Hear the Buzz Behind The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee's Off-Broadway Revival

It’s about to be everyone’s “Favorite Moment” now that The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is officially in previews at New World Stages off-Broadway. The musical comedy, which follows six quirky adolescents who face off in a local spelling competition, is scheduled for a 14-week limited engagement with opening night set for November 17.

The Broadway Show spoke with the cast and director-choreographer Danny Mefford at a press event for the production. “I'm most excited for New York audiences to just have this joy bomb back in their lives,” Mefford said, “because this is such a wonderful, heartfelt exploration of competition—of life, really. What these kids are going through is Shakespearian in its stakes, but it's all couched in this gorgeous, hilarious container of the spelling bee.”

Jasmine Amy Rogers, who stars as Olive Ostrovsky, believes the characters are the heart of Spelling Bee. “It's just so real. It's very goofy, it's very silly. We're adults playing children, so there's that aspect. It's fun, but there's something about how you're just seeing these more intense versions of very real people. And in our production, I think they're not even that intense. They're just real people going through very real things.”

Glee alum Kevin McHale, who plays William Barfée, has been waiting to get back to the Bee since the cast performed at the Kennedy Center last fall. “This show is so beloved by so many people and we can feel that,” he said. “It's just as fun to do as it is to watch, and just as moving to experience being on the stage as it is to watch it."

Matt Manuel (Mitch Mahoney) recalls getting stung by the acting bug years ago while doing a production of Spelling Bee outside Detroit, Michigan. He’s feeling all the emotions about performing “The I Love You Song” with Rogers and Lilli Cooper. “First of all, I don't know if we have ever had three Black people in these roles,” Manuel said. “And at the same time, we get to sing it. I just feel like you feel a shift in the atmosphere when we get to do this together and I'm just so grateful for that. We all lend our voices to one another and it is just beautiful.”

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee features a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin and a score by Tony winner William Finn. The cast also includes Philippe Arroyo, Autumn Best, Leana Rae Concepcion, Justin Cooley and Jason Kravits.

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