Spelling Bee Summary

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a  a long one-act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman. It started from the entrance of Rona Lisa Peretti, the moderator of the bee, which 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 $25 fee for the bee. Olive reveals that she’s come alone on a bus, so there’s no parent there who can pay. Ms. Peretti decides to let the fee slide. She introduces the spellers to Vice Principal Douglas Panch. Next to be introduced is the Official Comfort Counselor, Michelle Mahoney, an intimidating-looking convicted criminal who is serving his community service at the bee. Michelle leads the spellers in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Panch then explains the bee rules.One by one, each speller is called up to the microphone: Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, Leaf Coneybear, Olive, then William Barfee. Ms. Peretti explains William’s unusual technique of spelling each word with his foot on the ground before spelling it aloud. After many times of spelling words, the winner finally came out: William Barfee. Olive got the second prize and 25$ and she used it for her entrance fee.