa Peretti. After courting her tirelessly for over two years, she took out a restraining order on him. Still, he was grateful for the opportunity to experience love.
- Rona Lisa Peretti left Putnam County for a stretch, and traveled the world to bring competitive spelling to the less fortunate. She hosted national bees in Latvia, Sweden, and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, where she fell in love with an indigenous cashew farmer and became one of the top realtors in that country.
- Mitch Mahoney discovered a new talent at the Putnam Bee, so he made his community service lifelong, comforting eliminated spellers and frustrated educators across the nation. Over the years, he remained in touch with scores of people he had comforted. (At this point, after Mitch finishes his blurb, all of the other characters simultaneously say "Dear, Mitch!" and continue on with their respective asides.)
- Chip Tolentino made it through adolescence, and in the course of time came to appreciate his erection. As did many others.
- Marcy Park continued to explore the freedom of not living up to expectations. She later wrote a book called Not Living Up to Expectations. It did not live up to expectations. She is very happy.
- Leaf Coneybear has cats.
- Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre won the Thirty-First Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, on her seventh try and final year of eligibility. She went on to become Secretary of Education under President Chelsea ClintonChelsea ClintonChelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
. Her speech therapy was completely successful.
- Note: The President Logainne serves under is often changed to reflect other famous figures of the time. "President Ellen DeGeneresEllen DeGeneresEllen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
" has been used, as have "Chastity BonoChastity BonoChaz Salvatore Bono is an American transgender advocate, writer, actor, and musician. Bono is the only child of American entertainers Sonny and Cher, though each had children from other relationships...
' and "Lindsey Lohan". "President Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
" was used in early 2007, and in the current London production it is "President Miley CyrusMiley CyrusMiley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
". In the licensed version of the script, the President is an ad-lib spot, with "Chastity BonoChastity BonoChaz Salvatore Bono is an American transgender advocate, writer, actor, and musician. Bono is the only child of American entertainers Sonny and Cher, though each had children from other relationships...
" written as a suggegtion.- William Morris Barfée studied for Nationals with his new friend, Olive Ostrovsky. He came in forty-second. In later years, he grew up to be incredibly handsome and to gain fame and notoriety for his pioneering efforts in the combined scientific fields of psychiatry and podiatry — otherwise known as poschiatry.
- Olive Ostrovsky reenacted the entire bee for her father in the car ride home. She grew up to be a loving and attentive parent, and the host of her own radio talk show, where every year she interviewed the runner-up of the Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Musical numbers
(Songs are not listed in the PlaybillPlaybill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
since with audience members on stage, the timing of the "Goodbye" songs varies with each show and because it could spoil who wins the bee.)
- "The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" – Company
- "The Spelling Rules"/"My Favorite Moment of the Bee" – Rona and Company
- "My Friend, the Dictionary" – Olive and Company
- "The First Goodbye" – Panch and Spellers
- "Pandemonium" – Panch, Spellers and Mitch
- "I'm Not That Smart" – Leaf, Spellers and Panch
- "The Second Goodbye" – Panch and Spellers
- "Magic Foot" – Barfée, Rona and Company
- "Pandemonium (Reprise)"/"My Favorite Moment of the Bee (Reprise)" – Rona and Company
- "Prayer of the Comfort Counselor" – Mitch, Panch and Spellers
- "My Unfortunate Erection (Chip's Lament)" – Chip
- "Woe is Me" – Logainne, Carl, Dan and Company
- "I'm Not That Smart (Reprise)" – Leaf
- "I Speak Six Languages" – Marcy, Rona and Girls
- "The I Love You Song" – Olive, Olive's Parents, and Panch
- "Woe is Me (Reprise)" – Logainne and Mitch
- "My Favorite Moment of the Bee (Reprise)"/"Second" – Rona, Panch, Barfée, Olive and Company
- "Finale" – Rona and Company
- "The Last Goodbye" – Company
Characters
Major characters- Rona Lisa Peretti: The number-one realtor in Putnam County, a former Putnam County Spelling Bee Champion herself, and returning moderator. She is a sweet woman who loves children, but she can be very stern when it comes to dealing with Vice Principal Panch, who has feelings for her that she most likely does not return. It is implied that she sees much of herself in Olive Ostrovsky. Her favorite moment of the Bee is in the minutes before it starts, when all the children are filled with the joy of competition, before they begin to resent each other. She later declares that she likes how everyone has an equal chance of winning, citing as an example that last year's winner can be this year's loser and vice versa. Another favorite moment is when the last winners go head to head for the top spot because it is so suspenseful and filled with hope. Ms. Peretti herself won the Third Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by spelling "syzygy," which she recounts at the very beginning of the opening number.
