Twenty years ago, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened on Broadway, picked up two Tony Awards (plus a Grammy nomination), and introduced New York audiences to a generation of up-and-coming stars. Now, history is repeating itself at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages where a dynamite (kenspeckle) collection of actors is embracing their inner nerds by slinging and singing confounding (fuliginous) words with savvy (perspicacious) abandon. No wonder theatregoers are so ensorcelled!
All photos by Joan Marcus.
Which is not to say this hilarious show is without heart—you sort of fall in love with every sweet, loopy, somewhat broken, character.
It’s the finals of Putnam Valley’s annual spell-a-thon, held in a local high school gym, and before the competition even begins it’s clearly Game On. The hosts are former bee champion Rona Lisa Peretti (Lilli Cooper) and Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Jason Kravits), supplier of words and definitions. Outrageously funny, these two masters of improv have been given free rein to create verbal mayhem throughout.
The other adult character is Mitch Mahoney (Matt Manuel), a former gym owner who’s happy to have been recruited to pump up the crowd and hand out juice box consolation prizes.
The spellers, each with a backstory and signature quirk, include: Chip Tolentino (Philippe Arroyo), Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Autumn Best), Marcy Park (Leana Rae Concepcion), Leaf Coneybear (Justin Cooley), Olive Ostrovsky (Jasmine Amy Rogers), and Glee alum Kevin McHale, who plays William Barfée, a chronically congested, arrogant smarty pants, who visualizes words by spelling them out with his “magic” foot.
Kevin McHale.
After hearing a production of Spelling Bee was being mounted in DC, McHale immediately sent in a tape. “I love this show, and I love this character, and I had never done theatre before, so I felt like I had to go for it,” he says, adding that his real-life spelling prowess is far from that of Barfée. For example, while some of his castmates managed to swan through adolescence without taking part in a bee, McHale recalls a particularly inglorious strikeout in 5th grade: “I might’ve been the first one eliminated, to be honest."
Having left scholastic bees and dicey spelling behind for an acting career, the Texas native is totally into his stage debut, even if it means performing eight shows a week during cold and flu season. “Listen, I am bubble boy. I get sick so incredibly easy. These theatre people are professional athletes; I’m just watching and learning,” he says, noting that everyone in the show makes a conscientious effort to stay healthy, with rest during down time being a top priority. And so far it’s been working, a major plus since in addition to actors, the show enrolls four theatregoers as bee participants.
“I think the audience gets really invested and encouraging of those four to try to beat us, and when they do really well the audience goes crazy,” says McHale, who describes the reaction like something you might experience at a concert. “It’s amazing. Getting people to laugh loudly and cheer is the greatest reward."
As for the show as a whole, McHale finds it “quite literally, perfect,” citing differences from the original Broadway version as mostly reflecting the era. “It now takes place in 2025 and there are references that are more organic to this time period,” he explains, having found the rehearsal period instrumental in making tweaks. ”None are over the top—just subtle ways to say ‘this is current day.’”
It's these updates, along with the wildly funny unscripted sections, that showcase Spelling Bee’s unique and spontaneous reputation – so much so that even individuals who aren’t natural fans of musical comedy find themselves “spellbound.”
“Whether this is your first time seeing theatre or your 500th, I think this show has the magical ability to entertain everyone,” says McHale. “It’s so smart and funny, it laughs at itself, but also tells a really moving and universal story. Also, the music is so good—what’s not to love?”
MATT MANUEL (Mitch Mahoney, above, a personal trainer whose gym closed during the pandemic: “I’ll take any job! Let’s spell!”)
SPELLING: I was actually homeschooled. My mother actually gave us SAT words every week and whoever spelled and used them correctly in a sentence, would win a prize.
THE SHOW: I was familiar with it because it was the first show I did as an adult. It was a small regional production, but it made me fall in love with acting, and since then I haven’t looked back.
YOUR CHARACTER: The show has changed quite a bit, but my character…has had the biggest overhaul. I’m incredibly grateful to Danny [Mefford], our director, and Rachel [Sheinkin], the script writer. They really gave me many creative liberties and truly cared about what I wanted for Mitch, and that is truly a gift.
AUTUMN BEST (Above, as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, the bee’s youngest participant, driven to win by her fiercely competitive dads: “Doesn’t anybody else here care about the rules?”)
SPELLING: I guess you could call me a visual learner because I can’t spell without writing it down first, so I think I would have done terribly [in a spelling bee].
THE SHOW: We have had people buy tickets thinking they were not about to see a musical but an actual spelling bee, so I would tell them that it’s not a real bee—just so they know!
YOUR CHARACTER: I have a few fun improv moments from rehearsal that made it in the show. I also have the honor of writing my own monologue, the “Schwartzy rant,” that I update every week or so to be current, and that has turned into my favorite part of the show.
JASON KRAVITS (Above, as Douglas Panch, co-host alongside Rona Lisa Peretti: “Why don’t you quit stalling and spell the damn word!”)
SPELLING: I’m certainly a lover of language, especially word puzzles...crosswords, Scrabble, Boggle, etc. Though I’m always surprised at what words I don’t know how to spell.
THE SHOW: My favorite moments are always the ones that sort of break the fourth wall a bit. Rona’s improvised commentary on the guest spellers, the actors’ real-time reactions to audience responses. I also enjoy Panch’s “crash out” moment, as it’s the only time in the show I get to stand up from the table!
THE AUDIENCE: It’s ALWAYS different, and that makes it fun for everybody. Truthfully, part of my job is to gauge the audience reactions and decide when to move on to the next beat in the show. Whether it’s the laughter following the Magic Foot reprise, the applause after Logainne’s rant, or the cheers after Olive’s beautiful ‘I Love You’ song. In that way, the audience and I sort of work in concert with each other.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is playing at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St. For tickets and playing schedule call 212-239-6200, or visit spellingbee.com. Now extended through September 6th!
