Philippe Arroyo, Leana Rae Concepcion and Justin Cooley will also star.
The Glee alum, 37, will make his New York stage debut this fall in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal. McHale joins the first revival of the Tony Award-winning musical comedy as William Barfée, the eccentric and endearing speller with a "magic foot."
The limited 14-week engagement begins previews Nov. 7 ahead of a Nov. 17 opening night at New World Stages in Manhattan. The run will continue through Feb. 15, 2026.
McHale will be joined in Spelling Bee by a buzzy cast of Broadway up-and-comers.
Philippe Arroyo, who originated the role of François in & Juliet on Broadway, has been cast as overachieving Boy Scout Chip Tolentino. Leana Rae Concepcion, seen recently in the Tony-winning revival of Merrily We Roll Along and its upcoming film adaptation, will play perfectionist powerhouse Marcy Park.
Rounding out the group is Kimberly Akimbo breakout Justin Cooley, a Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominee, who will step into the shoes of gentle oddball Leaf Coneybear.
Additional casting for the 20th anniversary production of Spelling Bee will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans hoping to snag early tickets can sign up for the presale at spellingbeenyc.com before 11 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 24. General ticket sales begin Friday, July 25 at 10 a.m. ET.
Directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford (Kimberly Akimbo, Dear Evan Hansen), the revival celebrates two decades of one of Broadway's most endearing and hilarious ensemble musicals.
Originally developed at Barrington Stage Company and based on an original play by The Farm, Spelling Bee premiered Off-Broadway in 2005 at Second Stage Theater. The production -- which starred Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Dan Fogler (among others) -- quickly transferred to Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for nearly three years and won two Tony Awards, including one for Rachel Sheinkin's book.
With a vibrant score by the late William Finn (Falsettos, A New Brain), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows six precocious pre-teens (played by adults) as they compete for the coveted title of county spelling champ. Along the way, hilarious and touching personal stories unfold (aided by a healthy dose of audience participation).