- Vice Principal Douglas Panch: After five years' absence from the Bee, Panch returns as judge. There was an "incident" at the Twentieth Annual Bee, but he claims to be in "a better place" now, thanks to a high-fiber diet and Jungian analysis. He is infatuated with Rona Lisa Peretti, but she does not return his affections.
- Mitch Mahoney: The Official Comfort Counselor. An ex-convict, Mitch is performing his community service with the Bee, and hands out juice boxes to losing students.
- Olive Ostrovsky: A young newcomer to competitive spelling. Her mother is in an ashramAshramTraditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and her father is working late, as usual, but he is trying to come sometime during the bee. She made friends with her dictionary at a very young age, helping her to make it to the competition.
- William Barfée: A Putnam County Spelling Bee finalist last year, he was eliminated because of an allergic reaction to peanuts. His famous “Magic Foot” method of spelling has boosted him to spelling glory, even though he only has one working nostril and a touchy personality. He has an often-mispronounced last name: it is Bar-FAY, not BARF-ee ("there's an accent aiguAcute accentThe acute accent is a diacritic used in many modern written languages with alphabets based on the Latin, Cyrillic, and Greek scripts.-Apex:An early precursor of the acute accent was the apex, used in Latin inscriptions to mark long vowels.-Greek:...
," he explains with some hostility). He develops a crush on Olive.
- Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre: Logainne is the youngest and most politically aware speller, often making comments about current political figures, with two overbearing homosexual fathers. She is somewhat of a neat freak, speaks with a lisp, and will be back next year.
- Marcy Park: A recent transfer from VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Marcy placed ninth in last year’s nationals. She speaks six languages, is a member of all-American hockey, a championship rugby player, plays Chopin and Mozart on multiple instruments, sleeps only three hours a night, hides in the bathroom cabinet, and is getting very tired of always winning. She is the poster child for the Over-Achieving Asian, and attends a Catholic school called "Our Lady of Intermittent Sorrows." She is also not allowed to cry.
- Leaf Coneybear: The second runner-up in his district, Leaf gets into the competition on a lark: the winner and first runner-up had to go to the winner’s Bat Mitzvah. Leaf comes from a large family of former hippies and makes his own clothes. He spells words correctly while in a tranceSpiritual possessionSpirit possession is a paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behaviour...
. In his song, "I'm Not That Smart", he sings that his family thinks he is "not that smart," but he insinuates that he is merely easily distracted. Most of the words that he is assigned are South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n rodents with amusing names.
- Charlito "Chip" Tolentino ("Tripp Barrington" in the original workshop, "Isaac 'Chip' Berkowitz" in the Chicago production): A boy scout and champion of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, he returns to defend his title. Relatively social and athletic (he plays little league and is a boy scout), Chip expects things to come easily but he finds puberty hitting at an inopportune moment.
- Three or four spellers from the audience: Audience members are encouraged to sign up to participate before the show, and several are chosen to spell words on stage. In touring productions, local celebrities are sometimes selected.
Minor characters (the cast doubles these)
- Carl Grubenierre: One of SchwartzandGrubenierre’s fathers; he has set his heart on his little girl winning the Bee, no matter what he has to do, including sabotaging William’s foot. Played by the actor who plays Leaf.
- Dan Schwartz: SchwartzandGrubenierre’s other father; he is slightly less insane than Carl but is still intent on his daughter winning the Bee. Played by the actor who plays Mitch.
- Leaf's Dad: Doubtful and finds his son annoying and unintelligent. Played by the actor who plays Will Barfée.
- Leaf’s Mom: Overprotective and doubtful of her son’s abilities to stand up to the competition. Played by the actress who plays Logainne.
