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Overview

Synopsis

An eclectic group of sixth-graders arrives at the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, each eager to win for very different reasons. Sweet and shy Olive brings only her best friend (the dictionary) with her to the bee; bold and hyperallergic speller William Barfee uses his “magic foot” to propel him to greatness; former champion Chip is struggling with his burgeoning puberty; easily distracted Leaf is unconvinced that he’s smart enough to be a challenger; overachiever Marcy is disappointed by her consistent success; and politically aware Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre only wants to impress her gay dads. In hilarious, touching, and catchy songs, each speller reveals his/her hopes, struggles, and passions as they make their way through the competition. With an engaging, tuneful score by William Finn and a sweet, funny book by Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee causes audiences to fall in love, both with the show itself and its “perspicacious,” “jocular,” and “effervescent” spellers.

Show Information

Music
William Finn
Lyrics
William Finn
Category
Musical
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
1
First Produced
2005
Genres
Comedy
Settings
Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
a middle school gymnasium, putnam county, ny, present
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Small
Dancing
Musical Staging
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult Characters, Large Cast

Context

Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

William Barfee

Lead

Male

Tenor

Olive Ostrovsky

Lead

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Charlito “Chip” Tolentino

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Leaf Coneybear

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Logainne “Schwartzy” Schwartzandgrubenierre

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Marcy Park

Supporting

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Mitch Mahoney

Featured

Male

Tenor

Vice Principal Douglas Panch

Featured

Male

Spoken

Rona Lisa Peretti

Featured

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Carl Dad

Ensemble

Male

Tenor

Dan Dad

Ensemble

Male

Tenor

Jesus Christ

Ensemble

Male

Tenor

Leaf’s Family

Ensemble

Either Gender

Olive's Dad

Ensemble

Male

Tenor

Olive’s Mom

Ensemble

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Songs

  • The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Company
  • The Spelling Rules- Panch and Spellers
  • My Favorite Moment of the Bee - Rona
  • My Friend, the Dictionary – Olive and Company
  • The First Goodbye – Company
  • Pandemonium – Panch, Chip, Mitch, and Spellers
  • I'm Not That Smart – Leaf
  • The Second Goodbye – Company
  • Magic Foot – Barfée and Company
  • Pandemonium (Reprise)– Mitch, Chip, and Company
  • My Favorite Moment of the Bee (Reprise) - Rona
  • Prayer of the Comfort Counselor – Mitch and Company
  • My Unfortunate Erection/Distraction (Chip's Lament) – Chip
  • Woe is Me – Logainne, Carl, Dan, and Company
  • Spelling Montage - Panch and Spellers
  • I'm Not That Smart (Reprise) – Leaf
  • I Speak Six Languages – Marcy and Company
  • Marcy's Epiphany - Marcy, Mitch, and Company
  • The I Love You Song – Olive and Olive's Parents
  • Woe is Me (Reprise) – Logainne, Mitch, and Company
  • My Favorite Moment of the Bee (Reprise) - Rona
  • Second – Barfée, Olive, Rona and Company
  • Finale – Company
  • The Last Goodbye – Company

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

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