A representative for the concert said in a statement, "Due to the demands of being mom to a newborn, Celia Keenan-Bolger has had to withdraw from the upcoming Spelling Bee reunion concert. The role of Olive Ostrovsky will be played by Jenni Barber, who took over the role on Broadway."
Also scheduled to perform are , , , , , , and . The evening will also feature celebrity guest spellers, who will attempt to beat Putnam County鈥檚 spelling legends, including Chip Tolentino, William Barfee and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre.
and will direct the concert, which will have musical direction and .
The Actors Fund is producing with Natalie Gershtein as line producer.
The evening will benefit the Fund鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Health Initiative and is being held in memory of Andrea 鈥淪pook鈥� Testani Gordon, the production stage manager of the original Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, who passed away Nov. 30, 2014, following a battle with cancer. Spelling Bee features a book by , music and lyrics by and original direction by Lapine. Based on 鈥淐-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E,鈥� an original play by The Farm, the production was conceived by Rebecca Feldman and featured additional material by Jay Reiss. It premiered on Broadway May 2, 2005, following sold-out runs at and the .
The musical was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won two: Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler). The production ran for nearly three years closing Jan. 20, 2008, after playing 1,136 performances.
Town Hall is located at 123 West 43rd Street. Benefit tickets, priced $50, $100, $150, $250, and $500 are available at Ticketmaster.com.
