School Reverses Decision to Cancel Production Of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

The Cardinal Schools Board of Education has reversed its decision to cancel a spring production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee after deeming the musical "not family-freindly."

BroadwayWorld previously reported that according to the Geauga County Maple Leaf, the board "received a complaint from a resident on Jan. 11" and several other families registered concerns about the production.

The Leaf reported the board took issue with the song "My Unfortunate Erection" but the production had always intended to use an alternate version of the song "My Unfortunate Distraction" that is made available to schools.

The decision to cancel the production sparked objections from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee original cast member Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who stated that while the Board gave their reasons for the cancellation, "all of them are obvious and thinly veiled covers of some bigger things."

In The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee the character of Logainne has two gay fathers. Ferguson went on to say, "I guaranteed that there is someone at this school who is maybe being raised by gay parents, but definitely more than one person at this school is gay, or lesbian, or bisexual, and the message that this sends to them, that that is not family appropriate, or family friendly, rather, is toxic, and harmful, and kind of abusive."

The cancellation of the production was also opposed by The Dramatist Guild of America, who stated that the cancellation "shirked their responsibility to educate and foster the free exchange of ideas."

Now, the production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will go on with several changes made to the script.

During the meeting which resulted in the reversal of the decision to cancel the production, a board member said, "The board wishes to thank Music Theater International and its authors for assisting the Cardinal Board and music director with the 23 requested revisions...Production will resume immediately."

Certain language has been removed and an alternate version of one of the songs was agreed upon, and permission slips will have to be signed for a special middle school viewing.

Read the full story on Fox 8 HERE.

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