Spelling Bee Begins Previews April 15

Previews begin on Friday, April 15 at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre (50th St., between Broadway and 8th) for The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the new musical with music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman and directed by James Lapine. Following a critically acclaimed, sold-out run at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre, the show will be presented on Broadway by David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Barrington Stage Co. and Second Stage Theatre, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will have its official press opening on Monday, May 2. The entire, universally acclaimed Off-Broadway cast will move with the show to Circle in the Square.

In The 25thAnnual 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.

The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee features Derrick Baskin as Mitch Mahoney, Deborah S. Craig as Marcy Park, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Leaf Coneybear, Dan Fogler as William Barfee, Lisa Howard as Rona Lisa Peretti, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Olive Ostrovsky, Jose Llana as Chip Tolentino, Jay Reiss as Vice-Principal Douglas Panch and Sarah Saltzberg as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre.

The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee has choreography by Dan Knechtges, musical direction by Vadim Feichtner, and orchestrations by Michael Starobin. Scenic design is by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by Jennifer Caprio, lighting by Natasha Katz, and sound design by Dan Moses Schreier.

The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee had its world premiere production, under the direction of Michael Unger and Rebecca Feldman, in July 2004 at Barrington Stage Company, Sheffield, MA. It was subsequently presented at Second Stage Theatre, where it had its official opening on February 7, 2005 (and where it completed its run on March 20).

The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee begins performances at Broadway's Circle in the Square (50th St., between Broadway and 8th) on April 15 and will have its official press opening on Monday, May 2. The performance schedule will be: Tuesday evenings at 7pm (BUT: Tuesdays at 8pm during previews - April 19 and 26), Wednesday through Friday evenings at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm and 7:30pm. Tickets for the Broadway engagement will be available through Telecharge at 212-239-6200 (or at www.telecharge.com) beginning March 20. The Circle in the Square box office opens on Monday, March 21.