Daniel Radcliffe Booted from OffBroadway's "Spelling Bee" Revival After Misspelling a Word He Knows All Too Well Dave QuinnNovember 26, 2025 at 12:35 AM 0 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee/Instagram Daniel Radcliffe at 'The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee' The OffBroadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee featured a surprise appearance by Daniel Radcliffe Video of his cameo was posted to the show's official social media account It was a magical moment, even though the Harry Potter actor was eliminated on his first word Daniel Radcliffe found himself back un...
- - Daniel Radcliffe Booted from Off-Broadway's "Spelling Bee" Revival After Misspelling a Word He Knows All Too Well
Dave QuinnNovember 26, 2025 at 12:35 AM
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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee/Instagram
Daniel Radcliffe at 'The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee' -
The Off-Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee featured a surprise appearance by Daniel Radcliffe
Video of his cameo was posted to the show's official social media account
It was a magical moment, even though the Harry Potter actor was eliminated on his first word
Daniel Radcliffe found himself back under the stage lights over the weekend, much to everyone's surprise.
The Harry Potter star, 36, shocked theatergoers at the Off-Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Saturday, Nov. 22, when he was plucked from the audience to appear onstage as one of the show's rotating "guest spellers."
The Tony-winning musical comedy, now celebrating its first New York City revival at New World Stages, famously invites four volunteers onstage each performance to compete alongside the cast in the chaotic, laugh-filled spelling contest. On this particular night, Radcliffe jumped in on the fun, joining Broadway vets including Jasmine Amy Rogers, Justin Cooley, Lilli Cooper, Philippe Arroyo and Glee alum Kevin McHale in the riotously funny crowd-favorite.
Video of Radcliffe's appearance was posted to the production's official social media account.
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Of course, Radcliffe is no stranger to the stage. He has five Broadway credits underneath his belt, including starring turns in Equus (2008), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2011), and the acclaimed 2023 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, which won him the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.
Participating in Spelling Bee gave Radcliffe the chance to reunite with Leana Rae Concepcion, too, his former Merrily We Roll Along costar. But sadly, their time together was short-lived, as the actor was eliminated on his very first word: theatre.
The irony was delicious. Radcliffe, a London born-and-raised actor who has often appeared on the stages of the West End, confidently spelled the word T-H-E-A-T-E-R, before being told the judges were looking for the American spelling, not the British version.
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In Radcliffe's defense, he had asked "we are in America?" before his spelling— something the Bee's moderator, Vice Principal Douglas Panch (played by Jason Kravits), did confirm was true.
Panch even used the word in a sentence for Radcliffe, mocking the star's own life story: "After achieving his wildest dreams of fame and fortune in the cinema, the young actor decided to throw it all away and take a vow of poverty to pursue a life in the theatre."
That wasn't the only joke made at Radcliffe's expense. When introduced to the mic, Cooper (as Rona Lisa Peretti) landed an A+ Harry Potter reference, saying, "When Mr. Radcliffe received the acceptance letter to his current school, he was living under the stairs at his evil aunt's house."
"Stupefy!" Panch said, after Radcliffe's snafu.
Joan Marcus
Jason Kravits and Lilli Cooper in 'The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee' Off-Broadway
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One his way out, Radcliffe was given a juice box and sent back to his seat — the same fate that's met other guest spellers to the revival, including Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman and Tony winner Stephanie J. Block.
Radcliffe is set to return to Broadway next year in the Broadway premiere of Every Brilliant Thing, the acclaimed solo play by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe. Previews begin Feb. 21, 2026, at the Hudson Theatre, with opening night set for March 12. The strictly limited engagement runs through May 24.
As for Spelling Bee, due to popular demand, its run has been extended through April 12, 2026.
The musical, which originally debuted on Broadway in 2005, follows six middle school spellers as they hope to spell their way to victory in the bee. The story was conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss and is based on C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original play by The Farm.
Music comes from Tony winner William Finn (Falsettos, A New Brain), with a Tony-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin. This new production is directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford (Kimberly Akimbo, Dear Evan Hansen).
Joan Marcus
The cast of 'The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee' Off-Broadway
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Other stars in the musical include Autumn Best (Netflix's Woman of the Hour; The CW's 4400) and Matt Manuel. Rounding out the cast as understudies are Brandon L. Armstrong, Jahbril Cook, Emily Nicole Rudolph and Cecilia Snow.
Tickets for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are now on sale.
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Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: November 25, 2025 at 09:36PM on Source: MARIO MAG
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