Tim St. John ‘26
Guest Writer (And Stellar Actor)
Come see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee this week! The show follows the story of 6 quirky kids at a spelling bee in a school gym duking it out to be this year’s champion. As the bee unfolds, each contestant reveals personal stories, insecurities, and dreams through humorous and heartfelt songs. These awkward spelling champions gain life lessons while fearing the sound of the bell ringing, indicating a spelling mistake that results in their elimination. One of the most unique aspects of this show is that actual members from the audience get called down to join the cast on stage. You never know what words you might have to spell. Therefore, no one show is the same, and the bee is anyone’s game! It is truly such an entertaining show full of laughter, dancing, tense competition, and a little bit of childhood trauma for some.
There are so many talented members of the cast who bring life to these characters and capture their childlike wonder and whimsy beautifully. What better way to learn about the show than from the cast itself! Director Rose Knoll ‘28 (and Co-Chair of Alternate College Theatre) wants you all to “come see a spelling bee where the only sane person is a convict.” Her favorite part of the show “is how the show is lowkey like a car crash as these kids kind of spiral, but you keep watching because you want to know who wins.” If that’s not telling about how truly crazy and captivating every character is, then I don’t know what is! Lilly Percival ‘27 (the other Co-Chair of Alternate College Theatre) plays Olive Ostrovsky and aids Erin Ledwith as an Assistant Costume Designer. She wants to emphasize that “Spelling Bee is a joy for everyone involved – including audience members who may find themselves onstage.” This is a popular opinion from all people involved. The cast and crew love getting to work with different people every night as it switches things up for us as well! Music Director Frank Amuso ‘26 echoes this since his favorite part has been “preparing for the audience participation sections. We need people to come to the show so that we can do them! It’s also a very fun and funny show with great music.” I could not agree enough, the soundtrack to the show is filled with great songs including “Pandemonium,””Magic Foot,” and “The I Love You Song.” Emily Fox, playing Rona Lisa Peretti, puts it more plainly, saying that “it’ll be a super fun and exciting show, and there’s s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g!”.
As the writer of this article, I feel like it’s only right to put in my two cents as well. I feel very strongly in agreement with everyone interviewed. The best part of this process has been getting to do Spelling Bee with this specific group of people. This is my sixth and final show at Holy Cross, and though it is bittersweet, there is no other group of people I would rather share this experience with. I have strengthened relationships, met new people, crafted sets with Set Designer Emmy Jones ‘28, and did some spelling along the way. Isn’t that what spelling is all about? You don’t want to miss out on seeing who takes it all in the end. Stop by The Pit on March 26th at 7:30 PM and the 28th and 29th at 2PM and 7:30PM to come see the bee!
Copy Edited by Colette Potter ‘26
Featured image courtesy of Sara Krulwich of The New York Times
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