How do you spell H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S?
- T Michele Walker
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Dr. Phillips Center
Join a quirky crew of middle school spellers as they battle for the championship title one word at a time.
Each summer, Dr. Phillips Center recruits top emerging performers through the prestigious Unified Professional Theatre Auditions in Memphis, TN; they select just six out of roughly 800 auditions as resident artist interns for a 10-week program for early-career artists with teaching experience or a strong interest in arts education. These early-career professionals train under Broadway-level mentors and contribute to their summer camps and productions.
This year, their work comes to life in the Tony Award®-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Past interns have gone on to national tours and Broadway roles, including Hamilton, SIX The Musical and Kimberly Akimbo. Notably, current resident artist Jayna Glynn is heading off on a national tour.
The official Scripps National Spelling Bee rolls around every May, and if you are not a fan, you need to give it a watch. It restores faith in our educational system watching these super-young brainiacs go toe-to-toe with words most of us can’t even pronounce.
If you’ve ever asked yourself who these kids really are and what makes a middle schooler willingly memorize the dictionary instead of playing video games or bingeing TikTok: Are they this intense about everything, or is it just a spelling thing? Then this is the show for you.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee gives the audience a peek behind the curtain. As you’re tossed into this hilarious, slightly bonkers group of middle school misfits, you learn about their messy lives: the pressure cooker families, the weird puberty stuff, the deep (sometimes desperate) need to just fit in, and yes, the dream of walking away with a shiny trophy and some cash.
While the show is 20 years old, running on Broadway from May 2005 to January 2008, it’s as fresh and timely as ever thanks to the creative team at Dr. Phillips Center, Ryan Simpson and Victor Wisehart (co-directors, with choreography by Wisehart) and Lauren Langa and Seth Durbin (co-music directors). The team leans into the goofiness while keeping the show fresh by throwing in topical jokes and zingers.
The cast is chaotic without becoming a cliché. They nail the awkward middle school energy from every angle and with authenticity. Each “kid” (plus a few brave audience volunteers) gets a shot at spelling some ridiculous word. They can ask for definitions, origins, all that jazz. And while the definitions sound legit, the sentences? The book by Rachel Sheinkin is pure comedy gold.
You’ve got Julian Amores as Chip Tolentino, last year’s champ who’s a little too distracted by cute girls in the crowd—his puberty song is basically every awkward teen moment rolled into one. Jaxon Allison’s William Bartee (pronounced Bar-FAY, don’t get it twisted), this kid with a pile of health problems who spells words with his “magic foot.” Milan Borges as Marcy Park is the poster child for overachievers—six languages, a million activities, but she’s totally burnt out. Jayme Dill’s Logainne Schwartzandgrubbeniere is all lisp and fierce determination, caught between wanting to please her two dads and, you know, change the universe. Jayna Glynn’s Olive Ostrovsky is super shy, watching the door for her missing dad while quietly crushing the competition. And Cole Higgibotham is on fire as the guileless Leaf Coneybear.
We also have John Connon as the wound-up vice principal, Douglas Panch, who’s basically one bad day away from losing it, and Gabrielle Headley as Rona Lisa Peretti, former Bee champ and host, who’s living her best life. When someone bombs out, Devin McDuffy steps in as the “comfort counselor” (think: forced community service with a side of juice boxes and awkward hugs).
Composed by William Finn and expertly co-directed by Langa and Durbin, the music bounces between silly and surprisingly heartfelt, remaining always energetic. The direction by Simpson and Wisehart is fast-paced and a sheer delight. The choreography by Wisehart is a hoot.
You’ll laugh, you might get a little choked up, and you’ll probably never look at spelling bees the same way again. It’s a reminder that winning’s cool and all, but honestly, finding some joy and purpose along the way really sticks with you. And let’s be real, half of us would’ve been out on the first word.
Dr. Phillips Center never fails to disappoint in its service to the arts and to the Central Florida community. What a wonderful opportunity to see the next generation of performers take the stage in a professional production.
For more information drphillipscenter.org
Location: Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Dr. Phillips Center
445 South Magnolia Avenue Orlando, FL 32801 Bill & Mary Darden Box Office: 407.358.6603
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