SPELLBOUND

This warm, witty revival reminds us that
growing up is never easy—but it can be hilarious

Jon Cryer as Vice Principal Douglas Panch and Lilli Cooper as the Bee’s host Rona Lisa Peretti in the Off-Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at New World Stages.

Bee-lieve the hype. The Off-Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, choreographed and directed by Danny Mefford, is pretty close to letter-perfect. The one-act musical comedy portrays the agonies of adolescence, along with a few adult struggles, through the lens of a county spelling competition among six sixth graders and their three adult supervisors. The show famously incorporates four audience volunteers, who are also given the opportunity to spell—or misspell—words that keep them in or knock them out of the competition. Spelling Bee was derived from the improvisational play C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E created by Rebecca Feldman. Rachel Sheinkin‘s Tony-winning book (with additional material by Jay Reiss) perfectly complements William Finn’s character-driven songs.

Jasmine Amy Rogers

Justin Cooley

The cast will have changes later in the run. The group of six brainy misfit spellers I saw are: Philippe Arroyo as last year’s Bee winner Chip Tolentino; Autumn Best as Logainne SchwartandGrubenierre, who has two overly-attentive dads (hence the last name); Justin Cooley as Leaf Coneybear, whose family doesn’t believe he’s very smart; Jasmine Amy Rogers as Olive Ostrovsky, whose mother lives in an ashram in India and whose father has become emotionally distant; Kevin McHale as William Barfée, a socially awkward, stuck-up but likeable know-it-all whose secret to great spelling is his “Magic Foot”; and Leana Rae Concepcion as Marcy Park, the new girl who seems emotionally distant, focused solely on success. The character of Comfort Counselor Mitch Mahoney (Matt Manuel), who hands the losers a juice box, has been re-written to a trainer whose gym fell on difficult times during the pandemic.

Matt Manuel, Autumn Best, Justin Cooley

Leana Rae Concepcion

A lot of the humor comes from the sample sentences offered to help each competitor determine how to spell the words they are given. Additional comedy comes from the backstory vignettes that flesh out each character’s distinctive personality. Many of these backstories would actually be quite sad were it not for the singing and dancing that accompany them. Thanks to the epilogues that conclude the show, each character enjoys a genuine arc, mostly humorous, of course. Despite the humor, the show also includes more tender, introspective scenes, such as “The I Love You Song,” in which Olive imagines her absent parents expressing their love and support.

The Company

While singing and dancing might not seem to belong in a spelling bee, these elements work remarkably well, as evidenced by the fact that the current revival, which opened in November 2025 for a 14-week run, has now been extended through September 2026.

Kevin McHale

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photos by Joan Marcus

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St.
ends September 6, 2026
for tickets, visit Spelling Bee

upcoming cast changes:
Alex Newell joins as Rona Lisa Peretti Aug. 7–30
Nina White begins as Olive Ostrovsky Aug. 10
Kevin McHale plays his final performance as William Barfée on Aug. 16

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