A spoof of the contests that pit children against children to determine who has the best command of their voluminous vocabulary. Among the competitors are the incumbent, Wentworth Miller III, and Grammarcy Park, who placed first in the Math Bee. Presiding over the test are four-time champion Rhona Janet and vice principal Douglas Panch.
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.
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.
| 2004 | Regional (US) |
Workshop Regional (US) |
| 2004 |
World Premiere |
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| 2005 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
| 2005 | Broadway |
Broadway Transfer Broadway |
| 2006 |
San Francisco Production |
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| 2006 | US Tour |
First National Tour US Tour |
| 2006 | Boston |
Boston Production Boston |
| 2011 | West End |
Donmar Warehouse Production West End |
| 2014 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Ford's Theatre Society Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
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