Spelling Bee Creators William Finn & Rachel Sheinkin to Debut New Musical with Barrington Stage in 2018

Rachel Sheinkin, the librettist who won a 2005 Tony Award for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and that musical's Tony-winning songwriter, William Finn, will offer up the world premiere musical The Royal Family of Broadway at Barrington Stage Company in 2018. Set to kick off the Pittsfield, Massachusetts theater's new season, the show will begin previews on June 7 and open on June 13 for a limited run through June 30.

In an exclusive joint statement to Broadway.com, Finn and Sheinkin said, "We're thrilled to be back at Barrington Stage, artistic home for our collaboration. Bill started Royal Family of Broadway some time ago with Richard Greenberg. We lost the rights, then regained them, then Rachel joined the team. We're excited now to be working with John Rando and Joshua Bergasse to bring Royal Family of Broadway to life at last at BSC."

Adapted from George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's play The Royal Family, the 1920s-set The Royal Family of Broadway is loosely based on the legendary Barrymore family, centered on three generations of actors: an aging imperious grande dame, a Broadway star looking for love and a promising ingénue—each having to make pivotal choices in their lives. Directing the musical will be Tony winner John Rando with choreography by Tony nominee Joshua Bergasse (the pair who teamed up on Barrington's On the Town, which later moved to Broadway).

In celebration of the 100th birthdays of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins, Barrington will next present West Side Story, with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (and based on a conception by Jerome Robbins). Directed by Julianne Boyd, the modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet will feature choreography by Tony nominee Robert La Fosse. Previews will begin on July 27 with an opening set for August 1. The run will conclude on August 26.

Casting for both productions will be announced at a later date.