The classic TV show “The Addams Family” is a multi-generational favorite, with viewers of the original 1960s program to kids in the ‘80s who grew up watching reruns, to fans of the various 1990s movie versions and, most recently, those who streamed the Netflix show “Wednesday,” based on the fictitious family’s young daughter.
Lawrence North High School actors will tap into that popularity with their production of the musical “The Addams Family,” set for 7 p.m. May 3, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. May 4 at the school’s auditorium.
Director Greg Johnson said he loves the show, in part because it speaks to his own dark side,
“I like the fact that the show itself is very quirky, because they kind of embrace that darker side of who they are,” he said of the characters. “And then they’re more real. Sometimes in life, I feel like kids will put on masks, because they don’t embrace the fact that they have all this stuff they’re dealing with inside, but the Addamses just embrace that and therefore they actually are more real with each other.”
Johnson said there’s a deeper message within the humor and the quirkiness of the musical that teenagers can relate to. He added that the show involves a large ensemble cast, which is different from last year’s production.
“Last year, we did a very lead-heavy show with not a lot of dance numbers and not a lot of big ensembles,” he said. “It was time to do more of that dance-heavy show, more chorus involvement. Plus, we needed a show that was relatively cheap, compared to the $3,500 plant that we got last year.”
The expensive “plant” was a custom-designed puppet for the school’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”
The plot of the upcoming show involves Wednesday Addams and her new boyfriend, who comes from a more traditional type of family. The two families’ differences lead to some conflicts.
Clive Guidry plays Gomez Addams, and said his character is goofy, dark and deeply in love with his wife. Gomez also loves his children and cares about family in general. Guidry added that the process has been a lot of fun, in part because the cast members get along so well.
Andrew King plays Mal Beineke, the father of Wednesday’s boyfriend.
“In their family, they’re very conservative in the sense that they’re not as, like, open as (the Addamses),” King said. “That creates a lot of conflict for him, watching his son — who was much more open than him — start to get feelings for this family who is very different from them.”
Moth Scott plays Morticia Addams, and said it is a dream character for her.
“I kind of identify with Morticia a lot and my current relationship is a lot like that Morticia-Gomez dynamic, so that’s really fun,” she said. “And, of course, I’ve got people in this cast that I’ve known since preschool — all of the people are so talented and so fun to work with.”
Grace Rehmel plays Alice Beineke, the boyfriend’s sister. She said the character appears to be happy and light on the surface but has her own dark side.
“She holds all this stuff back and she keeps it all inside,” she said. “And then at one point, she just breaks through and she just lets it all out. And then her true self comes out. And she’s like, ‘Well, might as well be me.’”
Lucas Beineke, the boyfriend, is played by Taylor Smith, who described the character as “average to a fault,” which is why he’s drawn to the not-so-average Addams family.
Johnson said he hopes the popularity of “The Addams Family” in all its iterations over the decades will bring people out to see the results of the young actors’ hard work.
“The cast is phenomenal,” he said. “I feel like they’re perfect for their roles. They’re very bought into the show, from the cast to the crew to the publicity people. Everybody’s really in it this year. And that’s exciting.”
For tickets and more information, visit lawrencenorth.ltschools.org and scroll down to the show link
(Photos by Leila Kheiry)
If you go
What: Lawrence North High School’s production of “The Addams Family”
When: 7 p.m. May 3; and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. May 4
Where: Lawrence North High School auditorium, 7802 Hague Rd.
How: Visit lawrencenorth.ltschools.org and scroll down to the show link
