How do you spell musical comedy?

“My parents will be happy I do not die,” giggles Sturgeon County actress Nadine Veroba of her new role in ELOPE Musical Theatre’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Veroba was clubbed to death in Oliver, felled by an asp in My Cleopatra and burned at the stake in Saint Joan and Me. She’s more resilient than a cat with nine lives.

But this time around, her 10-year-old character Olive Ostrovsky is a shy, lonely little girl whose mother has flown the coop to an ashram in India. And her father, as usual, works late.

This Tony-award winning musical comedy brings together six quirky adolescents. Ranging from 11 to 15, and filled with overachievers’ angst and raging hormones, they vie to win the spelling championship of the year.

Veroba, like Olive, was shy in her younger years and is delighted at the gentle transformation her character undergoes.

“She loves words and sees this as an opportunity to meet people who are like her. She’s very supportive of other spellers, but she becomes more competitive as she realizes she has a shot at it.”

The other five competitors, all social outsiders, have equally peculiar characteristics. Chip Tolentino, the total alpha male, returns to defend his title, but finds that puberty resurrects its own problem.

The touchy William BarfĂ©e is back looking for revenge after last year’s fiasco when a reaction to a peanut allergy eliminated his chances.

The youngest member, Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre is a bit of a neat freak with two overbearing, competitive gay fathers.

A poster girl for over-achievers, Marcy Park speaks six languages, is a trained gymnast, does karate and plays guitar. She barely sleeps and is tired of being the best.

The one anomaly is Leaf Coneybear, the only laid-back member of the group, who comes from a large family of hippies and makes his own clothes.

Throw into the mix a hot realtor, a horny vice principal and a comfort counsellor who is an ex-con, and the character-driven musical spells zany antics.

Conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, one of the more unusual aspects of the production is that four members from the audience are invited on stage to compete in the spelling bee.

“Because of audience involvement, it’s a different show every night. And with an element of improvisation, the actors must be more present,” adds director Kristen Finlay.

Throughout the production Finlay adds that there are moments of touching humanity, often projected through songs.

For instance, Olive’s song My Friend the Dictionary, delivers the essence of a sweet shy girl desperately searching for her parent’s approval. And BarfeĂ©’s Magic Foot song, is an energetic, bright piece describing how he spells with his foot.

“I like to call it a sexy number. It’s almost like a love affair with his foot.”

For Finlay this production is dynamic on numerous levels.

“The jokes are funny, the music is funny and as a director I’m blessed with vocalists that take risks. It has big flashy numbers and we have these kids that are not restrained.

Putnam Country Spelling Bee runs May 16 to 19 and May 29 to June 1 at L'UniThéâtre. It is recommended for audiences 12 and older.