WHS delivers charming performance of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’

Washington High School's performance of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” treated audiences to comedy, innuendos, some volunteer performers and stellar young actors.

The show premiered at the Performing Arts and Events Center on Friday, April 26, and ran through Sunday, April 28.

Vern Miller, musical director, said 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a coming-of-age story about 'a bunch of crazy things adolescents deal with in their daily lives.”

Every night, four people were pulled from the audience by Miller and added to the cast as spelling bee contestants - he called them 'semi volunteers.”

'It adds to the show because no show is the same,” Miller said.

Before the show, Miller would meet with the cast, tell them who was being semi-volunteered, and give them some jokes that relate to those people. If the contestants spelled the word correctly, they got to stay in the show. The semi volunteers also had two lines during the show: 'Can I have a definition?” and 'Can you use it in a sentence?”

Miller said in this way, Gwen Flannery as Rona Lisa Perretti and Erika Salgardo as Vice Principal Douglas Panch keep the pace of the show going as spelling bee moderators with their impromptu wisecracks.

When each character leaves the stage after misspelling a word, the cast sings a charming goodbye song.

Hannah Rees, 15, played Marcy Park, a funny character who is good at everything and not anything like Rees, she said.

'It's fun playing someone who is so different,” Rees said, adding that she has learned how to be more confident from her character. Offstage, Rees said it's not as important to her to get everything right as much as simply enjoying the moment.

This is the third musical in which Rees has performed. The first musical she acted in was when she was living in Washington, D.C., before moving to Washington, Iowa. There, she felt like an underdog. Now several years later she feels like an equal with her fellow cast members.

Logan Hanson played William Barfee, an energetic, slightly nerdy character who slowly opens up and makes friends throughout the show.

'He has taught me not to be a jerk,” Hanson said with a laugh. 'There's a lot of character growth.”

'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is Hanson's last performance with Washington High School. In the fall, he will be attending college to study musical theater. Hanson said he expected to burst into tears during the finale of the show on Sunday, April 28.

John Flannery, 16, played Leaf Coneybear, the most childish and youngest character in the show.

'He has a gentle personality,” Flannery said, procuring the stuffed animal Leaf Coneybear carries in his backpack during the show.

Flannery said when he first learned about the show, he listened to the musical on repeat for at least a month. While he has performed in other plays and musicals in high school, this is the first character he has really 'clicked” with because of his love for the musical, which he said is hilarious, and his enjoyment of his fellow cast members.

Sarah Newman, 16, played Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere - a name she lives up to during the show.

Newman said her character is 'bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” and politically informed. She's the most 'woke” of any of the other characters, she said. Newman said when she performs, all of her worries disappear on stage.

'I've really related with my character because she's very confident, but she struggles with it,” Newman said. 'I've learned failure is OK, and it's always nice to have some help sometimes.”

Riordan Lujano, who played Chip Tolentino, said he is the 'smart jock” of the musical. 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is Lujano's eighth show he's performed in. He said he performs in musicals because of the singing, dancing and learning the ins and outs of each show.

'It helps to be a little crazy,” Lujano said. 'The key to acting is putting yourself out there.”

Abby Schnicker, 17, played Olive Ostrovsky, a character who remains optimistic despite her mother living in an ashram in India and her father being unaffectionate.

'She really can have a good time, step out of her comfort zone and try something new,” Schnicker said.

Schnicker said she enjoyed the show because of its high energy and humor.

'It's fun to interact with people on stage,” Schnicker said. 'If anyone is thinking about trying a community theater, step out and go for it.”

Emma Butler played Mitch Mahoney, an edgy character with an arm full of tattoos.

'I like letting loose. I like everything about my character,” Butler said.

Butler said that as an actor, she can't be afraid to embarrass herself and have fun. Butler began performing after seeing a community theater show when she was in middle school.

'I thought it looked fun. I have gone from shy to out there,” Butler said.

While Butler always starts out the night with nerves, she said she just has to remember she is performing with her friends.

'We've been doing this for a month or two,” Butler said. 'If we mess up, we mess up and can act off each other.”