Lilli Cooper & Jason Kravits Join THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
Previews begin on November 7, 2025, and Opening Night is set for November 17, 2025, for a 14-week, limited engagement.
By: Michael Major Oct. 02, 2025
Tony Award nominee Lilli Cooper (Spring Awakening, Tootsie, POTUS) and star of stage and screen Jason Kravits (The Drowsy Chaperone, Sly Fox) have joined the cast of the first New York revival of the landmark Tony Award-winning musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Cooper will star as Rosa Lisa Peretti and Kravits will star as Vice Principal Douglas Panch.
With the addition of these two all-stars, the complete cast achieves a kind of theatrical syzygy – a rare alignment where each performer, like each of their perfectly spelled words, clicks into place. Cooper and Kravitz join the previously announced cast of Grammy Nominee & SAG Award winner Kevin McHale (“Glee”), making his New York stage debut as William Barfée, Tony Award nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers (BOOP!) as Olive Ostrovsky, Grammy & Tony Award Nominee Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo) as Leaf Coneybear, Philippe Arroyo (& Juliet) as Chip Tolentino, Autumn Best (Netflix’s Woman of the Hour; The CW’s 4400) as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, Leana Rae Concepcion (Merrily We Roll Along) as Marcy Park, and Matt Manuel (Ain’t Too Proud) as Mitch Mahoney. Tickets are on sale now at spellingbeenyc.com.
Featuring a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin (Striking 12, Sleeping Beauty Wakes) and a vibrant score by Tony Award winner William Finn (Falsettos, A New Brain), this new production of the musical is directed & choreographed by Danny Mefford (Kimberly Akimbo, Dear Evan Hansen). Previews begin on November 7, 2025, and Opening Night is set for November 17, 2025, for a 14-week, limited engagement through February 15, 2026, at New World Stages, 340 W. 50th Street.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a fast-paced and funny D-E-L-I-G-H-T. As six wonderfully unique and impassioned contestants vie for the championship by spelling their way through vexing vocabulary, hilarious and poignant personal stories unfold…along with a dash of riotous audience participation.
Declared by The New York Times as an “irresistible musical” that is “refreshingly handcrafted, effortlessly endearing, and riotously funny,” The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee delivers an unforgettable experience that is sure to leave audiences spellbound.
Six spellers enter, but only one can win The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! This charmingly witty and touching musical has entertained audiences across the world since its Tony–winning Broadway debut in 2005. It now returns to New York in a special 20th Anniversary production that celebrates the singular heart, humor, and verve that cemented its place in the musical theater canon.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was conceived by Rebecca Feldman with Additional Material by Jay Reiss and is based on "C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E," an original play by The Farm.
First developed at Barrington Stage Company, the show debuted Off Broadway at Second Stage Theater in 2005 – earning widespread critical acclaim and winning the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding New Musical. The show immediately transferred to Broadway’s Circle in The Square Theatre, where it won two Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards, and enjoyed a hugely successful run of nearly three years.
The new production of Spelling Bee will feature Scenic Design by Teresa L. Williams (The Preacher’s Wife), Costume Design by Emily Rebholz (Dear Evan Hansen), Lighting Design by David Weiner (Suddenly Last Summer), and Sound Design by Haley Parcher (Spamalot). The Music Supervisor is Carmel Dean (The Notebook), and the Music Director is Elizabeth Doran (Water for Elephants). Casting is by Geoff Josselson Casting (Sweeney Todd), General Management is by 321 Theatrical Management (Wicked, The Outsiders), and the Production Stage Manager is Rachel Zucker (Pirates! The Penzance Musical).
The musical is produced by Barbara Whitman, Aaron Glick, and Timothy Bloom by special arrangement with David Stone, and co-produced by James L. Nederlander, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Patrick Catullo, Debra Martin Chase, Rachel Sussman, and Ryan Solomon.
About Lilli Cooper (Rosa Lisa Peretti)
Broadway: The Cottage, POTUS, Tootsie (TONY Nomination), Spongebob Squarepants, Wicked (Elphaba) and Spring Awakening (original Broadway cast). NYCC Encores!: Oliver, Mack & Mabel and Titanic. Lilli plays Doc on Apple TV’s “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock”, and voices Velvette on Prime’s “Hazbin Hotel”. Coming up she can be seen starring in the new feature film “Sheepdog” and alongside Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti in Jesse Eisenberg’s newest film. A proud LAG and Vassar alum, and Most gratefully, Bodie and Desi’s mom. @lilcoopz
About Jason Kravits (Vice Principal Douglas Panch)
Jason Kravits has appeared on stages and screens, large and small, for over 35 years. Recent TV/Film credits include Only Murders in the Building, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Halston, The Undoing and as “Sneezy” in Disney’s Snow White. Broadway: The Drowsy Chaperone, Sly Fox and Relatively Speaking. He most recently appeared alongside John Turturro and Elizabeth Marvel in The New Group’s production of Sabbath’s Theater. For the last 10 years, Jason has been performing his completely improvised cabaret, Off the Top, to sold out crowds around the world, including London, Edinburgh and regularly in NYC at Joe's Pub and Birdland.
