Celia Keenan-Bolger Bows Out of Spelling Bee Reunion Concert

Jenni Barber (A New Brain) will take on the role of Olive Ostrovsky in the upcoming 10-year anniversary benefit concert of William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, representatives for the production have announced. Tony nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger, an original cast member of the show, has withdrawn from the event "due to the demands of being mom to a newborn." Barber was Keenan-Bolger's replacement in the show's original Broadway run.

The reunion concert is is being held July 6 at Town Hall in memory of Andrea "Spook" Testani Gordon, the beloved production stage manager of the original Broadway and off-Broadway production, who passed away on November 30, 2014 following a battle with cancer. The event will benefit The Actors Fund’s Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative.

Codirected by James Lapine (who helmed the original production) and Darren Katz, the evening will feature original Spelling Bee cast members Derrick Baskin, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lisa Howard, Jose Llana, Jay Reiss, Sarah Saltzberg, and Dan Fogler, who won a Tony Award for his performance in the musical. Musical direction is by Vadim Feichtner and Carmel Dean.

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.

For tickets and more information, click here.