Crazy, kooky, spooky, or just a typical family gathering? The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy opens Aurora Community Theatre’s 59th season Oct. 26, continuing at 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 17, with matinees at 3 pm Sunday Nov. 4 and 11. ACT is located at 115 E. Pioneer Trail.
Find out what happens when the eccentric Addams clan hosts a “meet-the-families” dinner for their daughter of darkness and her sweet, normal true love and his parents. In one fateful, hilarious night, secrets are disclosed, relationships are tested and the Addams family must face up to the one horrible thing they’ve managed to avoid for generations: Change.
Perfect for the Halloween season, “The Addams Family” features mirth, music, ghoulish graveyards, saucy tangos, swordfights, and ah, the French!
Andrew Lippa wrote the music and lyrics for the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, all based on the macabre characters created by The New Yorker’s legendary cartoonist, Charles Addams.
Andy Knode directs “The Addams Family” with Mike Nickley, music director, and Jen Justice, choreographer. Marc C. Howard is the producer with Dolly Spinelli, shadow producer.
Joe Fornadel plays Gomez Addams for eight performances Oct. 26 – Nov. 11, with James Kovach in the role closing weekend, Nov. 16 and 17. JB Miller plays Gomez’s wife, Morticia. MaryBeth Knode plays their daughter, Wednesday, and Owen Bass, their son Pugsley.
Brian Pichola takes on the role of Uncle Fester, Karen Spiegler, Grandma Addams, and Dennis Runkle, Lurch. Mickey Erdos plays Lucas Beineke, Wednesday’s love interest. Kevin Horak and Theresa Dean perform the roles of Lucas’s parents, Malcomb and Alice Beineke.
Addams Ancestors include: Rolin DeVere III , Mark Eitzman, Amie W. Gabel, Lisa Georges, Carson Strnisa and Debbie Vogias.
Ann Nyenhuis is the stage manager/technical director, with April Sike, assistant stage manager, Korinne Carroll Courtwright, costume designer, and Nancy Welsh, costumer coordinator. Rob Peck designed the set. Maggie Hamilton created the sound, and Austin Hopson, the lighting. Kim Bass served as liaison to the ACT Board of Trustees. Marianne Gingras created the show image, and CPH Communications managed marketing and the box office.
Linda Weinkamer was the scenic artist. Ann Nyenhuis led the set construction crew which included: Paul Bass, Theresa Dean, Jim Eller, Rebecca Gang, Katie Hintze, Chris Hrach, Andy Knode, Sarah Kuchcinski, Craig McCloud, Joe Mira, Rob Mumaw, Ben Nyenhuis, Dave Nyenhuis, Marty Pekarcik, Neil Rubin, Jerry Schaber, April Sike, Dolly Spinelli, Steve Spinelli, and Weinkamer.
Charles Addams created the family of ghoulish characters for his single-panel cartoons published from 1938 to 1988. The slightly kooky clan later emerged on television with live actors from 1964 to 1966, then as an animated series in the 1970s, followed by a movie version in 1991.
Reborn as a musical comedy in 2009, The Addams Family opened in Chicago, followed by an April 2010 premiere on Broadway featuring Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. A revised national tour of North America began in September 2011.
The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy is presented by special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.
