Casting Announced for Chicago's Spelling Bee

Spellers and bee staff are raring to go for the open-ended Chicago company of the new Tony-award winning Broadway musical comedy THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Performances begin on March 28, 2006 at the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place, 175 East Chestnut Street in Chicago.

All casting was conducted exclusively in Chicago by the original Broadway producer, director and authors, drawing from the rich pool of talented actors in the city and its environs. The results are a diverse group of performers from improvisers to local stage veterans – some of whom will be making their professional debuts.

The dedicated Chicago production of SPELLING BEE will be produced by David Stone, who also brought WICKED to Chicago, and will be directed by James Lapine, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winner who also directed the Broadway production. The musical, conceived by Rebecca Feldman, features music and lyrics by Tony Award-winner William Finn (Falsettos, Elegies) and a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin.

The cast of witty spellers and Bee staff will be played by BILL LARKIN (The Second City conservatory, The Groundlings) as Douglas Panch; CRISTEN PAIGE (Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman Theatre) as Olive Ostrovsky; LUCIA SPINA (Marriott Theatre, Drury Lane Water Tower, Milwaukee Rep.) as Rona Lisa Peretti; DERRICK TRUMBLY (Columbia College, Idealist Theatre Co.) as Leaf Coneybear; BRAD WEINSTOCK (Northwestern, AMTP) as Chip Tolentino; and introducing to the Chicago stage Midwesterners ERIC ROEDIGER as William Barfee, JEN SESE as Marcy Park and CHRISTINE WERNY as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre. The role of Mitch Mahoney is not yet cast.

The cast also features, CHRISTINE BUNUAN (Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare), ROBIN ALEXIS CHILDRESS (Marriott Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare), JULIUS THOMAS III and George AndreW WOLFF (Marriott Theatre and Chicago Humanities Fesitival).

In the musical comedy, 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.

"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 critic went on to say, "I predict it will run forever."

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE will appear in a long-run engagement at Chicago's Drury Lane Theatre, located at 175 East Chestnut Street. The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays at 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 & 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Individual tickets range in price from $59.50 - $69.50 and will go on-sale to the public in February. Tickets will be available at the Drury Lane Box Office (175 East Chestnut Street) as well as all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St. and 151 W. Randolph St.), through the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers (including all Carson Pirie Scott stores, Tower Records, Hot Tix, select Coconuts and fye stores) or online at ticketmaster.com.

Tickets are available for groups of 20 or more by calling (312) 977-1710. THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is part of the Neumann Homes Broadway In Chicago 2006 Season Series. Season Series tickets are available now by calling toll-free to (877) 890-0174