Feature: James Monroe Iglehart Attends Opening Night of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

It seems that sometimes you really can go home again – even if you happen to be starring on Broadway eight times a week. Tony Award winner and Bay Area native James Monroe Iglehart attended the recent opening night of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He had been all set to direct the production, and even completed most of the principal casting, when fate intervened. The Kennedy Center production of Monty Python’s Spamalot in which he starred as King Arthur got fast-tracked to Broadway when the St. James Theatre suddenly became available. Thus, Iglehart very reluctantly had to bow out as director of Spelling Bee and shift his role to that of Creative Producer. 

Fortunately for TheatreWorks, much in-demand director Meredith McDonough was able to step in at the last minute and pick up where Iglehart left off, adding her own considerable artistry to the production in the bargain. Still, Iglehart couldn’t imagine missing the opening so managed to get a night off from Spamalot to return to TheatreWorks. After all, the company is where he got his start, and Spelling Bee is incredibly special to Iglehart as it’s the show with which he made his Broadway debut, in the role of Mitch Mahoney.

During the performance, Iglehart was seated next to TheatreWorks Artistic Director Giovanna Sardelli, who reported that he was clearly delighted with the production. Afterwards, Sardelli brought Iglehart to the mic, and he thanked McDonough for delivering such a beautifully-realized production. He also lauded TheatreWorks' for its role in launching his career and for making an enormous impact on the American Theatre.

Iglehart still hopes to make his TheatreWorks directing debut with another project at some point in the future. As Sardelli said afterwards, “James has an open invitation to come back and direct. He’s a beautiful storyteller and an incredible human being. There’s a reason he’s got the career he has, because you want to be in a room with him.”

(all photos by Reed Flores)

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Performances of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee continue through December 24, 2023 at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Running time is 100 minutes, no intermission. For tickets and more information visit TheatreWorks.org or call (877)-662-8978.

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