ISSUE #33.07 • PERFORMANCE • PREVIEW

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Does it get funnier than kids with speech problems spelling "sygyzy"?

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BY BEN WATERHOUSE | bwaterhouse at wweek dot com

[December 27th, 2006] [HARD-CORE ORTHOGRAPHY] The New York Times called it "A Chorus Line with pimples"; The Wall Street Journal, "a super-smart show" that's "a bona fide crowd pleaser." It was nominated for a Grammy and six Tonys (winning two), and has ongoing productions in Chicago, Boston and New York. What the hell is it about this staged version of a spelling bee that's made it one of the biggest shows in America?

It's not William Finn's cloying, unsingable score. Rachel Sheinkin's book, which has elicited unfavorable comparisons to both South Park and Ionesco, isn't a likely candidate, either.

What's that leave? Try audience participation. Every night, four volunteers get to take part in the onstage competition, spelling ridiculous words alongside "William BarfÉe," the fat boy, and "Marcy," the aggressive Asian chick. Gimmicky, sure, but it's what gives this Broadway show its twist. But how to get chosen? And is it even real? I called up Chris Paseka, 31, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee's touring company's assistant manager, to find out who gets the golden ticket.

icon Story continues below

WW: How do you choose your audience actors/volunteers?

Chris Paseka: I have [company] people canvass the lobby looking for interested and interesting people. They do a short interview with our volunteer wrangler...then we ask them to come back 10 minutes before curtain to find out if they made it.

What do they do in the show?

After the opening number, the "moderator" calls out the names of the people we've chosen, and they come onstage and participate in the bee. They're asked to spell words, and if they spell them correctly they get to continue.

Can a volunteer win the bee? (Spoiler alert: They can never win.)

Volunteers can go for as long as they spell well.

Has anyone tried to take over the show?

This isn't a Broadway debut, it's a spelling competition. And the better they spell, the better the show is.

Can you get me onstage?

We don't play favorites...but if you sign up I'll give you very high consideration.

To see me desperately try to get myself onstage, come to the Tuesday-night performance.

Broadway Across America at Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 241-1802. 7:30 pm Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, 1 and 6 pm Sunday. Opens Jan. 2. $23-$68.