(L to R) Stephen DeRosa; Rachel Dratch; and Artistic Director David Saint at opening night of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Courtesy of George Street Playhouse.

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse (GSP) is presenting the Broadway/Off-Broadway hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee now through April 9, 2023 in the Arthur Laurents Theater at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The production is directed by Colin Hanlon, with book by Rachel Sheinkin with additional material by Jay Reiss and features music and lyrics by Tony Award® winner William Finn. Musical Direction is by Mat Eisenstein and choreography by Nancy Renee Braun.  

This charming musical comedy tells the tale of six middle school “misfits” in Putnam County, New York finding themselves through one of the most competitive and brave journeys adolescents can embark on – a Spelling Bee! this Tony Award-winning timeless and hilarious story about self-discovery proves that W-I-N-N-I-N-G (and losing) isn’t everything.

Here are additional photos from the opening night red carpet.

(L to R) Choreographer Nancy Renee Braun and Director Colin Hanlon at opening night of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Courtesy of George Street Playhouse.

(L to R) Lila Coogan and Celia Keenan-Bolger at opening night of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Courtesy of George Street Playhouse.

The cast for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling features: Ally Bonino (Rona Lisa Peretti), : OFF BROADWAY Suffs – The Public Theater, Jordan Matthew Brown (William Barfee), BROADWAY: The Book of Mormon,  Lila Coogan (Olive Ostrovsky) BROADWAY: Mary Poppins, Coleman Steele Cummings (Chip Tolentino), Angel Lin (Logainne Schwartzandgrubeniere) OFF BROADWAY Memorial, Sammy Pignalosa(Leaf Coneybear), Aaron Michael Ray (Mitch Mahoney) Off-Broadway: The Low Road (The Public Theater) Spamilton, Kilty Reidy (Douglas Panch), Sumi Yu (Marcy Park) Off-Broadway: Greater Clements at Lincoln Center Theater, Izzy Figueroa (Understudy) and Gillian Hassert (Understudy).

Tickets begin at $25 and  are now on sale.  For subscriptions and group discount information visit www.GeorgeStreetPlayhouse.org or call 732-246-7717.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint since 1997, the George Street Playhouse produces groundbreaking new works, inspiring productions of the classics, and hit Broadway plays and musicals that speak to the heart and mind, with an unwavering commitment to producing new work.  As New Brunswick’s first producing theatre, George Street Playhouse became the cornerstone of the revitalization of the City’s arts and cultural landscape.  With its 47-year history of producing nationally renowned theatre, the Playhouse continues to fill a unique theatre and arts education role in the city, state and greater metropolitan region.

Beginning with the 2019-20 Season, George Street Playhouse moved to the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in downtown New Brunswick.  Featuring two state-of-the-art theatres -- The Arthur Laurents Theater with 253 seats and The Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater which seats 465-- and myriad amenities, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center marks a new era in the esteemed history of George Street Playhouse.

Founded by Eric Krebs, George Street Playhouse, originally located in an abandoned supermarket on the corner of George and Albany Streets, was the first professional theatre in New Brunswick. In 1984, the Playhouse moved to a renovated YMCA on Livingston Avenue, and in 2017 took temporary residence in the former Agricultural Museum at Rutgers University during construction of its new home.

The Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway. In 2018, George Street Playhouse was represented on Broadway with Gettin’ the Band Back Together which premiered on the Playhouse mainstage in 2013.  American Son, produced by George Street Playhouse in 2017, opened on Broadway in 2018 starring Kerry Washington and Stephen Pasquale, and appeared on Netflix in 2019.  Other productions include the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger.  In 2015, It Shoulda Been You opened on Broadway and Joe DiPietro’s Clever Little Lies opened off-Broadway.  Both shows received their premieres at the Playhouse. Others include the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill; and the Broadway hit and Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at the Playhouse during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays.

George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.  Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.

 

EVENT PREVIEWS

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