Still More Theater Saturday - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

We received complimentary tickets to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee 

Where: New World Stages

             340 W. 50th St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 13 and Up

When: Through April 12, 2025

Me - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is such a fun musical, and this current production is well worth watching! The cast, loaded with talented singers and actors, brings their characters to life in such a meaningful way. Kevin McHale and Justin Cooley are hilarious in their roles as William Barfee and Leaf Coneybear, respectively, whose facial expressions and physical comedy alone make the audience laugh out loud many times. Additionally, Autumn Best did wonderfully in her NYC stage debut as Logan Schwartzandgrubenierre. Lilli Cooper’s singing was as beautiful as ever as Rona Lisa Peretti, and Emily N. Rudolph, as the understudy for Olive Ostrovsky, brought both heart and gorgeous vocals to her role as well.

As for the show itself, it is so entertaining, and even if you’ve seen it before, each production seems to tweak certain lines and jokes based on current events, meaning there’s always something fresh to look forward to. If you strongly dislike more vulgar comedy, specifically sex-related jokes, this may not be the right musical for you; otherwise, it’s incredibly fun and an amusing way to spend a night out.

Mom - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is one of those shows that is always a pleasant experience, no matter how many times you see it.  It's a complete laugh riot, a joyously good time, and one of the most fun times you can ever have at the theater. The current production is no exception. Even though the majority of the cast has changed since this production's inception at a venue to remain nameless, the new cast members seamlessly fit in with the holdovers from that iteration. 

The current stellar cast includes three former Tony nominees: Lilli Cooper, Justin Cooley, and Jasmine Amy Rogers, as well as Glee's Kevin McHale, among others. Faced with the difficult but envious job of holding her own opposite this veteran cast, adorable newcomer Autumn Best does an amazing job in the role of Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre. In fact, all of the performances are incredible, both delightful and hilarious. You won't want to miss this extremely entertaining show. As an added bonus, if you attend a performance,  you may get asked to appear on stage. Plus, you may even get to participate in one of the show's extremely amusing and highly energetic musical numbers!

And that's our view. For more about The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee or to purchase tickets, visit spellingbeenyc.com.

Tune in tomorrow for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Photo credits:

All The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee production photos by Joan Marcus

Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission.  Address any concerns regarding image usage here.