Morgan Spurlock, THE SOPRANOS' Robert Funaro Sign on for 2017 BROADWAY BEE

The theatre world is abuzz about the Second Annual BROADWAY BEE on Monday, May 8th (at Le Poisson rouge in NYC). The fundraiser pits some of Broadway's brightest against each other in a high-spirited spelling bee, with eleven teams vying for the trophy.

Spellers include cast members from four of the recently Tony-nominated shows: Michael Park ("Dear Evan Hansen"), Grace McLean ("The Great Comet"), Geoff Packard ("Bandstand"), and Bhavesh Patel ("Present Laughter"). Other Broadway vets include Andrew Keenan-Bolger ("Newsies"), Lauryn Ciardullo ("Aladdin"), Ben Jeffrey ("Lion King"), Karl Kenzler ("Fiddler on the Roof"), Evan Todd ("Beautiful"), Stephanie Torns ("Waitress"), and Donald Webber, Jr. ("Hamilton").

Live, unscripted, and unpredictable, the BROADWAY BEE is a spelling contest where hilarity ensues, and creative cheating is encouraged!

Inspired by the Broadway hit "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the event will be hosted the musical's original creators, Rebecca Feldman and Jay Reiss. Award-winning filmmaker/activist Morgan Spurlock will be on hand as the "Comfort Counselor", offering solace and (comic) relief to eliminated spellers. Proceeds from the evening will benefit Broadway Bound Kids, a nonprofit that brings the performing arts to New York City children, providing community-based workshops, school-based arts residencies, summer programs, full-scale musical productions, master classes with Broadway professionals, and trips to see Broadway shows. They offer a completely FREE Saturday program and their mission is to ensure that all students have access to the arts regardless of financial circumstance.

Launched in 2004, Broadway Bound Kids has touched the lives of thousands of children; along the way, it's won fans such as John Stamos, the "Hamilton" cast, and multiple Tony award winner Christian Borle, who raves, "Broadway Bound Kids fosters a level of respect, creativity, and support that's like nothing I've ever seen."

Adds founder and CEO Erin Glass, "Our proudest accomplishments are seeing our students gain confidence and hearing them say that Broadway Bound Kids helps them forget about their worries and feel good about themselves. And the BROADWAY BEE is an integral part of ensuring that we can continue to provide these experiences for these kids."

The BROADWAY BEE will take place at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street) on Monday, May 8th at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm); Tickets for the general public are available at lpr.com/lpr_events/2nd-annual-broadway-bee-may-8th-2017. Purchase VIP level tickets for access to the pre-show red carpet event at 6pm.

To post a comment, you must register and login.