25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: Jared Gertner assumes the role of William Barfee

Jared Gertner will assume the role of William Barfee (pronounced Bar-Fay) in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee beginning 30 Jan 2007. Gertner replaces Josh Gad.

Gertner will make his Broadway debut in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee after having played the role in the San Francisco and Boston productions. This is the same evening that Emmy, Grammy and Academy Award winning actress Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton, National Ambassadors for Kid's Night on Broadway, will join the gang at 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on stage as guest spellers.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin and is based on an idea conceived by Rebecca Feldman. The musical is directed by James Lapine, with choreography by Dan Knechtges, costumes by Beowulf Boritt, lighting by Natasha Katz and sound by Dan Moses Schreier.

The musical comedy is about 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.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, opened at the Circle In The Square on 2 May 2005, following previews from 15 Apr 2005. The musical originally opened Off-Broadway at Second Stage on 7 Feb 2005, following previews from 11 Jan 2005. The musical is currently booking to 6 May 2007.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee stars Derrick Baskin (Mitch Mahoney), Deborah Craig (Marcy Park), Barrett Foa (Leaf Coneybear), Jared Gertner, (William Barfee), Lisa Howard (Rona Lisa Peretti), Jessica-Snow Wilson (Olive Ostrovsky ), Jose Llana (Chip Tolentino), Greg Stuhr (Douglas Panch) and Sarah Saltzberg (Logan Schwarzengrubeniere).