Here is a look back at that original Broadway production:
Scheduled to perform in the reunion concert are Derrick Baskin, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Dan Fogler, Lisa Howard, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jose Llana, Jay Reiss, and Sarah Saltzberg. The evening will also feature celebrity guest spellers, who will attempt to beat Putnam County’s spelling legends, including Chip Tolentino, William Barfee and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre.
James Lapine and Darren Katz will direct the concert, which will have musical direction Vadim Feichtner and Carmel Dean.
The Actors Fund is producing with Natalie Gershtein as line producer. The evening will benefit the Fund’s Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and is being held in memory of Andrea “Spook” Testani Gordon, the production stage manager of the original Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, who passed away Nov. 30, 2014, following a battle with cancer.
Spelling Bee features book by Rachel Sheinkin, music and lyrics by William Finn and original direction by Lapine. Based on “C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E,” an original play by The Farm, the production was conceived by Rebecca Feldman and featured additional material by Jay Reiss. It premiered on Broadway May 2, 2005, following sold-out runs at Second Stage Theatre and the Barrington Stage Company.
The musical was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won two: Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler). The production ran for nearly three years closing Jan. 20, 2008, after playing 1,136 performances.
Town Hall is located at 123 West 43rd Street. Benefit tickets, priced $50, $100, $150, $250, and $500 are available at Ticketmaster.com.
