The spelling bee has begun and we have a first look! See the photos from the Off-Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, currently in previews at New World Stages. Kevin McHale, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Justin Cooley, Lilli Cooper, and more star in the William Finn-Rachel Sheinkin musical.
The limited engagement, which marks the 20th anniversary of the 2005 musical, is scheduled to continue through February 15, 2026. Danny Mefford (Kimberly Akimbo) is directing.
Company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Kevin McHale and company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Lilli Cooper and company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Leana Rae Concepcion and company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Matt Manuel and Philippe Arroyo in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jason Kravits and Lilli Cooper in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Matt Manuel, Autumn Best, and Justin Cooley in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Autumn Best in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Kevin McHale in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jasmine Amy Rogers and Kevin McHale in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The cast boasts Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo) as Leaf Coneybear, Kevin McHale (Glee) as William Barfée, Lilli Cooper (Tootsie) as Rona Lisa Peretti, Jason Kravits (The Drowsy Chaperone) as Vice Principal Douglas Panch, Philippe Arroyo (& Juliet) as Chip Tolentino, Leana Rae Concepcion (Merrily We Roll Along) as Marcy Park, 2025 Tony nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers (BOOP!) as Olive Ostrovsky, Autumn Best (Woman of the Hour) as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, and Matt Manuel (Ain't Too Proud) as Mitch Mahoney. McHale, Arroyo, and Concepcion are all reprising their performances from this staging's earlier bow at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center.
Also back from the Kennedy Center run are costume designer Emily Rebholz, lighting designer David Weiner, and sound designer Haley Parcher. New for the Off-Broadway creative team is scenic designer Teresa L. Williams. Carmel Dean serves as music supervisor, with music direction by Elizabeth Doran and general management by 321 Theatrical Management. Rachel Zucker is production stage manager.
The musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2005 after an Off-Broadway run, features a Tony-winning book by Sheinkin (adapted from a play by Rebecca Feldman) and music and lyrics by the late two-time Tony winner Finn. The work is set at a fictional middle school spelling bee, where a lovable band of misfits—plus a few lucky audience members—assemble to duke it out on their knowledge of word spellings and languages of origin. The show was a Best Musical nominee at the 2005 Tony Awards, winning for Sheinkin's book and original cast member Dan Fogler's featured performance.
The Off-Broadway return is being produced by Barbara Whitman, Aaron Glick, and Timothy Bloom, with co-producers James L. Nederlander, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Debra Martin Chase, Rachel Sussman, Patrick Catullo, and Ryan Solomon. The musical is being presented by special arrangement with David Stone.
