Six spellers, one stage, and whole lot of heart

lu•gu•bri•ous (adjective)—extremely sad and droopy. “If you’ve been feeling lugubrious lately, a ticket to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Colonial Chorus Players is just what you need!”

Pandemonium is taking over rehearsals at The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! From left: Adam Sell, Adele Leikauskas, Aiden O’Neal, Nurilys Cintron, Josh Telepman, Sophie Bauder, Cara Guappone, and Link Bowen. Photo by Kim Cook.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the uproarious, heartwarming, Tony Award-winning musical about six quirky middle schoolers who are competing for the spelling championship of a lifetime. Along the way they disclose hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, while learning that winning (and losing) isn’t everything.

Performances of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are June 19, 20, 26 & 27 at 7:30 PM and June 21 & 28 at 2 PM at the Old Hose House Theater, 1249 Main Street, Reading. Advance tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for seniors and students at www.ccp1961.org. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door 30 minutes before showtime with cash, Venmo, or PayPal only. All seats are reserved seating.

The ensemble cast features Sophie Bauder, Link Bowen, Nurilys Cintron, Molly Devin (swing), Cara Guappone, Adele Leikauskas, Aiden O’Neal, Shayna Plotnik, Adam Sell, and Josh Telepman. Directed by Jamie Cook, with musical direction by Jakob Michaels.