The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the offbeat musical creation of Tony award-winning composer and lyricist William Finn, Rachel Sheinkin, and Rebecca Feldman is directed by Tony Award-winner James Lapine. This hilarious tale of overachievers’ angst — tender and sardonic — chronicles the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime.

Charles Isherwood of the New York Times called it “irresistible and entirely lovable,” praising William Finn’s “nimble, upbeat score,” Rachel Sheinkin’s “riotously funny” book and James Lapine’s “impeccable” direction. Terry Teachout in the Wall Street Journal called the show “the best in town – that rarity of rarities, a super-smart show that is also a bona fide crowd-pleaser.” David Rooney of Variety stated that, “this winning new musical is so generously warm-heated, only the most bitter misanthrope could resist its charms.” Michael Sommers of the Star-Ledger called it “a nifty musical gift,” and Linda Winer of Newsday deemed it “endearingly deranged.” Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press simply asked, “How do you spell h-i-t?”

A limited number (20) of $25 lottery tickets will be offered at every performance. These lottery tickets are available in-person, at the box office only.

Recipient of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical; 2005 Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Director of a Musical, Outstanding Book of a Musical, and Ensemble; and the 2005 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical.