词汇大师--F-u-n With Broadway's

　　AA:   I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster: a track from the original Broadway cast recording 1 of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

RS:   The show is a musical satire 2 of spelling competitions and the pressure to "go to Washington" 鈥?where, in real life, the best young spellers compete in the National Spelling Bee.

　　VOICE:   Ms. Peretti. Please spell "syzygy."

RONA:   S-y-z-y-g-y. Syzygy?

VOICE:   We have a winner!

RONA:   Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

CHIP:   At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

My parents keep on telling me

Just being here is winning.

Although

I know it isn't so.

RONA:   But it's a very nice

Very, very nice ...

RONA, CHIP:   Very, very nice

Very nice beginning.

RONA:   Our winner here last year: Chip Tolentino.

SCHWARZY:   Ms. Peretti!

RONA:   And our youngest competitor, Logainne Schwarzandgrubeniere.

CONEYBEAR:   At the 25th Annual

Putnam County Spelling game -- Bee!

I'll stand when they announce my

name:

RONA:   Leaf Coneybear.

CONEYBEAR:   And try and keep from shaking.

SCHWARZY:   Alas 3

His shaking will not pass

CONEYBEAR/CHIP/RONA/SCHWARZY:

'Cause it's a very big,

Very fraught 4

Simple but it's not

It's a very big undertaking 5.

RONA:   Returning after last year's tragic 6 setback 7, William Barfee.

BARFEE:   It's pronounced Barfee, there's an accent egue.

RONA:   I'm not sure who this girl is.

MARCY:   Marcy Park. Recent transfer.

SCHWARZY:   Winner's destination: Washington, D.C.

CHIP/SCHWARZY:   Plasma 8 TV

In a fancy hotel.

MARCY/CHIP/SCHWARZY:   Where they treat you well.

ALL:   All because you love to spell.

We spell.

RONA:   It's a marvelous memory

If you win the spelling bee.

One's life improves from A to Z

The minute you are crowned here.

I see a trophy 9 held by me!

And when I won

Did I swell 10?

Oh the stories I could tell!

But braggarts don't do well

Around here.

OLIVE:   Hi, I'm Olive Ostrovsky. Do you know where I check in?

BARFEE:   Shut up!

CONEYBEAR:   At the 25th Annual

We memorize the manual ...

ALL:   About how to spell these words.

Words that require thought.

People think we're automatons 11.

But that is exactly what we're not.

MARCY:   We hear the word.

SCHWARZY:   We breathe.

CONEYBEAR:   We wait.

ALL:   Unlike idiots we ideate.

RONA:   To ideate is to form an image or idea, to think

CONEYBEAR:   At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ...

SCHWARZY:   We feel no animosity.

SCHWARZY/OLIVE:   And yet our heads are spinning.

BARFEE:   We are

The slightest bit bizarre.

MARCY:   But since the time is now ...

CONEYBEAR:   Holy cow!

SCHWARZY:   We shall make a solemn vow 12

To concentrate on winning.

ALL:   We concentrate on winning.

At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

We speak so damn convincingly.

RONA:   They're nervous but they're grinning.

GIRLS:   It seems

We're living out our dreams.

BOYS:   Which is a very nice

Very nice, very very very nice

ALL:   Very nice, very nice

Very very very nice

Very nice

Beginning

RONA:   25th Annual

SPELLERS:   25th Annual

ALL:   Putnam County Spelling Bee!

RS:   "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is on stage in New York and San Francisco.  A national tour is scheduled to begin later this year.

AA:   And that's Wordmaster for this week -- online at voanews.com/wordmaster.  Our e-mail address is word@voanews.com.  With Rosanne Skirble, I'm Avi Arditti.