'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' to play off Broadway this fall

The musical comedy will play at New World Stages, marking the show's first major NYC production since its Off-Broadway and Broadway premieres in 2005.

We'll spell it out: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will return off Broadway this fall, with performances beginning November 7 at New World Stages. Opening night is November 17.

Featuring songs by two-time Tony Award winner William Finn and a book by Tony winner Rachel Sheinkin, Spelling Bee centers on six students fiercely competing in a spelling bee run by a quirky trio of adults: a local realtor, a vice principal, and a "comfort counselor" performing community service.

The musical comedy premiered off Broadway with Second Stage Theater in 2005, when it also launched a Broadway transfer that won two Tony Awards and ran until 2008.

The 2025 Off-Broadway revival, directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford, premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in fall 2024. The cast included Philippe Arroyo as Chip Tolentino, Leana Rae Concepcion as Marcy Park, Beanie Feldstein as Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre, Noah Galvin as Leaf Coneybear, Alex Joseph Grayson as Mitch Mahoney, Taran Killam as Vice Principal Douglas Panch, Kevin McHale as William Barfée, Bonnie Milligan as Rona Lisa Peretti, and Nina White as Olive Ostrovsky.

Casting for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee off Broadway has yet to be announced.

Get The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee tickets now.

Photo credit: Original 2005 Spelling Bee cast. (Photo by Joan Marcus)