Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Opens at Edmonton's Citadel Theatre
Mieko Ouchi directs this fast-paced crowd pleaser.
The Citadel Theatre rings in its 2026/2027 season with a clever musical comedy: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Packed with sly wordplay and palpable preteen angst, this Tony Award-winner features music and lyrics by William Finn, a dynamic ensemble cast, and surprise guest spellers.
Vying for the gargantuan golden trophy are six spellers ranging from age 10 to 12. There’s homeschooler Leaf Coneybear, recovering perfectionist Marcy Park, overconfident Chip Tolentino, chatterbox Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre, (aka “Schwarzy”), and eccentric William Barfée. They are joined by timid latecomer Olive Ostrovsky, who anxiously scans the audience, checking to see if her dad showed up. As the bee progresses, hilarity ensues, dreams are shattered, and sabotage is narrowly thwarted.
The eager spellers are portrayed by multi-talented adults. As Leaf Coneybear, Michael Watt wins over the audience with his character’s awkwardness and love of DIY fashion. It is impossible not to root for Leaf, especially during his self-conscious solo, I’m Not That Smart. As his fellow competitor, Marcy Park, Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks wows with her nimble, dance-filled performance of I Speak Six Languages. The fidgety, pink jumper-wearing Olive (Christina Nguyen) is often heartbreaking, especially as she daydreams of being cheered on by her absent dad and ashram-dwelling mom in The I Love You Song. Eventually, Olive finds an unexpected friend in the unfortunately-named William Barfée -pronounced bar-fay - (Farren Timoteo), despite the latter’s bizarre ritual of spelling words out with his “magic foot.”
The adults in charge are former spelling bee champ turned realtor, Rona Lisa Peretti (Jill Agopsowicz), unpopular Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Cody Porter), and ex-convict turned Official Comfort Counsellor, Mitch Mahoney (Sheldon Elter). It is both amusing and bittersweet as Mitch solemnly hands eliminated contestants their consolation prizes: a box of apple juice each.
A spelling bee might sound repetitive, but this one is anything but. On opening night, the four guest spellers included none other than Mayor Andrew Knack. Watching the guests take turns at the microphone is entertaining, as are the reactions of the cast. There are plenty of humorous song-and-dance numbers (choreographed by Ainsley Hillyard), most notably one where painfully shy Olive breaks out doing the worm.
A must-see production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee plays until August 2.
Photo by Nanc Price for the Citadel Theatre’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2026). Featuring the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. For full cast and creative credits please visit citadeltheatre.com.
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