The weird, the strange, the kooky, and the odd encapsulated the experience of the Addams Family: the Musical. From the extravagant set to the flashing lights and sound effects, this musical reflects the UI Theatre Department’s twist on the famous family.
The musical centers around Wednesday Addams who has fallen in love with a “normal” boy. His family is invited to a dinner with the Addams and Wednesday is determined for everything to go right. Wednesday tells her father, Gomez Addams, who must now keep a secret from his wife, something he has never had to do, as these two families try to get along.
“Usually, the Addams family is just straight black and white and grey scale, but we have kind of done a more colorful turn on it,” Cale Wilponen, a freshman theatre arts performance major who played Pugsley in the musical said. “Seeing it become its own world, and universe has been really beautiful.”
Craig A. Miller, the Director of the Addams family and an associate professor of acting at UI stated that this performance has been a collaboration of many people, from the directors and actors to the choreographers and orchestra.
“I think the reason I love musicals so much is I love to collaborate with people. Musicals, they innately add more people to the village.”
Skylar Megan Furrer, a student majoring in high school education, English and biology said that her favorite character was Morticia in the musical.
“I really liked that this [musical] had a live orchestra,” Furrer said. “I’m not typically a musical person, I like more serious plays, but I like how funny it is.”
The Addams Family has been in production since the academic year began, but the department has been working on it for longer.
A committee is designed to choose the productions usually a year in advance.
This committee includes four faculty members from different areas in the department, two undergraduate representatives, two to three Masters of Fine Arts students, on-campus MFA directors and more.
“Our committee is already meeting even though we are just getting ready for our first show of this season,” Miller said. “We are hoping to get one or two seasons ahead.”
Kari Wilsey, a senior and a performing arts major who played Morticia in the play, stated that she loved the dedication in the theatre department.
“I have been involved in many productions here,” Wisley said. “I think every time I am involved in a production here, I have grown more respect and more gratitude for the department and the faculty. After every show, I get more hungry for what they do here. For a small town in Idaho, we put on some pretty killer theatre.”
The Addams Family put on by the Theatre Department debuted on its preview night on Oct. 24 and is running until Nov. 3.
“I think everyone should come see the show and support the arts,” Furrer said.
Tickets are free for UI students and more information can be found here.
Andrea Roberts can be reached at [email protected]