Danny Mefford on Stepping Into the Director’s Chair for the First-Ever Revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
By Ricky Anderson
When choreographer-turned-director Danny Mefford first walked into a meeting about helming the long-awaited revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, he had a surprising confession: he’d never actually seen the show. “I knew it through lore,” he laughs. “I’d heard some of the songs, of course, but I had never had my own experience with it.”
That first listen, he recalls, hit with the force of revelation. “The score is so gorgeous. And The I Love You Song might be the most beautiful musical theater song ever written. I just fell in love.”
Now, nearly 20 years after William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s quirky musical first charmed New York audiences with its mix of improv, heart, and hilariously high-stakes spelling, Mefford is bringing the Bee buzzing back — this time with a fresh perspective, a seasoned creative eye, and a deep belief in the story’s optimism.
From Floyd’s Knobs to Fun Home: A Career Built on Storytelling
Growing up in rural Floyd’s Knobs, Indiana — “rural route number two, box 205,” he clarifies with a smile — Mefford’s childhood was shaped by imagination, farm fields, and a mother who could’ve stepped out of The Sound of Music. “She had this magical way of making teaching feel like play,” he says. That sense of play, combined with watching his older sister in school musicals, pushed him into community theater by age ten.
He studied acting at the University of Evansville, then earned an MFA at the Brown/Trinity program before moving to New York to pursue an acting career. But New York had different plans.
At the Williamstown Theatre Festival, director Alex Timbers needed a last-minute choreographer for a midnight show in a church. A friend recommended Mefford. “That’s how my choreography career started,” he says. “I wasn’t getting cast in anything — but suddenly everyone downtown was asking me to choreograph.”
What followed was a meteoric rise: Dance Dance Revolution, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Fun Home, The Bridges of Madison County, Dear Evan Hansen, Kimberly Akimbo.
“Honestly, the moment I started choreographing, everything clicked,” he says. “I realized I’d always wanted to be behind the table — I just didn’t know it.”
Why Spelling Bee — and Why Now
The original Spelling Bee — born at Barrington Stage Company, transferred Off-Broadway, and later opening on Broadway in 2005 — became a surprise cult phenomenon. With its improvisatory humor, audience spellers, and a cast of heartbreakingly earnest misfit kids, the show ran over 1,100 performances and earned two Tony Awards, including Best Book.
It hasn’t had a major revival since.
“I love new musicals, so coming back to this one is the exception,” Mefford notes. “But Bee is different. It’s honestly one of the most generous, heartfelt pieces of musical theater we have. It’s hilarious, but it’s also deeply human.”
For him, the show’s message resonates even more powerfully today.
In today’s news cycle, we get reminded constantly of how nasty people can be. “Spelling Bee reminds us of the opposite — how generous and kind we can be. Olive is the hero because she breaks the cycle of hurt. She reaches out. She heals someone else and heals herself in the process.”
That quiet message of humanity, he believes, is why the show deserves a revival that speaks to now.
“We need to laugh. And we need reminders that there is still good in people.”
Keeping the Bee Fresh: Yes, the Improv Stays
One hallmark of Spelling Bee will remain intact: the nightly improvisation and audience participation.
“Oh, of course we’re keeping it,” Mefford says immediately. “The show has to feel like it’s happening in the present moment — in the exact room you’re in. That’s essential.”
Keeping up with current events, however, is its own challenge.
“The news cycle moves incredibly fast,” he laughs. “We’ve only done a handful of performances so far, and we’re still figuring out our process. But yes — the jokes will stay topical. They have to.”
A Director Formed by the Greats
When asked what prepared him to direct, Mefford gives credit to years spent absorbing the lessons of the major directors he’s worked beside: Sam Gold, Jessica Stone, Jack O’Brien, Michael Greif, Alex Timbers, Lear deBessonet, Bartlett Sher.
“Theater is passed down from maker to maker,” he says. “Everything I know comes from the people I’ve made theater with — my sister, my high school director, Betty Weber Flock who taught me to dance, all the directors I’ve worked under.”
Directing Spelling Bee, he explains, doesn’t feel like a departure from choreography.
“I’ve always entered theater through character and storytelling. So directing doesn’t feel like a different job — it just feels like an expansion.”
What He Hopes Audiences Take Away
For Mefford, the Bee isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about connection.
“These kids are all so different. They come from different homes, different struggles, different needs. And yet, they’re all transformed by this one day — by each other. I think that’s what people will walk away with. That reminder that connection matters. That kindness matters.”
What’s Next for Mefford
After Spelling Bee, he’ll begin work on The Gorgeous Nothings, a new musical about six real gay men imprisoned in a 1930s New York penitentiary under sodomy laws — and the drag show they produced annually for fellow inmates and guards.
“It’s dark, and funny, and heartbreaking. And it’s about resilience and performance as survival. It feels like the most meaningful work I’ve ever done.”
Until Then… The Bee Awaits
As the revival officially takes flight, Mefford hopes longtime fans and newcomers alike will feel the warmth and wit that has made the show beloved for nearly two decades.
“It’s the most heartwarming, hilarious show there is,” he says simply. “I feel lucky every single day to be working on it.”
And for those of us who first discovered ourselves — or our first boyfriends — through Spelling Bee, the revival promises something even more magical: the chance to return to a show that helped shape us, this time with fresh eyes, fuller hearts, and perhaps a little more wisdom.