The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Off-Broadway Reviews

The show doesn’t laugh at its characters or at the competition itself, but humorously and movingly unpacks the spoken and silent challenges in the school gym that day. You root for the kids to win, and you nervously hold your breath as they hesitate over the orders of letters as they complete their spellings. Most of all, you marvel at the witty genius behind bringing it all together under the eaves of one exceptional musical.

Listen up for the word “syzygy” in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It’s defined as an out-of-this-world alignment. Off Broadway at New World Stages, all the elements have stacked up splendidly in a revival of the show that arrives 20 years after the Broadway premiere and captures every drop of the original charm. The endearing misfit characters, upbeat and thoughtful songs, and consistently laugh-out-loud humor add up to pure joy.

William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s delightfully quirky musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has returned to New York in a dream-come-true revival directed by Danny Mefford at New World Stages. A full-hearted, belly-laughing confection from the early 2000s, this new production of Spelling Bee swoops in like a big hug from an old friend, reminding us of everything we fell in love with two decades ago.

Twenty years later, this charming Off-Broadway revival proves Spelling Bee‘s blend of silly wordplay and surprising heart remains unbeatable.

Director-choreographer Danny Mefford doesn’t attempt a radical reinterpretation, nor does he need to. The material is bulletproof. But he infuses the evening with a welcome sense of kinetic play, giving each scene and musical number a brisk, physical charge. “Magic Foot” remains a guaranteed showstopper, and the decision to run without an intermission—keeping the show at a tight 1 hour and 45 minutes—maintains the breathless pacing that makes the bee feel like a single, unbroken event.

Finn’s tunes remain toe-tapping treats, and the whole cast throws themselves into the numbers with a youthful energy that suits their characters’ ages. Spelling Bee is the perfect antidote to these dreary anxiety-ridden times, and it’s worth settling down for a long, laughter-induced spell.

Spelling bee participants are an odd lot. Full disclosure, I was one of them way back in the day. It’s a terribly vulnerable time for most children that age. Finn’s song “Pandemonium” captures the angst and confusion they experience. The show plays it mostly for laughs but it has the added elements of insight and wisdom. For that reason, anyone raising children may need to see it even more than their kids. It’s not just entertaining and funny, it offers much to learn about family dynamics; and when it all aligns, it’s a perfect syzygy.

Sheinkin’s uproarious book (based on a concept by Rebecca Feldman, additional material by Jay Reiss) and Finn’s beautiful songs deftly dispense information about the kids’ personalities and home lives — the integration of script and score in this show could be taught in drama schools as a model of graceful exposition.

Even with the high concept and the improv elements, Spelling Bee is ultimately a story about kindness and empathy—not only for strangers onstage and fellow competitors, but also for yourself. Audiences will come for a silly spelling competition and the chance to test their own orthographic skills onstage, but the cast hopes they will leave with a greater understanding for their younger selves and others.

There’s been something missing from the fall theatrical season, but I wasn’t able to put my finger on it until I was sitting in (of all places) New World Stages watching Danny Mefford’s joyful 20th anniversary production of the musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” And instantly, I realized that what I needed right now was a strong dose of F-U-N.