THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Arrives At DeVos

Phoenix Entertainment is pleased to announce that the Tony Award-winning musical comedy THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, is coming to Grand Rapids' DeVos Performance Hall from April 7-11, 2009 for 7 performances. Tickets are now on sale.

SPELLING BEE is directed by James Lapine, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winner (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods) who also directed the Broadway production. The musical, conceived by Rebecca Feldman, with additional material written by Jay Reiss, features music and lyrics by Tony Award-winner William Finn (Falsettos, Elegies, A New Brain) and a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin. SPELLING BEE features scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Charlie Morrison, sound design by Craig Cassidy and choreography by Dan Knechtges.

In THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. This tuneful, offbeat and at times heartwarming show offers audience members the opportunity (strictly voluntary) to become part of the action as on-stage spellers. Each performance will also feature a local celebrity speller. "Can you spell i-r-r-e-s-i-s-t-i-b-l-e? SPELLING BEE is riotously funny and remarkably ingenious. Gold stars all around," says the New York Times. In the Wall Street Journal, SPELLING BEE was called,"perfect in every possible way - that rarity of rarities, a super-smart musical that is also a bona fide crowd-pleaser. An ingenious blend of simplicity and sophistication, it's not merely funny, it's wise."

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE in based on C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original play by The Farm improv group in New York City. SPELLING BEE had its world premiere production in July 2004 at Barrington Stage Company, Sheffield, MA. Under the direction of James Lapine, SPELLING BEE officially opened Off-Broadway on February 7, 2005 at Second Stage Theatre, where it ran from January 11 through March 20, 2005. The show then moved to Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre, with previews beginning on April 15, 2005 and an official opening on May 2, 2005. The Broadway production closed January 20, 2008. SPELLING BEE is produced by Phoenix Entertainment.

The performance schedule for SPELLING BEE at DeVos Performance Hall is:
7:30 p.m. on April 7-9, 8 p.m. on April 10 & 11; plus matinees at 2 p.m. on April 8 & 11.

Tickets for SPELLING BEE are $27-$67. Students/Seniors can receive $17 balcony tickets. Group discount available. Tickets now on sale at the presenter's office: Broadway Grand Rapids, 122 Lyon NW in Grand Rapids, by calling 616-235-6285, or online at www.broadwaygrandrapids.org. Tickets may also be purchased at DeVos Place or Van Andel Arena walk-up box-offices, and through Ticketmaster, 616-456-3333; and at all Ticketmaster outlets, including D&W stores and Macy's. For more information about the show, log on to www.broadwaygrandrapids.org and click on the SPELLING BEE logo, which has links to the official show website and ticketmaster.com.

Broadway Grand Rapids' presentation of SPELLING BEE is sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, Foster Swift Collins and Smith LLP, The Grand Rapids Press, STAR 105.7 and WXMI FOX 17. Preferred hotels for the 2008-09 season are the Amway Grand Plaza and JW Marriott.

For more information about
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE,
please visit www.spellingbeethemusical.com.
Official show website:
www.spellingbeethemusical.com

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