The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music & Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin Originally Directed by James Lapine
An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming "ding" of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves a champion! At least the losers get a juice box.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Directed by James Lapine
Circle in the Square Theatre
April 15, 2005 - January 20, 2008
This original production started Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre before transferring to Broadway.
Photos by Joan Marcus
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Opening Night Production Credits:
Music by William Finn
Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Directed by James Lapine
Theatre Owned / Operated by Circle in the Square (under the direction of Theodore Mann and Paul Libin)
Produced by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Barrington Stage Company and Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman: Artistic Director; Timothy J. McClimon: Executive Director)
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
Additional Material by Jay Reiss
Music orchestrated by Michael Starobin
Musical Director: Vadim Feichtner
Vocal arrangements by Carmel Dean
Based on "C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E," an original play by The Farm
Choreographed by Dan Knechtges
Resident Director: Darren Katz
Scenic Design by Beowulf Boritt
Costume Design by Jennifer Caprio
Lighting Design by Natasha Katz
Sound Design by Dan Moses Schreier
Hair and Wig Design by Marty Kopulsky
Associate Lighting Design: Philip Rosenberg
Assistant Scenic Design: Jo Winiarski
Assistant Costume Design: Brian Russman
Associate Sound Design: David Bullard
Assistant Lighting Design: John Viesta
Automated Lights Programmer: Laura Frank
General Manager: 321 Theatrical Management
Company Manager: Seth Marquette
Production Stage Manager: Andrea "Spook" Testani
Production Manager: Kai Brothers
Stage Manager: Kelly Hance
Assistant Stage Mgr: Lisa Yuen
Musical Coordinator: Michael Keller
Conducted by Vadim Feichtner
Music Copying: Emily Grishman Music Preparation
Press Representative: The Publicity Office
Casting: Tara Rubin Casting
Marketing: The Araca Group
Dance Captain: Derrick Baskin
Advertising: Serino Coyne, Inc.
Photographer: Joan Marcus
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Derrick Baskin: Mitch Mahoney
Deborah S. Craig: Marcy Park
Jesse Tyler Ferguson: Leaf Coneybear
Dan Fogler: William Barfee
Lisa Howard: Rona Lisa Peretti
Celia Keenan-Bolger: Olive Ostrovsky
Jose Llana: Chip Tolentino
Jay Reiss: Douglas Panch
Sarah Saltzberg: Logainne SchwartzandgrubenierreNotable Broadway cast replacements included Jennifer Simard as Rona; Barrett Foa, Rory O'Malley, and Stanley Bahorek as Leaf; Josh Gad as Barfée; Greta Lee as Marcy; James Monroe Iglehart as Mitch Mahoney; and Mo Rocca and Darrell Hammond as Panch.
2005 Drama Desk Awards
Winner for Outstanding Book of a Musical, Outstanding Ensemble Performance and Outstanding Director of a Musical
Nominated for three additional awards for the Broadway production: Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Music and Lyrics
2005 Lucille Lortel Awards
Winner of Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Featured Actor (Dan Fogler)
Nominated for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Choreographer
2005 Tony Awards
Nominated for six awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical
Winner for Best Book of a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Awards, Reviews & Features
“The director, James Lapine, Mr. Finn's collaborator on ‘Falsettos,’ is also in impeccable form, managing to transform into virtues two of the theater's most reliable pitfalls, namely audience participation and the usually ghastly conceit of adult actors playing kids… The actors inhabit these roles with a mixture of sincerity and sly humor that allows them to exuberantly indulge the kids' hopeless nerdiness without turning them into flagrant caricatures. They succumb to neither grating cuteness nor sentimental condescension, a tribute both to their own skills and to the guiding hand of Mr. Lapine.”