“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a hit musical comedy about a fictional spelling bee set in Putnam Valley Middle School, will take the Kahilu Theatre stage in Waimea at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Broadway production of “Spelling Bee” was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two. It has since become a favorite with community troupes.
Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser. While the adolescent outsiders vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime, they sing about their dreams, their allergies, their pushy or absent parents, their loneliness and their often hilarious coping mechanisms. Unusual additional characters include Jesus Christ in a vision, an ex-convict Comfort Counselor, and four volunteers from the audience.
Tickets are $10, $15, $20 and $25, depending on seating, with discounts available to Kahilu Theatre members, available in advance at kahilutheatre.org. They are also available at the theater or by calling the box office from 9 a.m. to noon at 885-6868.