Tony Winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin, Memphis, Hamilton) made his Broadway debut in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Now he will direct the work November 29-December 24 at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's in Palo Alto, California. Opening night is set for December 2 at the Bay Area theatre's Lucie Stern Theatre. The production is part of the Tony-winning TheatreWorks newly announced 53rd season.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee features music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book by Rachel Sheinkin. Originally conceived by Rebecca Feldman, the musical follows a group of middle schoolers, played by adults, who are vying for the glory of being the spelling bee champ. It features additional material by Jay Reiss, and this production will feature music direction by William Liberatore.
The season will kick off with the west coast premiere of Heidi Armbruster’s Mrs. Christie October 4-29. The mystery about the famous author's 1926 disappearance will be mounted at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Mountain View, California, the second venue TheatreWorks will be using to present the season.
In 2024, TheatreWorks Artistic Director Tim Bond will helm a new production of August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned January 17-February 11 starring Steven Anthony Jones at Mountain View. Following in Palo Alto will be Madhuri Shekar's Queen March 6-31, presented in partnership with EnActe Arts. April 3-28, Mike Lew's Tiger Style! will be mounted at Mountain View with Emily Kuroda (Gilmore Girls) starring in the cast.
Closing out the season will be the world premiere of Being Alive: A Sondheim Celebration June 5-30. The new musical tribute to Stephen Sondheim was conceived by Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley and TheatreWorks Resident Musical Director William Liberatore.
“It’s a season of turning points,” said Artistic Director Tim Bond. “The characters in this season’s works are facing watershed moments in their lives, deciding what kind of people they want to become—something we can all identify with."
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