Theater News

Jesse Tyler Ferguson and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Original Cast to Reunite

The one-night event will benefit The Actors Fund’s Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative.

A scene from Broadway's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
A scene from Broadway's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
(© Joan Marcus)

The nine original Broadway cast members of William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will reunite for a one-night-only 10-year anniversary benefit concert on July 6 at 7:30pm at Town Hall. The event will benefit The Actors Fund’s Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative.

The original Spelling Bee cast, all of whom will be in attendance, includes Derrick Baskin, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lisa Howard, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jose Llana, Jay Reiss, Sarah Saltzberg, and Dan Fogler, who won a Tony Award for his performance in the musical. Sheinkin's book also took home a Tony. James Lapine and Darren Katz will direct, with musical direction by Vadim Feichtner and Carmel Dean.

The evening will also feature celebrity guest spellers, who will attempt to beat Putnam County’s spelling legends, including Chip Tolentino, William Barfee, and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre.

The reunion concert is is being held in memory of Andrea "Spook" Testani Gordon, the beloved production stage manager of the original Broadway and off-Broadway production, who passed away on November 30, 2014 following a battle with cancer.

For tickets and more information, click here.