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.
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.
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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