Jose Llana Teases SPELLING BEE 10th Anniversary Reunion On Social Media

By: Jun. 29, 2015
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The SPELLING BEE cast is back together at last!

The original cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE are currently reconvening for a special tenth anniversary concert to benefit The Actors Fund on Monday, July 6, and standout cast member Jose Llana teases the reunion in a new social media post today.

Lllana shared a vintage photo of the cast, commenting, "Getting excited #SpellingBeeforSpook #10yrReunion 2004 our first photo shoot @2STNYC Off-Broadway - with Deborah S Craig, Dan Fogler, Sarah Saltzberg, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Celia Keenan-Bolger at Second Stage Theatre."

Follow Jose Llana on Facebook here and check out the original post here.

Also, check out my recent InDepth InterView with SPELLING BEE composer/lyricist William Finn in which he discusses the upcoming event and much more, available here.

Additionally, view BroadwayWorld's coverage of the first day of rehearsal, available here.

The official description of the SPELLING BEE 10th Anniversary event is as follows: "In Memory of Spelling Bee Production Stage Manager Andrea "Spook" Testani Gordon

The nine original cast members of the hit Broadway musical, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - Derrick Baskin, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Dan Fogler, Lisa Howard, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jose Llana, Jay Reiss, and Sarah Saltzberg - will reunite for a special one-night-only 10 Year Anniversary benefit concert on Monday, July 6 at 7:30pm at Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street).

The evening will also feature celebrity guest spellers, who will attempt to beat Putnam County's spelling legends, including Chip Tolentino, William Barfee, and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre. Best of luck to them.

The one-night-only event will benefit The Actors Fund's Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative and is being held in memory of Andrea "Spook" Testani Gordon, the beloved production stage manager of the original Broadway and off-Broadway production, who passed away on November 30, 2014 following a battle with cancer.

This special concert is being directed by James Lapine and Darren Katz, featuring musical direction by Vadim Feichtner and Carmel Dean and is produced by The Actors Fund with Natalie Gershtein as line producer.

THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE features book by Rachel Sheinkin, music and lyrics by William Finn, and direction by James Lapine. Based on "C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E," an original play by The Farm, the production was conceived by Rebecca Feldman and featured additional material by Jay Reiss. It premiered on Broadway on May 2, 2005 following sold-out runs at Second Stage Theatre and the Barrington Stage Company. The critically acclaimed musical was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won two: Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler)."

More information is available at the official site here.

Jose Llana is set to appear on Broadway as the King in THE KING AND I later this year as well as having participated in numerous notable mainstage productions including RENT, WONDERLAND, FLOWER DRUM SONG and more in addition to HERE LIES LOVE, SATURN RETURNS, THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO, FALLING FOR EVE and more Off-Broadway.



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