‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ is in town. Get your dictionaries out!

William Barfée is a fantastic speller for an elementary school kid.

Steve Pacek, the grown-up actor who plays Barfée, a.k.a. Barf, in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, however, is not. “The only spelling bee I was ever in, I was the first one out,” Pacek confessed. “It was on the word receive — I forgot the i-before-e-except-after-c rule.”

Starting May 25, the production will be performed at the Arden Theatre.

“William Barfée, he has a different outcome in this spelling bee,” said Pacek, declining to be specific. “But he is not the first one out.”

Pacek and the other actors are all adults playing elementary school students as they enter the final round of a spelling bee.

“It’s a lesson in unexpected friendships and staying true to who you are after finding out your quirks, your idiosyncrasies, and the things that make you unique,” Pacek said, describing the play.

Pacek first played Barf in 2010 in a production directed by Matthew Decker at Norristown’s Theatre Horizon.

“The style of the show is very delightfully absurd,” Pacek said. “If you were to direct the show with kids that were the age of the characters, it would lose a lot of the comedy, because it is so absurd to see me or any of these adults playing elementary kids.”

Part of the show’s fun comes from guest spellers recruited from the audience. “They are in the mix. They act like they are contestants in the spelling bee,” Pacek said. “Every show is different.

“You never know what they are going to do,” he said. “You are forced to be aware, listen, and react accordingly. William will keep shooting people evil glances and yelling at them.”

One time, when Pacek played the role in the Theatre Horizon production, his stepfather was one of the guest spellers.

“When my stepdad sat down next to me, I kept shooting him looks. William Barfée was very competitive with his stepdad,” Pacek remembered laughing.

Pacek’s stepdad was such a good speller that he was not leaving the stage. It can happen, Pacek said, but the script makes room for all sorts of scenarios.

“It’s like a choose-your-own adventure novel,” Pacek said.

Whether you can spell or not, there are lessons to be learned from the show:

“Accept friendship when friendship is offered is a really touching and unexpectedly poignant lesson,” Pacek said. “And don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself.”

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” runs May 25 through June 18 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2d St., Philadelphia, 215-922-1122 or ardentheatre.org. Check with the theater for COVID protocols.

For information on other local events, visit inquirer.com/things-to-do-philly