“The 25th-Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre -- August 6 through 16.
Thursday, August 6, through Sunday, August 19
Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, 303 Riverview Drive, Clinton IA
Lauded by the New York Times as “effortlessly endearing” and by Variety as “enormously satisfying,” The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee closes the 2026 summer season at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, the show's August 6 through 16 run sure to demonstrate why composer William Finn's celebrated 2005 musical comedy received two Tony Awards and enjoyed a Broadway run of 1,136 performances.
Finn's acclaimed musical focuses on an eclectic group of sixth-graders, each eager to win their local bee. Sweet and shy Olive brings her best friend – the dictionary – to watch her compete; bold and hyper-allergic William Barfée uses his “magic foot” to propel him to greatness; former champion Chip struggles with his burgeoning puberty; easily distracted Leaf is unconvinced that he’s smart enough to be a challenger; overachiever Marcy is disappointed by her constant successes; and politically aware Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre only wants to impress her gay dads. In hilarious, touching, and catchy songs – and alongside a great deal of improvisation and audience participation – the youthful spellers reveal their hopes, struggles, and passions as they make their way through the competition, resulting in a modern classic that Centerstage called "utterly hilarious, surprisingly warm, and almost criminally entertaining."
A fun and unusual aspect of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is that real audience members are invited on stage to compete in the spelling bee alongside the six young characters. (During the 2005 Tony Awards, former presidential candidate Al Sharpton competed.) Another amusing aspect of the show is that the official pronouncer provides ridiculous usage-in-a-sentence examples when asked to use words in a sentence, which the examples oftentimes improvised. Spelling Bee became one of the most frequently produced musicals in American regional and school theatre and was staged internationally, including an Australian production that won the 2006 Helpmann Award for Best Musical and others in South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico and the Philippines. Its Broadway cast recording, released by Ghostlight Records, was nominated for a Grammy Award, while a 20th-anniversary off-Broadway revival opened at New World Stages in November of 2025.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre August 6 through 16, with 2 and/or 7:30 p.m. performances on Wednesday, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Admission is $27-32, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)242-6760 and visiting ClintonShowboat.com.
