Reiss Leaves Spelling Bee on Oct. 25; Fogler Takes Time Off

By: Oct. 20, 2005
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The bright youngsters of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will spell "cast change" on October 25th. Greg Stuhr (Taller Than a Dwarf) will replace Jay Reiss as the stern Vice Principal Douglas Panch, while Tony-Award winner Dan Fogler, who plays William Barfee, will take a leave of absence.

Reiss, who is an established playwright, will leave Spelling Bee to work on a film (for which he wrote the screenplay). However, he will continue to supply context sentences to the audience participation-heavy musical. Barfee is also taking off time from the show to shoot a film; he was recently cast in an upcoming comedy called Balls of Fire. Understudy Todd Buonopane will show off his own magic feet during Fogler's absence; a temporary replacement has not yet been announced. 

Also starring Derrick Baskin, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lisa Howard, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jose Llana and Sarah Saltzberg, the show boasts music and lyrics by Finn (Falsettos, A New Brain), and a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin. Conceived by Rebecca Feldman and directed by James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George, Falsettos), the show (which was nominated for a 2005 Best Musical Tony) has broken all house records at Circle in the Square Theatre (50th St., between Broadway and 8th) and plays to sold-out audiences each week. In addition to Sheinkin, Fogler (who plays William Barfee) received a Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Musical. A sit-down Chicago production, to open in March 2006, was recently announced for the show.

In the show, 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. A cast album is available on Ghostlight Records.

Tickets, which range from $25 to $95, 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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