Bernards High School Performing Arts Center put on an incredible performance of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee this spring, March 10th through March 12th. While working countless hours to put on such a performance, the cast got to improvise a lot, which made this show special to both those involved in the production and audience members.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee covers the story of spellers Chip (Brendan Lobo ‘24), Logainne (Lexi Frenda ‘23), Leaf (Matt Cutler ‘23), William (Nathan Brown ‘25), Marcy (Kaley ‘25), and Olive (Annie Kaczynski ‘23), as they compete in the spelling bee. Chip is the first to get out of these six due to an unfortunate distraction after fantasizing about Leaf’s sister.
Logainne is the daughter of two dads who push her, specifically Carl Grubenierre (Elianna Calicchio ‘25), to be the best speller there. Leaf’s family thinks he’s not that smart, while William has a magic foot to help him spell. Marcy is pressured at home to be the best, causing her to have a stressful life. And, Olive can’t pay the entrance fee due to her neglectful parents.
However, during the show, audience members watched both spellers and hosts, Rona Lisa Perretti (Hope Kaczynski ‘23) and Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Corin DeStefano ‘23), not just participate in the spelling bee, but also grow, making new friends and learning new things about themselves. These messages made for an amazing show. “I think you saw the best show,” Elianna Calicchio reports on the production. “This is the best show ever.”
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Mr. Ciocco.
In the first act of the show, audience volunteers were called up on stage to participate in the spelling bee. Both hosts and spellers interacted with these audience volunteers, such as the one sitting at the rightmost edge of the stands. Hosts would give little blurbs—both funny and somewhat insulting—about the volunteers, while spellers would talk to and dance with them on stage.
Corin DeStefano ‘23, who put on an amazing performance in his last show at Bernards explains that being able to interact with audience volunteers “was fun. As a senior, being able to do so much improve with my cast members as audience volunteers was something truly special.” And it was. This aspect of the show made it all the more enjoyable and impressive. The entire audience laughed when DeStefano’s character questioned, on the spot and unscripted, if the audience volunteer’s STEM degree was helping her in the bee
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
Here, the last audience volunteer leaves the stage at the end of the first act, having spelled a
work wrong. Cast members sing her a goodbye song, just as they did with all other audience volunteers when they were dismissed off stage.
All volunteers left the stage at random, when the hosts determined that they spelled a word wrong and asked them to leave the stage. Their ability to improvise, without hesitation, was phenomenal, as musical director Mr. LaPine says. “What really impressed me during this show was the kids’ ability to improvise on the spot. It was remarkable.”
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
In an exciting number, the entire cast gathers on stage to sing “Pandemonium,” in which they throw beach balls to the audience and get audience volunteers involved.
However, moments before the number, cast member Maddie Bozack ‘24 (Dan Schwarz) waits in the wings for her cue. “Waiting in the wings, it’s fun to hear the audience cheer for jokes that we know are already coming, but with the group of people I was with, we would judge their reaction to words Mexican, cow, and their definitions,” she reports. “And we would judge how good the audience was every night, whether they were more responsive to the jokes or not.” When asked about the impact of the audience’s reactions, Maddie responds that “The show depends on the audience’s reactions.”
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
Leaf Coneybear was the second speller to leave the stage, unfortunately. Leaf was undeniably the funniest speller, and such could not have been accomplished without Matt Cutler’s ability to make the audience laugh. This is his fourth—and last—show at Bernards High, but is the first time that he has a lead role in a show.
For those of you who didn’t see the show(why and shame on you), Leaf’s character comes from a large family who think he’s not that smart. Ms. Perretti and Mr. Panch’s commentary on his character gives the audience further insight on this hilarious character, such as the fact that he makes his own clothes, to which Leaf poses to show the audience his outfit. In the song “I’m Not That Smart,” Matt gives a fun, exciting, and funny performance. “I like making people laugh, so getting to make people laugh was awesome,” Matt Cutler ‘23 reports. And Matt’s portrayal of Leaf made the audience laugh over and over again.
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
During the bee, Marcy Park(Kaley Welsh ‘25) prays to Jesus Christ (Arden Addeo ‘25) to ask him for a harder word than camouflage. However, Jesus then teaches her that she is in control of her life, leading for Marcy to purposefully spell the word wrong.
Arden Addeo, who has now worked on four shows at Bernards, portrayal of Jesus Christ made the moment special and hilarious. “I had a great time during this production,” Arden told the Crimson. “I am so happy I got to work with Kaley and that my role as Jesus was well received. I had been struggling with my French lines, but thankfully Nina Robles and Elianna Caliccho helped me out. I am forever grateful to all the amazing cast and crew members that made this show possible. I could not have asked for a better musical.”
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
Here, Corin’s grumpy character, Mr. Panch, apologizes to the audience for getting angry at spellers, while Ms. Perretti disapprovingly watches from behind the judges’ table. Ms. Perretti and Mr. Panch, throughout the show, constantly bicker with each other, but also enjoy each other’s company while making fun of contestants, putting on a great, hilarious, and entertaining experience for viewers. And, such is thanks to Corin DeStefano and Hope Kaczynski’s incredible acting, paired with their dazzling singing abilities.
