The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – 15 November 2025

The most interesting thing about this musical is that every iteration brings fresh, modern jokes. It somehow works in all contexts, and its personalized, partially improvised feeling gives an excitement that is rare in scripted, high brow theatre— the feeling that anything can happen (for real!). With a star studded cast of adults playing children, The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a ridiculous adventure fueled by unique musical moments with laughter that lives on long after the show is done.

The bee begins with spellers from both the cast and the audience on stage spelling words. The ad lib introductions were quite funny. There was a heightened sense of joy watching the onstage spellers enjoy the show, it seemed for the first time. Of actual cast members, I was most impressed by Jasmine Amy Rogers (Olive), who showed a completely different side from her recent Broadway role as Betty Boop in BOOP!. As a character, Olive allowed Rogers to show a completely different skillset, proving her metal as an actress as well as showcasing a pure clear tone as a singer that was utterly unlike her sassy, jazzy vocals in BOOP!. Unexpectedly, Philippe Arroyo (Chip) was the biggest disappointment, determinedly belting out “My Unfortunate Erection” in an unrecognizable, vibratoless scream so far from the sexy swagger of his role in & Juliet that I had to double check his name in my program. Justin Cooley (Leaf) stayed exactly as he was as Seth in Kimberly Akimbo—no real growth, just another opportunity to play an awkward kid. Kevin McHale (William) and Autumn Best (Logainne) held their own, while Leanna Rae Concepcion (Marcy) showed promise. Of the adult characters, I was most enamored with Matt Manuel (Mitch Mahoney), adding gospel and nuance to a role that is usually relegated to the sidelines.

Despite the atmosphere created early on by the ad libs and audience spellers, this production quickly descended into a very faithful rendition of The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, honoring it exactly as it is always done. It felt like the bulk of the audience had seen the show before and was revisiting it with love. There was laughter slightly before jokes as well as after. The revisit seemed enjoyable and a good time was had by all. Jay Reiss’s updated material was truly inspired, and the slight changes to the score added a fresh perspective. For the most part, the songs mimicked other productions of the show, and the choreography and direction (Danny Mefford) played it safe, delivering the content that everyone knew and loved exactly the way they wanted to see it. The scenic design (Teresa L. Williams) encapsulated the whole theater so that everyone felt a part of the bee, and the costumes (Emily Rebholz) represented a slight departure from other productions, most notable in the costuming of Leaf Coneybear. Lighting (David Weiner) was functional and cheesy, and sound design (Haley Parcher) was very well executed. The clear star of the design team was Tommy Kurzman (hair, wig, makeup), who created the true magic of the show—making almost forty year old cast members believably look like children. This was most apparent in the presentation of Kevin McHale, who didn’t look a day older than he did when playing a high schooler in 2009.

The most meaningful element of the show for me was the energy coming from cast members who were clearly enjoying every moment of being in this production. The genuine laughter and smiles were infectious, and despite very little of this production being altered from the original, it felt new and fun for everyone. The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at New World Stages is T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C, terrific.

I attended this performance on a press pass from Vivacity Media Group.