- Leaf’s Siblings: Marigold, Brooke, Pinecone, Landscape, Raisin, and Paul: Not very confident of Leaf’s abilities. Played by the actors who play Olive, Marcy, Chip, and the volunteer spellers.
- Olive’s Mom and Dad: She is in India, he is working late, but they appear in Olive’s imagination to encourage her and tell her they love her. Played by the actors who play Miss Peretti and Mitch.
- Jesus Christ: Appears to Marcy in a moment of crisis. Played by the actor who plays Chip. When this actor is Asian (as he has been in the Boston, New York and San Francisco productions), a line to that effect is added.
Casting history
The principal casts of notable productions of The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee| Role | Off-Broadway & Broadway 2005 | Melbourne 2006 | San Francisco 2006 | London 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rona Lisa Peretti | Lisa Howard | Marina Prior Marina Prior Marina Prior is an Australian singer and actress.- Early life :When she was a young child her parents returned to Australia and she grew up in Melbourne, attending Syndal South Primary School and Korowa Anglican Girls' School... |
Betsy Wolfe | Katherine Kingsley |
| Douglas Panch | Jay Reiss | Tyler Coppin Tyler Coppin Tyler Coppin is an Australian-American actor, playwright, and American dialect coach for actors in film, television and theatre.-Childhood and Education:... |
Jim Cashman | Steve Pemberton Steve Pemberton Steve James Pemberton is an English actor, comedian, writer and performer, most famous as a member of The League of Gentlemen along with fellow performers Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss and co-writer Jeremy Dyson.-Early life:... |
| Mitch Mahoney | Derrick Baskin Derrick Baskin Derrick Baskin is best known for his role of "Comfort Counselor" Mitch Mahoney in the popular Broadway show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.Baskin also played the role of "Jetsam" in the Broadway version of The Little Mermaid... |
Bert Labonte | James Monroe Iglehart | Ako Mitchell Ako Mitchell Ako Mitchell is an actor best known for his theatrical roles. He has played Mufasa in the West End cast of The Lion King, Straight Arrow in Doctor Dolittle origininated the role of Eddie in the Original London cast of Sister Act and is currently playing the comfort counselor Mitchell M... |
| Olive Ostrovsky | Celia Keenan-Bolger | Natalie O'Donnell | Jenni Barber | Hayley Gallivan |
| William Barfée | Dan Fogler Dan Fogler Daniel Kevin "Dan" Fogler is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker.-Personal life:Fogler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of Shari, an English teacher, and Richard Fogler, a surgeon. Fogler is Jewish... |
Magda Szubanski Magda Szubanski Magda Szubanski is a British-born Australian actress, comedian, television presenter, radio host and author.Szubanski's career began while she was studying at university and she progressed to television sketch comedy, as both a writer and performer... |
Jared Gertner | David Fynn |
| Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre | Sarah Saltzberg Sarah Saltzberg Sarah Saltzberg is an American actress and singer. She most recently starred in and produced the improv and sketch comedy show Don't Quit Your Night Job at the Ha! Comedy Club in New York. Also she recently appeared in the movie City Island as the Casting Director... |
Christen O'Leary | Sara Inbar | Iris Roberts |
| Marcy Park | Deborah S. Craig | Natalie Mendoza Natalie Mendoza Natalie Jackson Mendoza is a Hong Kong-born Australian-British-Filipina classical theatre-trained actress and musician. She is best known for her role as one of the main characters, Jackie Clunes in the British TV drama Hotel Babylon and as tough girl Juno in the acclaimed horror thriller The... |
Greta Lee | Maria Lawson Maria Lawson Maria Lawson may refer to*Maria Lawson *Maria Lawson **Maria Lawson... |
| Leaf Coneybear | Jesse Tyler Ferguson Jesse Tyler Ferguson Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:... |
Tim Wright | Stanley Bahorek Stanley Bahorek Stanley Bahorek is an American actor. Bahorek grew up in Worthington, Ohio and attended the University Of Michigan. He has worked with Deaf West Theater... |
Chris Carswell |
| Chip Tolentino | Jose Llana Jose Llana Jose Llana is a Filipino-American singer and actor known for his high tenor voice.-Biography:Born May 5, 1976, Llana, a native of Manila, Philippines, grew up in Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C... |
David Campbell David Campbell (Australian musician) David Joseph Campbell is an Australian singer and stage performer. He has performed and recorded many different genres of music from rock to classics. He is the son of singer Jimmy Barnes.-Theatre career:... |
Aaron J. Albano Aaron J. Albano Aaron J. Albano is an American singer and Broadway actor, and he is an active member of Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild.-Biography:... |
Harry Hepple |
- Notable Broadway cast replacements included Barrett FoaBarrett FoaBarrett Foa is an American actor. He portrays Eric Beale on the CBS television series NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:...
