O-P-E-N-I-N-G N-I-G-H-T: FLT takes on "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"

FLORENCE – What do you get when you throw together six overachieving adolescents, a group of misfit parents and a spelling competition?

Find out this week as Florence Little Theatre presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

“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.

“The premise is a spelling bee at a typical junior high school, Anywhere, USA,” Rebecca Thompson, who plays former spelling bee champion turned spelling bee organizer Rona Lisa Peretti, said. “Most of the characters on stage are children in the bee, played by adult actors/singers. It is a really funny, and, at times, touching experience in the theater.”

Thompson first got involved with FLT in 1994 through her then-boyfriend and now-husband, Shaw Thompson. She said she’s been hooked ever since.

“Singing and music in general are two of my ‘first loves,’ so naturally I really enjoy musicals and musical comedies,” Thompson said.

“There are a number of things that keep us all coming back for more, and I would have to say that one of the biggest reasons we love the theatre is the sense of family you develop over time with other performers and the production team/technical crew. These people truly become a family by choice,” Thompson said. “Couple that feeling of camaraderie with the creation of each performance, and it becomes almost impossible to resist the pull of ‘the boards.’”

That sense of family was one of the reasons Thompson decided to try out for “Putnam County.”

“I knew the members of the production team and felt sure I would really love working with them and for them – and I do!” Thompson said. “I had heard about the show when it was on Broadway and it sounded like it would be so much fun AND funny – and it is! And it is a little different from anything we have ever done to this point.”

Lloyd Willcox, who plays Vice Principal and pronouncer Douglas Panch, agreed with Thompson. He said he tried out because he heard the play was hilarious and he wanted to work with Director Elaine Morehead.

Willcox’s character plays a central role in the bee, and Willcox said he hopes to do the part justice by delivering big laughs.

“I play the pronouncer so I give the words to the contestants,” Willcox said. “My part is the only non-inging part, and he’s an interesting character. He’s not really anti-kid. Let’s just say he’s just not where he thought he would be in life.”

Those who plan to attend might want to brush up on their spelling skills, as the play incorporates four volunteers from the audience each night to participate in the bee.

“We’re not having any plants, so it will be four random volunteers,” Willcox said. “It’s a hilarious play, and isn’t like any other production I’ve been involved in before. It’s a lot of fun for everybody.”