Credit: Theatrical Rights Worldwide
The North Hunterdon High School Theater Organization will perform the musical The Addams Family on March 2, 3, and 4. The show is produced by special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.
The musical is based on comics created by Charles Addams, a cartoonist for The New Yorker, whose collection of odd characters he assembled and called “The Addams Family” for the 1960’s sitcom of that name. Authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys script writers) wrote an original story using Addams’ characters, and paired it with music and lyrics of Andrew Lippa to create Broadway’s version of The Addams Family, which opened in 2010, after previews in Chicago.
The iconic Addams’ characters are infamously contrary to most established norms, favoring the macabre, and wonderfully weird. The story centers around young Wednesday Addams (played by junior Francesca Tangreti), daughter of Gomez (senior Avery Stoker) and Morticia (senior Emily Cargill), who has fallen in love with the sweet, intelligent Lucas Beineke (sophomore George Kapetanakis), and fears that his conventional parents (played by senior Samuel Szych and senior Madeline Coronato) will not get along with her offbeat, ghoulish family. She confides this worry to her father, who then is faced with the predicament of having to keep a secret from Morticia, from whom he has never hidden anything. The Addams’ Uncle Fester (senior Julian Calv) then summons the spirits of all of their ancestors to return and help the young couple to resolve their conflicts and find lasting love. Completing the family are younger brother Pugsley (sophomore Jonah Lione), who fears losing his sister to her new romance, Grandma (junior Caitlin Meyer), who offers wisdom to Pugsley, as well as a characteristically weird twist to the plot, and the ever-faithful, but silent and foreboding butler Lurch (senior Liam Finn).
The show includes new musical selections that tell much of the story. The family reveals their nature in the expository “When You’re an Addams”. Wednesday muses on how love has affected her in “Pulled”. Her father laments that he is “Trapped” into keeping a secret, while Wednesday wishes for her family to hide their peculiarities when they meet Lucas’ family in “One Normal Night”. The family celebrates a traditional game in which secrets are revealed in “Full Disclosure”. Finally, Gomez and Morticia dance to celebrate the resolution of conflicts in the passionate “Tango de Amor”.
The production is directed by English teacher Mary Meo, vocal directed by music teacher Katie Meo, and choreographed by French teacher Kerrie Decker. Music teacher Vincent Angeline conducts the orchestra. The stage and tech crews are managed by staff members Kevin Byrne, Aaron Willsey, and Ann Semanchik. Music teacher Katie Meo serves as producer.
Shows are March 2, 3, and 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the NHHS Theater. Tickets, at $15 for general admission and $10 for senior citizens and students, can be purchased at: https://northhunterdonhighschool.thundertix.com/events/99717. Ticket questions can be sent to NHTOtickets@gmail.com. Tickets will also be available at the door before performances.
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