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William Finn Dies: ‘Falsettos’, ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ Playwright Was 73
William "Bill" Finn, who also wrote 2005's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, died Monday, April 7, following a lengthy illness. He was 73.
Born February 28, 1952, in Natick, Massachusetts, and raised in a conservative Jewish household, Finn was a two-time Tony Award winner – Best Book and Best Original Score for the AIDS-themed Falsettos. The original Broadway production starred Michael Rupert as Marvin, Stephen Bogardus as Whizzer, Barbara Walsh as Trina, Chip Zien as Mendel and Jonathan Kaplan as Jason. The composer and director would reteam again in 2005 for the immensely popular The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a musical about elementary school students competing in the titular contest.
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