My Own Take: New Off-Broadway production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"

The show: The off-Broadway production and welcome return of the delightful musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

What makes it special?: It’s the first time the popular, family-friendly show has returned to Manhattan since its Broadway bow in 2005. And one more reason….

…Which is?: It was one of my earliest raves writing for Variety. I traveled to the Massachusetts Berkshires during the summer of 2004 to see its world premiere at Barrington Stage (when it was still in Barrington and prior to its move to Pittsfield). It was presented in a school auditorium, a modest and nearly unadorned setting that was perfect for the no-frills show about schools, students, and a spelling competition.

I was fairly new in my 23-year-and-counting Variety career and I was proud of my cool-but-respectful critical demeanor. I remember a press rep at another theater saying once how hard it was to “read” me during a shows and I was proud of that observation.

But with this show? With Rachel Sheinkin’s hilarious script (with additional material from Jay Reiss), I couldn't help myself laughing pretty much throughout the show. William Finn’s music and lyrics also left me so delighted I was practically glowing with joy — and moved, too.

How could I not with an amazing cast that included Dan Fogler (who went on to win a Tony for the role), Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Celia Keenan Bolger (who received a Tony nomination for her role). Rachel Sheinkin won for best book of a musical that season but though the musical and Finn were also nominated they lost out to “Monty Python's Spamalot” which won the top prize and “The Light in the Piazza” which won for its score. In most any other year —certainly this season if it was a new show — it would have earned a Tony.

That’s quite a production to live up to:: I was pretty sure I’d like this off-Broadway revival with its funny/smart/heart-felt book and some of Finn’s best work. But I wasn't expecting what I saw.

Which was.? A show just as wondrous as the original and that had me laughing throughout — when I wasn’t being teary eyed wiuth emotion. Looking back, I don’t know why I so surprised because the script is so ingenius, setting the musical as an actual spelling bee with the innate audience suspense of seeing who will be the winner. But along the way to the trophy so much more is revealed, some of it endearing, some of it heart-breaking, oftentimes quite silly but all of it so well thought out and played. I also noticed some things that I may have missed — or more likely didn't have room to put in my original review.

Which is…?: How cleverly the show is constructed and how smartly it uses several members of the audience at certain points in the show to give it a empathetic boost; How well measured the show’s tone is as it shifts for variety and balance; How it lovingly treats each character with respect, even as we are laughing at their idiosyncrasies. I also appreciated how every character had his or her moment to shine and how delicately the ensemble connected to each other, even when the spotlight wasn’t on them. I may have not appreciated the original direction enough because the characters could have otherwise easily gone cartoony. (The show IS overly broad at times but because it is rooted in heart, you sort of give those moments a pass). In this production Danny Mefford’s direction is spot-on, discovering new stagings that deepen the show’s laughs and the tenderness.

And this cast?: I had a feeling I would like several actors: Lili Cooper is a wonderful actress and a terrific singer (she was a knockout in “Oliver” at City Center) and of course Jasmine Amy Rodgers who was a sensation in “Boop!: The Musical.” I saw Justin Cooley in “Kimberly Akimbo” several years ago and had a goosebump moment realizing I was discovering an extraordinary new, natural and fresh talent.

But the entire cast here is great. Cooper, as the sympathetic former Bee champ; Rogers, as the fragile Olive Ostrovsky (“If you switch the vowels it spells out ‘I love.’); Cooley, as Leaf Coneybear, the guileless student who is just happy to be there.

But I have to mention as well: a hysterical woeful Philippe Arroyo as the tumescent Chip; a plucky Autumn Best as the pressured Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre; the multitalented Leana Rae Concepcion as the multitalented Marcy Park; Kevin MvHale (“Glee”) has his own original take on the foot-spelling William Barfee. a very funny deadpanned Brandon L. Armstrong played vice principal Panch in the show I saw, subbing for Jason Kravits, and Matt Manuel, a powerful and charismatic singer, played the ever-supportive Mitch Mahoney.

Who will like it? Spellers and non-spellers alike. Schools. Families. Those looking for a fun show

Who won’t: Almost no one I can think of.

For the kids?: Absolutely. If you’re old enough to spell, you will love the show.

Looking into the future?: Though I could see this production on Broadway again, there was something special about seeing it in this off-Broadway complex of theaters noted for its family-friendly programming,. Being at a Saturday matinee filled with enthusiastic families and young people made the experience even more vibrant. for me — and I expect, the cast, too. This show — and particularly this production — is a musical would recommend to absolutely everyone who asks me “What show do youy recommend?” with no qualifications. It’s sure thing and a solid delight.

Thoughts on leaving the parking lot?: There was an undercurrent of sadness to the production because of the fairly recent death of William Finn. I got to know Finn over the many interviews we did over the decades. He was a special one-of-a-kind personality, an brilliant and idiosyncratic spirit, a composer who took the vernacular and made it sing, and with this show his music delicately danced between the worlds of anxiety and joy. I wish he could have been here to see this production but he lived 20 more years to see the show presented in hundreds of theaters and schools and now has a full generation who grew up with the show.

Info: The show is playing at the New World Stages – Stage Three, 340 W 50th St. in the theater district of Manhattan. The show runs one hour and 45 minutes without intermission. Ttcket prices typically start around $58 to $64+ depending on date/seat.