Ruth Agnew reviews The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by Kathleen Burns, produced by TheatreWise, at the Papa Hou Black Box Theatre, Thursday 6 August 2026.
Full disclosure: I am a freak for words. If you want to get on my good side, a decent game of Scrabble makes me weak at the knees. I’m more impressed by your Wordle score than your credit rating, and I genuinely find fun in puns. So this show was right up my alley. Quirky kids with a passion for wordplay! Deep diving into etymology and being ranked on intellectual ability instead of social standing is my dream high school experience. If you’ve ever felt more comfortable with wordplay than gameplay, the musical The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee will appeal to you as much as it did me. This is nerd heaven, a glorious celebration of unique quirky kids, set to infectiously catchy tunes, and topped off with repeatable catchphrases.
Set in a single day in a high school gymnasium, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee follows six spelling champions competing in the county Spelling Bee, a high stakes competition where one errant vowel or misplaced consonant is the difference between triumph and failure.
This show is a colourful whirlwind of comedic musical fun, but there are moments of quiet pathos too, as contestants reveal their insecurities, anxieties and fears. The contrast between the moments of hilarity and contemplatative sadness is stark, including moments where tears spring to the eyes before the laughter has subsided.
Each contestant brings their own blend of quirkiness and ambition. They are familiar enough that you recognise kids you went to school with in each of them, yet each one is unique. Leo Ormsby’s delightfully goofy Leaf is eminently likeable, an underdog (undercapybara?) who leaves a winner, regardless of spelling prowess. Ben Cumberpatch navigates one of the hard parts of adolescence and comes out the other side intact. Tora Maitland proves herself as outrageously versatile as her character Marcy. Phoebe Conger gives Effie Trinket-lite vibes as former Queen Bee Rona-Marie. Ted Eason still doesn’t seem to be acting his age, playing the oldest role in the show convincingly, and eliciting unexpected tears at a key moment simply by opening his wallet. Eden Taylor is unexpectedly grounded in flannels, and gives a brilliant demonstration of her strong voice with some lovely vocal trills.
It seems unfair to single out any performers in such an incredibly strong cast, where everyone is deserving of praise. There were, however, three that truly had me invested in their stories, and whose ability transcended what anyone could expect from performers of their age. Charlotte Howe had us all rooting for neglected speller Olive, without overplaying the pathos. I wanted to hug Olive, and assure her that the person I know who read the dictionary as a child is now a successful novelist, with lots of friends and Instagram followers. Ben Camm’s Barfee demonstrated a whole body approach to spelling. His twinkle-toes told us how the word went, and his hips didn’t lie.
Now for my first spelling challenge: Logainne Schwatrtzen-Gruebber was perfectly pitched by Tessa de Wit, with the role giving her the opportunity to exercise her extraordinary vocal control and precision (and a speech impediment; can you thpell lithp?). So highly strung even her plaits couldn’t relax, Schwartzy was simply outstanding.
TheatreWise’s focus is on “training and developing young people 16-24” by offering “educational opportunities both on and off stage through workshops, seminars and mentorship”. The proof is in the Putnam, with an absolutely outstanding production from this fledgling company. Of course, one reason for this success lies in the powerful direction team of Ōtautahi theatre icon Kathleen Burns and musical director Elian Pagalilawan. Both have extensive experience working with young people, adding an extra sparkle to these emerging stars. Hana Pearce’s choreography was tight and excellently executed.
If you’ve attended any musical theatre featuring local youth in the past few years, you’ll recognise one or more of the bright-eyed cast members from The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee. You will also be aware that we are have an incredible wealth of young talent in this city, with many working at near professional standard. As a teacher, reviewer and playwright, I attend more shows than most, and I have seen some of these performers mature from a-little-bit-naughty children to singing sea creatures, watched them traverse Frozen peaks and the Austrian Alps, attend school balls and, now, compete in a Spelling Bee. Before he charmed us with his spelling, Ben Cumberpatch showed the magic sound of music he makes by bewitching an entire audience with a single note. Ben Camm is so confident in a theatre he can stage manage while onstage. I’ve watched Tessa reduce a theatre of teenagers to tears, on her own. These kids are as gifted as the characters they playing Spelling Bee, and it’s clear several of them are planning futures in performing arts.
But what kind of a future are we making for them? Given the outcome of the last Creative NZ funding round, if they want to stick around in Ōtautahi, it’s not looking promising,. They’ll be well trained, with a decade of stage experience before they go to one of our excellent tertiary institutions (NASDA, Hagley Theatre, UC), but with only 10% of Creative NZ funding going to South Island applicants, and with venues and events that have played an integral part of creative career paths for emerging professionals such as Little Andromeda and Dunedin Arts Festival facing unknown futures, potential performing routes are becoming harder to secure. If we don’t want to wave goodbye to talent like this, we need to create a a sustainable, supportive professional performing arts scene for them to create work in.
Enough of the depressing state of the arts world, and back to the colourful, optimistic world of elite spelling. For those who want a total immersion experience, there are opportunities for audience members to upgrade to Spelling Bee contestant. Be brave and take this chance to enact your childhood fantasies! I mean, how hard can the words be? And if you don’t get picked to show off your magical spelling skills, you can always buy a ticket for the next night and try again, because the words are changed every performance.
Be smart. Be cool. Be someone who can say “I saw that kid before they won their Academy / Tony / Tui / Emmy/ Aria Award…”. Be at the Bee.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs until Sunday 9 August.
Flat City Field Notes 