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
- Book
- Rachel Sheinkin
- 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
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- 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
Originally inspired by a play called C-R-E-P-U-S-C-L-E produced by the improvisation company The Farm, of whom Wendy Wasserstein’s nanny, Sarah Saltzberg, was a member. Wasserstein was impressed by the production and introduced the team, including Saltzberg and creator Rebecca Feldman, to William Finn, believing that he could help them take the project to the next level. The collaboration was fruitful, and Finn, Feldman, and writer Rachel Sheinkin collaborated to create the full-length
to read the context for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Rona Lisa Peretti, the moderator of the bee, enters the gymnasium to set up, and is quickly thrown back to her own Putnam County Spelling Bee experience, where she won with the word “syzygy.” The students begin to enter and, along with the four spellers who have been selected from the show’s audience, are welcomed by Ms. Peretti (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”). Ms. Peretti pulls Olive Ostrovsky aside and tells her that she still owes the $25 fee for the bee. Olive reveals that
to read the plot for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
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
Scenes
Key Terms
The script of the musical, separate from the musical orchestrations.
The notation of music for the musical. There are several types of scores (detailed in the guide).
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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