Review Roundup: SPELLING BEE at the Kennedy Center

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is being presented at the Kennedy Center, featuring music by two-time Tony Award winner William Finn and a book by Tony Award winner Rachel Sheinkin. 

Directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford with musical direction by Roberto Sinha, the all-star cast includes Philippe Arroyo as Chip Tolentino, Leana Rae Concepcion as Marcy Park, Beanie Feldstein as Logan Schwartzandgrubenierre, Noah Galvin as Leaf Coneybear, Alex Joseph Grayson as Mitch Mahoney, Taran Killam as Vice Principal Douglas Panch, Kevin McHale as William Barfee, Tony Award winner Bonnie Milligan as Rona Lisa Peretti, and Nina White as Olive Ostrovsky. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee plays the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater through October 20, 2024.

Six spellers enter, but only one can be named winner of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! This charmingly witty and touching musical has entertained audiences since its Tony Award–winning debut. A group of six mid-pubescents compete in the title championship, spelling their way through vexing vocabulary while sharing hilarious and poignant personal stories. See what the critics are saying...

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Naveen Kumar, Washington Post: Beanie Feldstein, on the heels of a divisive turn in Broadway’s “Funny Girl,” has an endearing warmth as Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre (the name is a joke about indecisive parents). But her take stands out as twee, with a lisp that thumps against “t” as much as “s” and occasionally makes her difficult to understand. A bit of reining in would help ground Logainne with the others on Earth, where she is the one voicing timely objections to bans on books and drag.

Em, Skow, DC Theater Arts: Guiding the Spellers were the equally idiosyncratic bee staff — Bonnie Milligan as the warmly nostalgic Rona Lisa Peretti, Taran Killam as the unpredictable (and hilarious) Vice Principal Douglas Panch, and Alex Joseph Grayson as the silvery-voiced, pep-talking Mitch Mahoney. All exceptional additions to the chaos, standout moments were Vice Principal Panch’s ever-blossoming crush on Rona throughout, Rona’s not so masked envy of the kids as she longed to re-live her own youthful glory, and Mitch’s increasingly sympathetic juice box handoffs before sending each eliminated contestant down the aisle and out of the competition. Additionally, both Grayson and Milligan alongside White as Olive’ parents in “The I Love You Song” were transcendent. The trio of voices locked into perfect frequency, cutting to the heart of each audience member and chord.

Elliot Lanes, BroadwayWorld: Overall, this production of The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee shows that the show is still tons of fun and makes us musical theatre geeks yearn for another show from the genius wordsmith William Finn. Maybe Broadway Center Stage can present his The Royal Family of Broadway next season.

Hailey Wharram, Georgetowner: Directed by “Kimberly Akimbo” alumnus Danny Mefford, the show follows six socially-awkward brainiacs during the most momentous, nerve-wracking occasion of their young lives: their local spelling bee finals. Terrified of failure and hungry to proceed to the next round of competition in Washington, D.C., these kiddos tie themselves in knots to avoid hearing the fearsome ding of the bell. With an uproarious script and an ensemble for the ages, ‘Spelling Bee’ is guaranteed to have you smiling from ear to ear from start to finish.

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