Spelling Bee Will Transfer to B-R-O-A-D-W-A-Y

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the new musical with a score by William Finn and a book by Rachel Sheinkin, will be moving to Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre after its current, sold-out run at Second Stage is completed on March 20. The show is scheduled to begin performances at Circle in the Square (50th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue) on Friday, April 15 in advance of a Monday, May 2 opening.

The musical tells the story of how one fateful spelling competition changes six young people’s lives forever. It is directed by James Lapine, with choreography by Dan Knechtges and musical direction by Vadim Feichtner. The full Off-Broadway cast — Derrick Baskin, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Dan Fogler, Lisa Howard, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jose Llana, Jay Reiss, and Sarah Saltzberg — will recreate their roles on Broadway.

In his review of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for TheaterMania, David Finkle wrote: “Great news! The American musical comedy — with equal emphasis on the ‘musical’ part and the ‘comedy’ part — is alive and well.”