Can you use the word in a sentence?

In 1925, Frank Neuhauser correctly spelled the word "gladiolus." Since that first championship, the National Spelling Bee has become a large part of American culture. From Charlie Brown specials to The Simpsons, the "bee" has been spoofed and its participants characterized as over-zealous, over-achieving children who stop at nothing to succeed. The public has had an ongoing fascination with all things "bee" for more than 83 years. So, it seemed natural to a group of improv actors and writers in New York to create a show with the bee as a central "character."

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is based on an original improvised play called C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E. The original work was created by Rebecca Feldman and performed by The Farm, a New York-based improv troupe. Writer and playwright, Wendy Wasserstein, saw the original and was so enamored by the show that she suggested that her friend, songwriter and lyricist William Finn, see it. He almost immediately contacted the shows creator and began transforming this work of improvisational comedy into a full-length musical.

The new musical was work-shopped from February through July of 2004 and moved Off-Broadway the following year to the Second Stage Theatre garnering box-office and critical success. The show moved to Broadway in 2005 and ran for more than 1000 performances!
The show features six adolescents who compete in a spelling bee, which takes place in the fictional Putnam Valley Middle School. The "kids" are all portrayed by adults who capture the awkwardness and craziness of being a teenager in the throes of puberty. While scripted, the show hasn't lost its improv roots. Each night, a few audience members are selected to make their musical theater debut as featured "spellers" on stage with the cast.

Over the years, many guest spellers have tried to beat the cast in the bee. In 2006, National Scripps Spelling Bee Champion, Katharine Close, survived 14 rounds and was the last audience member to be eliminated. The show has also had its share of celebrity spellers. Last year, Julie Andrews, who was on hand for a Broadway production promoting Kids Night on Broadway, was eliminated when she misspelled "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" during the competition.

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE speaks to the best and the worst of what it means to be an adolescent. The characters share the need to win and run the gamut from the girl whose best friend is a dictionary, to the Boy Scout who hits puberty at the most inopportune moment. In this Tony ® Award-winning musical comedy, the audience will relive their teenage years...at a very safe distance.

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