Hope Kaczynski, who performed in her last ever Bernards High School production on Sunday, March 12th, reports that The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was “the best play ever” and that she’s “so sad it’s over. We had the best time ever. I loved spending time with everyone.”
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
In a heartfelt moment, Olive Ostrovsky (Annie Kaczynski ‘23) sings to her parents after being asked to spell chimerical, which means “wildly fanciful and highly unrealistic.” Olive fantasizes that, instead of her mother being in an ashram in India and her father working late, her negligent parents are there with her at the Bee. Annie, Nina Robles ‘23 and Max Lukes ‘23 sing “The I Love You Song,” in which Olive imagines that her parents are giving her the love she deserves, as shown in the lyrics “We always knew you were a winner” and “Olive, we couldn’t be prouder.” The three seniors’ spectacular singing abilities and portrayal of their respective characters made for a beautiful moment, one that makes audience members cry. Max Lukes told the Crimson that “The I Love You Song” was his favorite moment of the play, even though he admits he’s “a little biased” as he sings in it.
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
Of course, such a beautiful moment couldn’t have been possible without the talented stage crew. Throughout the play, the stage crew utilizes elaborate lighting techniques to highlight characters and certain moments of the play. Here, those working the spotlight capture the beauty of the moment between Olive and her mother, while making their surroundings darker to turn the focus to them.
Stage manager Max Bozack ‘24, who has worked on a total of five productions at Bernards, leads the stage crew from the sound booth near the back of the PAC, making the show possible from behind the scenes. Max reports that he loves “working with everyone on cast and crew on another amazing show!” And, an amazing show it was.
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
And then, there were two. Olive and William Barfée are the finalists at The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, having spelled countless words correctly to make it to this moment. But viewers have not only seen them become finalists, but have also watched as they have grown. “There was a lot of excitement during the final scenes of the show because the whole play has been leading up to this moment,” Annie Kacynzski reports. Viewers watch as Olive learns that she doesn’t need to worry about whether or not her negligent parents make it to the bee, but instead worry about having fun spelling. William is no longer the cranky speller he once was, and has now made friends with his fellow spellers.
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
In the final moments of the play, William Barfée is named the winner of the bee. In a memorable moment, all spellers gather on stage to tell audience members what becomes of them later in life. But, it wasn’t just this moment that made the show memorable. In fact, it would be hard to pick one, or even a few memorable moments that summed up the beauty of this production. Assistant Director Mr. Ciocco says that The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee “was a memorable musical.” “It was a great experience working on my second show here at Bernards,” Mr. Ciocco goes on, and notes that the production was made possible by the fact that “the kids worked very hard.”
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
At the end of the final musical number, “Finale,” the ensemble gathers on stage with the leads. Paired with an energetic leading cast, a fun and also energetic ensemble made for several fantastic performances.
Sarah Maqueda ‘23, ensemble member and understudy for Rona Lisa Perretti, was thrilled to be a part of this musical, being able to, as her cast bio reads, “to have spent time with all her friends and to have made incredible new ones.” Sunday’s show was her last performance ever at Bernards and with her fellow cast members. “This has been an amazing opportunity that I will never forget,” Sarah Maqueda reports.
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
Those who went to Sundays’ show, or the final performance, had the opportunity to watch as seniors said their thanks and goodbyes to fellow cast/crew/pit members and to directors, conductors, choreographers, and the like. Here, seniors and members of the cast/crew/pit can be seen thanking Mr. Tomaino for a fabulous performance, returning from retirement.
Mr. Tomaino isn’t the only one who’s experiencing his first time working with this cast. Conductor Mr. Taesler participated in his first production at Bernards this spring. “At first, admittedly overwhelming, but working with these students was the only way it would’ve been successful,” Mr. Taesler reports. Congratulations to Mr. Taesler for a fabulous first show at Bernards, as well as those in the pit orchestra.
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
Underclassmen members of the cast/crew/pit also had the chance to say goodbye and thank you to seniors, giving them heartwarming speeches that recounted childhood memories, theater memories, inside jokes, and a handshake between Annie Kaczynski and Kaley Welsh.
Anya Singh gave a goodbye speech to senior Ivey Mistele. After the show concluded, Anya shared, “It was amazing working with all the seniors and I loved getting tips from all of them before they left.”
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Morgan Sikes ‘24.
After the show, members of the pit orchestra gathered on stage to get a group photo.
This show wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing capabilities of the talented pit orchestra. All music that cast members sang along with was performed by those in the pit.
Grace Connell ‘23 (middle of the front row) was more than thrilled to be a part of the pit orchestra for the first time, though she has previously worked on other productions in the past, both on and off stage. “It was an amazing experience,” she told the Crimson, “and I’m going to miss it so much. The tent provides!” For those of you not familiar with the physical pit itself, there is a tent that is in the corner for members of the pit to hang out in. *photo provided by Matt Chen*
Congratulations to all cast, crew, and pit orchestra members of Bernards High School Performing Arts Center’s performance of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. You put on a fantastic show.
Reporting by Morgan Sikes ‘24. Photo by Mrs. Chen.