, Rory O'MalleyRory O'MalleyRory O'Malley is an Irish-American film, television, and musical theater actor, best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Elder McKinley in The Book of Mormon. He is a co-founder of the gay rights activism group Broadway Impact.-Film and television:O'Malley made a small cameo...
, and Stanley BahorekStanley BahorekStanley Bahorek is an American actor. Bahorek grew up in Worthington, Ohio and attended the University Of Michigan. He has worked with Deaf West Theater...
as Leaf, Aaron J. AlbanoAaron J. AlbanoAaron J. Albano is an American singer and Broadway actor, and he is an active member of Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild.-Biography:...
as Chip, Josh GadJosh GadJoshua “Josh” Gad is an American film-, television-, and stage-actor best known for playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon and the role of Ryan Church in the television series Back to You. Gad has also appeared in episodes of ER, The Daily Show, Modern Family...
as Barfeé, and Greg Stuhr, Mo RoccaMo RoccaMaurice Alberto "Mo" Rocca is an American writer, comedian and political satirist.-Early life and work:...
and Darrell HammondDarrell HammondDarrell Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1995 until 2009, the longest tenure of any cast member. Upon his departure, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show's history...
as Panch.
Audience interaction and words used
Audience interactionAbout half an hour before the show begins, audience members in the lobby are given the chance to sign up to participate in the show as "spellers." The registration form asks for name, occupation, hobbies, description of clothing, spelling ability, and age range. Interviewers look for people with no acting experience, unique names, traits, and backgrounds. The audience participants are taken backstage prior to the show and are shown where to stand when called from the audience and given instruction about what to do when called upon to spell. They are asked to request a definition of each word and its usage in a sentence, and to attempt to spell each word rather than giving up. During the performance, the actors sitting next to the audience participants periodically whisper hints about when to stand, sit, move in "slow motion," "freeze" or hang on because the seating platform unit is about to spin.
Ms. Peretti calls the spellers to the stage at the beginning of the show, and they are given badges to wear that say "Finalist." As the show proceeds, each one is eliminated with successively more difficult words. The final audience participant to be eliminated is serenaded by Mitch ("Prayer of the Comfort Counselor") on-stage. Mitch also gives each eliminated finalist (both audience members and regular characters) a juice box and a hug.
Katharine Close, the 2006 winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
Scripps National Spelling Bee
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W...
, was invited to be a contestant at a performance of the show. She was the last speller from the audience to be eliminated and survived fourteen rounds.
The musical treats the audience members as if they were the audience at the fictitious spelling bee. For example, the characters single out audience members as their "family" members. For example, Barfée periodically refers to an age-appropriate woman near the stage as "mom." Similarly, Chip is distracted by an attractive female audience member (or male in the adults-only version), contributing to a misspelling. He is the first contestant eliminated and is thus forced to sell snacks in the audience in the manner of the refreshment hawkers at a sports event. Other characters frequently walk through the auditorium among the audience during the show, sometimes integrating the audience into the show and occasionally dropping the "fourth wall"
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
.
Words used
Examples of words spelled by characters in performances of Spelling Bee include Astrobleme, Cat, Dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
, Hasenpfeffer
Hasenpfeffer
Hasenpfeffer is a traditional German stew made from marinated rabbit or hare, cut into stewing-meat sized pieces and braised with onions and wine in a marinade thickened with the animal's blood...
, Origami
Origami
is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form...
