The 25h Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

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Not quite as old as its title suggests, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee premiered off and then on Broadway in 2005. The Tony Award-winning musical wears that age well in a revival that director and choreographer Danny Mefford smartly doesn’t exploit as an opportunity for stark reinvention. Yes, there are thoughtful updates, including a much-needed revision to one character’s backstory and some pointed criticism of disturbing developments at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which launched the revival in October 2024. But, as always, the show’s heart remains its six endearingly awkward middle-school spellers, each competing for a trophy that masks a much deeper and more elusive desire for connection.

Despite its honest take on the pangs of growing up–set in that torture chamber of adolescence, a gymnasium (terrifyingly well-designed by Teresa L. Williams)–The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee nevertheless manages to tilt decisively towards joy. While certain adults in the audience, who may have once been smart, shy, and sensitive outcasts, will foresee sizable therapy bills emerging from the spellers’ fraught asides at the microphone, the intent isn’t for anyone to recoil from self-identification. Instead, the prevailing message is essentially, “feel free to have more fun now than you did then.” Harkening back to the show’s improvisational roots, there is even a chance to personally reach for spelling bee glory as one of the contestants.

If that ambitious goal falls short, however, simply enjoy the delightful combination of William Finn’s score and Rachel Sheinkin’s book (conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material from Jay Reiss), which together summon the uncanny power to make one’s inner child smile no matter the spellers’ resonating pain. Spinning happiness from unhappiness, Finn’s lyrics and Sheinkin’s prose somehow get you to believe in every positive outcome. But that beguilement can’t erase the sadness enduring fans of the musical must feel knowing that the revival is, in effect, a memorial to Finn, who passed away last year. Still, take solace, inner child: at least it’s a good and fitting tribute, though, admittedly, one with a peculiar peak.

Like many a comedic high point, its nature is gloriously low, originating from the hormonal mind of Putnam County’s defending spelling bee champ, Chip Tolentino (Philippe Arroyo), who is struggling to keep his head in the game, so to speak (I’m very sorry). An ill-timed distraction leads to difficulty standing, which then leads to a discreetly positioned baseball cap during a botched turn at the microphone. Just in case all of that is too nuanced, Chip returns from his ignominious departure to hilariously sing “My Unfortunate Erection,” as he unleashes his indignation on the audience while making sure to separate the innocent from the guilty: “I don’t blame my brain/But I do blame my penis.”

Theater sophisticates probably won’t regard rhyming “protuberance” and “exuberance” as much of a legacy, but the proof of cultural longevity is in the off-the-charts talent The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee continues to attract, especially to the roles of its precocious sextet. In addition to the adorably unhinged Arroyo, the group is composed of other non-school-aged actors who, with the indispensable aid of Emily Rebholz’s costumes and Tommy Kurzman’s hair, wig, and makeup design, shave off years, if not decades, in physical appearance. More importantly, none of the actors merely caricatures childhood; instead, they find the specific emotional registers for what lies beneath.

As the underestimated and helmeted Leaf Coneybear, Justin Cooley is in the greatest danger of falling prey to cheap laughs and pity, particularly as Leaf sings his solo number, “I’m Not That Smart.” But the Tony-nominated performer from Kimberly Akimbo subtly excavates Leaf’s buried intelligence and nerve, until, eventually, those two sterling attributes are all that one sees. Far more externally straightforward, Leana Rae Concepcion’s Marcy Park offsets parochial plaid with a stripe of purple hair that signals Catholic school apparently has mellowed a lot, meaning that all this overachiever’s overachiever can rebel against is success. By contrast, the thrill of defeat is a much bigger challenge for Autumn Best’s Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, whose pursuit of excellence is fueled by a palpable fear of letting down her pair of helicopter dads (Cooley and Matt Manuel).

Parenting bears obvious responsibility for a slew of budding psychological disorders among the spellers. At best, a sanguine observer could argue it’s not necessarily the musical’s villain, but it’s also nobody’s friend. That’s most touchingly true for Olive Ostrovsky, whose mom ran off to an ashram, leaving her in the untender care of a detached father. Olive is portrayed by the chameleonic Jasmine Amy Rogers, who earned a lead Tony nomination in 2025 for bringing Betty Boop to incredibly convincing life. Whereas that performance was a dazzling marvel, her turn as Olive is a subdued one, with Rogers poignantly sharing her character’s feelings through the numbers, “My Friend, the Dictionary” and “The I Love You Song.” Both cut to the aching core of a lonely kid’s plaintive imagination, though the latter hits much harder as Olive fantasizes about an affectionate mother who she has to beg to come home.

But all hope is not lost for Olive, thanks to puppy love. Her unique crush is on William Barfée, who is perpetually annoyed at the judges for mispronouncing his surname and having the temerity to challenge his superior spelling abilities. As William, Kevin McHale amusingly pulls off the paradoxical feat of being simultaneously appealing and obnoxious. It’s also just so cute when Olive’s thoroughly unexpected attention melts William’s angry-nerd facade.

As for adults pretending to be adults, the musical features a sublime trio of actors who depict a decidedly unexalted spelling-bee triumvirate. It includes two judges, Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Jason Kravits) and long-ago spelling bee victor Rona Lisa Peretti (Lilli Cooper). They are joined by a comfort counselor, Mitch Mahoney (Manuel), who is there to console the losers with a juice box and a speedy removal from our sight. Previously the character of Mitch was an ex-con fulfilling his community service sentence, but he’s wisely been reimagined as a thwarted gym owner who lost his business during COVID.

Besides rectifying a problematic choice, that change aptly fits the musical’s overarching theme, which is sung succinctly in the group number “Pandemonium”: “life is random/and unfair.” In keeping with the spirit of this viewpoint, here’s a word of warning to any audience member chosen to “compete” onstage in the spelling bee. Nah, never mind. Good luck.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (extended through September 4, 2026)

New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or visit http://www.spellingbeenyc.com

Running time: one hour and 45 minutes without an intermission