3 More 'Adult-Only' Spelling Bees Scheduled

Having not learned their lesson (and having had a tremendous success with the first 'adults-only' performance last October), the organizers of The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee have scheduled more "for-mature-audiences-only" performances of the Tony Award-winning new musical. With music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman and directed by James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee plays at Broadway's Circle in the Square (50th St. between Broadway & Eighth Ave.). For these three performances, the kids should be left home with the sitter: Sunday, January 22 at 7:30pm; Sunday, February 5 at 7:30pm; and Sunday, March 5 at 7:30pm.

Jay Reiss, former cast member (he originated the role of Vice Principal Douglas Panch), continues to write additional material for Spelling Bee, including definitions and hilariously unhelpful sentences used throughout the show. He explains the genesis for these special performances: "During rehearsals, I would occasionally cross the line a bit and use some material that was pretty filthy. The cast would crack up, and director James Lapine would say, 'That is so wrong.' In October, at the first 'adults-only' Bee, we used some of that material for the first time in front of an audience. People were suitably appalled, which pleased us greatly."

In The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee, 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.

The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee cast features Derrick Baskin as Mitch Mahoney, Deborah S. Craig as Marcy Park, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Leaf Coneybear, Dan Fogler 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 Vice Principal Douglas Panch.

The 25thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee performs at Broadway's Circle in the Square (50th St., between Broadway & 8th) on the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7pm; Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm; Saturdays at 2 PM; Sundays at 3 & 7:30 PM. Tickets range from $25 to $95, and are available through Telecharge at 212-239-6200 (or at www.telecharge.com), or at the Circle in the Square box office.

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