America’s darkest family will come to life this Spring at Marple Newtown High School’s Performing Art Center. MNDrama’s production of The Addams Family opens March 16th and this musical adaptation about this creepy and kooky cast of characters is sure to entertain audiences of all ages.
Based on The Addams Family characters created by Charles Addams, this story about the ghoulish American family explores themes of love, family and growing up. The Addams Family began as a New Yorker cartoon in 1938 and eventually became a primetime show in the 1960s. Since the series, there have been several animated adaptations, blockbusters, a Broadway musical and most recently a Netflix adaptation called Wednesday.
Directed by veteran director Brian Walsh and produced by Marple Newtown High School (MNHS) graduate Tiffany Caprice, MNDrama’s production of The Addams Family features more than 80 MNHS high school students as actors, dancers, stage crew members and musicians. The musical tells the story of the Addams family, a close-knit extended family with macabre interests and supernatural abilities. Brian said this year was the perfect time to put on a production of The Addams Family. “With the new Netflix series and the cartoon adaptation just a couple years ago, it seems to be the ‘it’ show these days. It’s exciting to bring it to our stage.”
Brian, a fifth-grade teacher in the Upper Darby School district, began directing Marple Newtown students back in 2015. He grew up in Drexel Hill and graduated from Upper Darby High School and Kutztown University. He’s been actively involved in the Upper Darby Summer Stage program since he was young and still works there today as a director, working with elementary-aged students.
Gomez Addams
Producer Tiffany Caprice graduated from MNHS, where she was active in the drama program as a stage crew member and enjoyed producing one-act plays. She’s now an executive producer with the We The People Company (www.WeThePeople.tv), a production company that merges entertainment with advertising.
What drew Brian and Tiffany to The Addams Family was not just the quirky characters, but the message it brings to the audience. “It’s really about how appearances can be deceiving,” said Brian. “Despite how different someone may seem on the outside, what matters is what is on the inside. And at its core, it’s really about a family who really cares and loves each other.” Tiffany said the show also gives the students the opportunity to create a lot of fun and excitement on stage. “The storyline and musical numbers are really engaging,” she said. “And the crew had a great opportunity to get very creative with the costumes and set.”
The premise of this musical comedy is that 18-year-old Wednesday Addams meets a sweet, smart boy from a “normal” family. From this connection and then a funny meeting between the two families, everything changes for the Addams family. Told through lots of jokes and entertaining song and dance numbers, the show is sure to please fans of the original show as well as those who may be unfamiliar with this ghoulish family. Sophomore Julia Izzo plays Wednesday Addams, a girl obsessed with death who enjoys performing odd science experiments. “Wednesday is really dark and straightforward. It’s fun to play a character who is so different from me,” she said. “And she really inspires people to be open to change.”
and Kayley Brown (Pugsley) rehearse a scene for the show.
Playing the role of Morticia Addams is junior Margaret Schiller who also starred in MN Drama’s 2022 productions of Clue and Matilda the Musical. Margaret said she was a big fan of the original Addams Family television show and especially admired the character of Morticia. “She’s so majestic,” said Margaret. “And even though she’s a more serious character, she still adds humor to the show, so she’s really fun to play.”
Working behind the scenes and at the heart of any successful theater production, is the stage crew. The crew for the production of The Addams Family are responsible for everything from lighting, sound and props to set design. Junior Kaylie Pohlig is the student producer of the show, a role that has given her the opportunity to branch out and take on a leadership role. “It has really changed my whole high school experience,” said Kaylie, who also worked as the student producer of Matilda in 2022. “Not only has it been fun, but I am hoping for a career in theater, so it is really preparing me for the future.”
the part of Uncle Fester
During production of The Addams Family, the cast and crew were able to meet professional actors, attend workshops and work with dialect coaches. “We really wanted to give the Marple drama students a bigger, better and memorable experience,” Tiffany explained. They were even able to hear from a stunt coordinator who taught the students how to do some of their own stunts on stage. “This is a great opportunity for them to learn from professionals,” she added. “It’s especially important to those students who want to pursue theater production after high school.”
New to the MNDrama program this year is something called: A Star for A Day. Marple Newtown students of all ages will have the opportunity to participate in an all day acting workshop this Spring that will end with a live cabaret style show for family and friends. “It’s a great opportunity for the high school students to mentor students in the elementary and middle schools who are interested in our drama program,” said Brian.
MNDrama’s cast, crew and orchestra have been working diligently five days a week to perfect the production of this year’s Spring Musical. Audiences will not want to miss The Addams Family: an entertaining, original story that embraces the wackiness in every family.
Performances start Thursday, March 16th and run through Saturday, March 18th. Visit www.MNDrama.org for showtimes and ticket information.