News

'Putnam County Spelling Bee' opens July 22

By Lightning Reports, Published: July 9, 2022

Hendersonville Theatre is E-C-S-T-A-T-I-C to present the comical and endearing "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

The award-winning musical runs on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons from July 22 to Aug. 7. Tickets are $21-30 and are available online at HVLtheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (828) 692-1082. Groups of 10 or more receive a 10 percent discount.

An eclectic group of tweens are set to compete in the spelling bee of their young lives, each eager to win for very different reasons. Six spellers bravely enter the competition with hopes of winning the ultimate prize – a trip to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Intent on avoiding the soul-crushing “ding” of the bell signaling a spelling mistake, they pour out their hearts, revealing touching and hilarious stories from their tween vantage point.

With an engaging, tuneful score by William Finn and a sweet, funny book by Rachel Sheinkin, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" causes audiences to fall in love, both with the show itself and its “perspicacious,” “jocular,” and “effervescent” spellers.

First produced on Broadway in 2005, the musical is the winner of two Tony awards, two Theatre World awards, three Drama Desk awards and two Lucille Lortel awards.

The production is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the Community Foundation of Henderson County.

Directed by Hendersonville Theater's Heather Denton, the cast features Juan Botero of Hendersonville as Leaf Coneybear; Kailey Blasius of Hendersonville as Olive Ostrovsky; Sahara Calderhead of Asheville as William Barfee; Andrea Dennis of Hendersonville as Rona Lisa Peretti; Allison Starling of Greer, SC, as Logan Schwartzandgrubenierre; Beth Norris of Hendersonville as Marcy Park; Gary McClain of Hendersonville as Vice Principal Douglas Panch; Rowan Duncan of Greenville, SC, as Chip Tolentino; and Wesley Ganey of Hendersonville as Mitch Mahoney.

Other members of the production team are Musical Director Chuck Taft, Choreographer Elizabeth Creamer, Set Designer Don Schwartz, Sound and Lighting Designer Tate Albert, Costume Designers Janice Guazzo and Kathleen Henby and Stage Manager Travis Pressley.