25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Hosts NYC Bee

The hit Broadway musical comedy about a spelling bee will soon play host to its real life counterpart. On Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will open its doors (at Circle in the Square Theatre, 50th St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.) to the contestants, organizers and audience members of the 42nd Annual Daily News Citywide Spelling Bee.

This year, the spelling bee's contestants, 96 NYC public and private elementary school students who each hope to make their way to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, will all compete at Circle in the Square. In addition to the trophy and a title, the winner of the 42nd Annual Daily News Citywide Spelling Bee will also win the opportunity to make their Broadway debut. The winner will be featured - on stage as one of the show's contestants - in an upcoming performance of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened on Broadway at Circle in the Square last April to rave reviews. A successful San Francisco production opened recently and is currently running at the Post Street Theatre. This fall, there will be four North American companies of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee running simultaneously. In addition to the Broadway and San Francisco productions, Spelling Bee will begin a Chicago run at the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place on March 28. This September, a national tour launches in Baltimore (after receiving a regional production at the ALLIANCE THEATRE in Atlanta). The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was conceived by Rebecca Feldman, features music and lyrics by Tony Award-winner William Finn (Falsettos, Elegies) and a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin, with additional material by Jay Reiss.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee cast features Derrick Baskin as Mitch Mahoney, Deborah S. Craig as Marcy Park, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Leaf Coneybear, Josh Gad as William Barfee, Lisa Howard as Rona Lisa Peretti, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Olive Ostrovsky, Jose Llana as Chip Tolentino, Sarah Saltzberg as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre and Greg Stuhr as Douglas Panch. The show performs at Circle in the Square (50th St., between Broadway & 8th) on the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7pm; Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, Saturday matinees at 2 PM; Sundays at 3 and 7:30 PM. Tickets are available through Telecharge at 212-239-6200 (or at www.telecharge.com), or at the Circle in the Square box office. For more information, visit www.spellingbeethemusical.com.

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