How do you spell an unforgettable night of musical theatre? T-U-T-S! Theatre Under The Stars is serving up laughs, lyrics, and lots of letters with an all-new production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee starring a hive of Houston’s most beloved actors.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a fast-paced musical comedy following six quirky kids as they compete for glory in a cutthroat spelling showdown. Packed with improv, audience participation and heartfelt surprises, the Bee is laugh-out-loud funny and unexpectedly touching.
TUTS Artistic Director, Dan Knechtges, was the original Choreographer for the original Broadway production. His journey with the musical began with him choreographing a few numbers for the workshop. He, along with the shows creators William Finn, Rachel Sheinkin, and director James Lapine ultimately opened the show first Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre before opening on Broadway on April 15, 2005 at the Circle in the Square Theatre.
“Spelling Bee was really special for me. It was the first show I took to Broadway. Being able to go back and mount a new production looking at it through the lens of all my experience as a director and a choreographer is really exciting and I can’t wait for Houston audiences to experience the hilarity and the heart of this great musical,” said Knechtges.
Leading the cast is a Houston native known for his Tony-nominated role in Broadway’s Shucked, and for his roles in Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie” and Netflix’s “Glow,” Kevin Cahoon as “Vice Principal Douglas Panch.” Mark Ivy who TUTS’ audiences will know from his roles in last season’s productions of Disney’s Frozen (Olaf) and Little Shop of Horrors (Mr. Mushnik) plays “William Barfee.” Michael Alonzo who was just seen on the TUTS stage as the “Piragua Guy” in In the Heights plays “Chip Tolentino.” Gemini Quintos known for many roles around the Houston theatre scene including her portrayal of one of the ugly stepsisters in the TUTS 2023 production of Cinderella joins the cast as “Marcy Park.” Another Houston favorite who has been in many TUTS productions, most recently in the holiday comedy musical, The Ugly Xmas Sweater Musical, Julia Krohn plays “Rona Lisa Peretti.” JD Houston, who TUTS audiences will know from his roles in the 2021 production of Sister Act (Sweaty Eddie) and 2023’s RENT (Benny), is “Mitch Mahoney.”
Other Houston favorites that will have audiences cheering are Marco Camacho as “Leaf Coneybear,” Abigail Bensman as “Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre,” and Adell Ehrhorn as “Olive Ostrovsky.” John Ryan Del Bosque and Rebecca Russell are Understudies covering all Male/Female presenting roles respectively.
Joining Knechtges on the creative team for this all-new production are: Stephen W. Jones as Music Director; Hudson Davis as Lighting Designer; Andrew Harper as Sound Designer; Colleen Grady as Costume Designer; Jayson Kolbicz as Hair & Makeup Designer; Courtney Markowitz as Associate Director; Keith Williams as Assistant Music Director; Logan Keslar as Assistant Costume Designer; Ian Evans as Assistant Lighting Designer; Boomer Bardo as Assistant Sound Designer; Amy Ramsdell as Production Stage Manager; and Trinity Nobles and Chrissy Roy as Assistant Stage Managers. Casting by Calleri Jensen Davis Casting and Laura Peete.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs October 21 – November 2 at the Theatre Under The Stars. Tickets start at just $35, and are available online at TUTS.org, or by contacting the TUTS Box Office by phone at (713) 558-8887 or in person by visiting the Box Office located at 800 Bagby Street.
Theatre Under The Stars is grateful to our season sponsors The Brown Foundation, The Wortham Foundation, and the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Reside Houston Downtown, A Wyndham Residence, ABC-13 and Houston Chronicle.
