the ensemble of Quad City Music Guild's “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at the Prospect Park Auditorium -- August 7 through 16.
Friday, August 7, through Sunday, August 16
Prospect Park Auditorium, 1584 34th Avenue, Moline IL
Hailed by the New York Times as “entirely adorable,” and with Variety stating that “only the most bitter misanthrope could resist its charms,” The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee closes Quad City Music Guild's 2026 summer season at the Prospect Park Auditorium, the show's August 7 through 16 run sure to demonstrate why reviewer Terry Teachout's Wall Street Journal headline read “It's Spelled W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L.”
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."
Composer William Finn's celebrated 2005 musical comedy received two Tony Awards and enjoyed a Broadway run of 1,136 performances, with a fun, unusual aspect of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee being that certain 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.
Directing and set designing Putnam County is Quad City Music Guild veteran Michael Turczynski, who previously helmed such musicals as The Prom, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Young Frankenstein. Kaden Micklos serves as assistant director and Rob Elfine as music director, with additional members of Turczynski's creative team including: stage manager Rebecca McNamar; assistant set designer Rylon Hall; costume designer Halley Price; lighting designer Jacob Laufenberg; sound designer Miranda Richards; props designer Addie Jorgenson; and producer Mitchell Carter.
The musical's six “adolescent” spelling-bee contestants are portrayed by: Jack Bevans (as Leaf Coneybear); Adrienne Jane Evans (as Logainne Schwartzandgrunenniere ); Brian Hefferman (as Chip Tolentino); Luke Vermeire (as William Barfee); Lauren VanSpeybroeck (as Olive Ostrovsky); and Megan Warren (as Marcy Park). Former bee champ Rona Lisa Peretti is played by Jess Fah, with “comfort counselor” Mitch Mahoney enacted by Casey Scott and Vice Principal Douglas Panch by Jeremy Mahr in his Music Guild debut. Joie Stoefen and Eli Swailes act as swing performers, and on August 15, they will respectively play the roles of Logainne and Leaf.
Quad City Music Guild's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium August 7 through 16, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $15-20, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 and visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
