My Review of The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee

Recently, I saw the off-Broadway revival of the 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee at the New World Stages and I thought it was great. The show was interactive, had no fourth wall, and was a lot of fun. The actors were amazing and knew exactly how to give the audience a good laugh. An aspect that I really enjoyed was having audience members sign up to become part of the spelling bee and come onstage to participate in the show. The show features reputable actors like Kevin McHale who plays William Barfee from Glee and Lilli Cooper (Rona Lisa Peretti), Jasmine Amy Rodgers (Olive Ovstrovsky), Justin Cooly (Leaf Coneybear), and Jason Kravits (Vice Principal Douglas Panch) who are all Tony nominees. Not to mention, Autumn Best (Logainne) was on Women of the hour on Netflix.

The 25th annual spelling bee is recommended for ages 13+ due to its mature language, sexual references, and adult-targeted jokes. Personally, I think that it is appropriate for middle schoolers as the profanity is minimized and the jokes and references aren’t too obvious.

When I saw the show, I sat in the first row. Do I think that it’s required to have a good time? No. Do I think that it slightly improved my experience? Yes. No matter where you sit, the New World Stages theatres are small, creating an intimate environment for audiences to enjoy. The show was engaging and easy to follow, and it has something for everyone to enjoy.