(Adult Show), and Weltanschauung. Words spelled by the audience volunteers are often unscripted and sometimes improvised by the cast to gently poke fun at the volunteer speller. Past examples include: Cenacle
Cenacle
The Cenacle , also known as the "Upper Room", is the term used for the site of The Last Supper. The word is a derivative of the Latin word cena, which means dinner....
, Elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, Hemidemisemiquaver, Homunculus
Homunculus
Homunculus is a term used, generally, in various fields of study to refer to any representation of a human being. Historically, it referred specifically to the concept of a miniature though fully formed human body, for example, in the studies of alchemy and preformationism...
, Cow, Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and Didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
spelt by Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
. Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
missed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is an English word, with 34 letters, that was in the song with the same title in the 1964 Disney musical film Mary Poppins. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers, and sung by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke...
" when she was a guest speller on KIDS night on Broadway, 2007.
Original Off-Broadway production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
Outstanding Book of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee which comprises New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Rachel Sheinkin | |
| Outstanding Ensemble Performance Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
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| Outstanding Director of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
James Lapine James Lapine James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated... |
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| Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Musical | |||
| Outstanding Featured Actor | Dan Fogler Dan Fogler Daniel Kevin "Dan" Fogler is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker.-Personal life:Fogler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of Shari, an English teacher, and Richard Fogler, a surgeon. Fogler is Jewish... |
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| Outstanding Director | James Lapine James Lapine James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated... |
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| Outstanding Choreographer | Dan Knechtges Dan Knechtges Dan Knechtges is a director and choreographer, for musicals, opera, television, film and music videos.-Life and career:Knechtges is from Grafton, Ohio and is a graduate of Midview High School and Otterbein College, with a degree in musical theatre. As a child, he took dance lessons in Elyria,... |
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| Theatre World Award Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:... |
Dan Fogler Dan Fogler Daniel Kevin "Dan" Fogler is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker.-Personal life:Fogler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of Shari, an English teacher, and Richard Fogler, a surgeon. Fogler is Jewish... |
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| Celia Keenan-Bolger | ||||
Original Broadway production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since. Before the 21st Drama Desk Awards, acting awards were given without making distinctions between roles in straight dramas as opposed to musicals, nor were there... |
||
| Outstanding Lyrics Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
William Finn William Finn William Alan Finn is an American composer and lyricist of musicals. His musical Falsettos received the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Music and Lyrics and for Best Book.-Biography:... |
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| Outstanding Music Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
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| Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... |
Best Musical Tony Award for Best Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack... |
|||
| Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible... |
Rachel Sheinkin | |||
| Best Original Score Tony Award for Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics... |
William Finn William Finn William Alan Finn is an American composer and lyricist of musicals. His musical Falsettos received the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Music and Lyrics and for Best Book.-Biography:... |
|||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been presented since 1947... |
Dan Fogler Dan Fogler Daniel Kevin "Dan" Fogler is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker.-Personal life:Fogler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the second child of Shari, an English teacher, and Richard Fogler, a surgeon. Fogler is Jewish... |
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| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of the Tony Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. The award, introduced in 1950, was previously named as Best Performance by a Featured or Supporting Actress in a Musical until 1976.... |
Celia Keenan-Bolger | |||
| Best Direction of a Musical Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Prior to 1960, category for direction included plays and musicals.-1950s:Note: this category was for both dramatic and musical productions... |
James Lapine James Lapine James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated... |
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External links
- Official Broadway Website
- MusicalTalk Podcast discussing the Orlando production
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Lyrics to the songs
- Official Chicago Website
- Second Stage Theatre listing
- Review in NYT
- Pre-broadway reviews
- Fogler and Saltzberg (original Broadway cast) interview, Downstage Center at American Theatre Wing.orgAmerican Theatre WingThe American Theatre Wing is a New York City-based organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre," according to its mission statement...
- William Finn (composer) interview - Downstage Center at American Theatre Wing.orgAmerican Theatre WingThe American Theatre Wing is a New York City-based organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre," according to its mission statement...
, December 2006 - Circle in the Square Broadway Theater for Spelling Bee
- Spelling Bee @ Musical Cyberspace
- Listing at guidetomusicaltheatre.com