VideoVideo: See Kevin McHale, Beanie Feldstein, More Perform Songs From The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The show is about to get a star-studded production at the Kennedy Center.
By
Playbill Staff
October 03, 2024
Do you love to spell and sing showtunes? Because The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is about to get a star-studded production at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. And Playbill got an advance look. Above, see the show's cast (including Tony winner Bonnie Milligan, Kevin McHale, Beanie Feldstein, and Alex Joseph Grayson) perform three songs from the show: the title song, "Magic Foot," and "Prayer of the Comfort Counselor"
The musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2005 after an Off-Broadway run, features a Tony-winning book by Sheinkin (adapted from a play by Rebecca Feldman) and music and lyrics by two-time Tony winner Finn. The work is set at a fictional middle school spelling bee, where a lovable band of misfits—plus a few lucky audience members—assemble to duke it out on their knowledge of word spellings and languages of origin. The show was a Best Musical nominee at the 2005 Tony Awards, winning for Sheinkin's book and original cast member Dan Fogler's featured performance.
Danny Mefford is directing and choreographing, with Roberto Sinha serving as music director. The production will feature scenic design by Paul Tate dePoo III, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by David Weiner, and sound design by Haley Parcher. Matthew Lacey will serve as production stage manager.
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