Kenyon-Wanamingo School Theatre is looking to scare up some laughs with “The Addams Family” next week.
Students are rehearsing for the upcoming musical, which opens Saturday, March 9, followed by a matinee the next day. Randy Hockinson is directing the production, and Hannah Johnson is serving as music director.
The play finds the creepy, kooky family in a season of growing pains as Wednesday Addams ages into adulthood and begins to challenge her parents’ outlook on life.
Early in the play, she confides in her father Gomez that she’s fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a man from a “normal” family. Worse, she asks him to keep it a secret from her mother Morticia.
“He never lies to his wife, that’s a big thing. He never does. But when he has to for a very important reason — for his daughter — then it becomes a big problem,” said Gomez actor Landon Trump.
Wednesday and Lucas’ attempts to introduce their parents to one another lead to a series of comical mishaps and misunderstandings. Despite the outlandish characters, Hockinson sees something real in the culture shock between the Addams and Beineke families.
“It’s silly, silly stuff, but at the same time I think it has a story about tolerance and acceptance and having an open mind about things. I think there’s something people can walk out with, besides a couple of laughs,” he said.
Hockinson has directed around 30 productions at K-W, but “The Addams Family” still has fresh challenges to offer.
“This one has some dance elements in it that we haven’t tried before. We don’t have any dancers here, so we’re all learning from YouTube. That takes a lot of work. It’s difficult to sing and dance at the same time, but they’re all learning that. They’re up for that challenge,” he said.
While it’s taken hours of rehearsal, the actors are finding their rhythm.
“It’s stressful, but if you keep practicing over and over — in school and out of school — it gets pretty easy,” said Hailee Bolton.
Bolton plays one of the Addams ancestors, a chorus of ghosts that emerge from the family crypt to fraternize with their living relatives. While the Addams family can see and interact with these apparitions, they remain invisible to the straight-laced Beinekes.
The ancestors hail from a variety of eras, ranging from a conquistador to a flapper. Hockinson noted that the ancestors give the ensemble actors a bigger role than most productions.
“They’re a lot more involved in this show. They’re on stage a lot,” he said.
On top of the singing and choreography, the main cast has also been getting to know their peculiar characters.
Trump said Gomez is the oddest character he’s ever played, though he enjoys how “smooth” he is. He had to practice a Spanish accent and grow a mustache to embody the character.
To play Lurch, the Addams’ towering butler, Ben Dierks has to perform at a slow, lumbering pace and don enormous lifted boots that add several inches to his height. While Lurch remains tight lipped throughout the play, Dierks teased one scene in which he’ll get to show off his vocal talents. Dierks said he was unfamiliar with the characters, but tried out because his friends were involved.
Jordan Blowers, on the other hand, was drawn to the play because she loves the characters. She’s playing Morticia, in addition to taking a lead role creating the sets.
“It’s very fun. I like being very sassy and elegant,” said Blowers.
Elsie Braaten, who plays Wednesday, doesn’t exactly relate to her gloomy character, but that’s part of the fun for her.
“I think she’s very different from my own personality, and it’s kind of fun to be able to act as something different than I do in real life,” said Braaten. “She’s just a really interesting character.”
Braaten also said the play’s love story reveals a different, surprising side to her character.
She’s enjoying all the singing and dancing her part requires, and cited the “atmosphere” of the K-W drama program as the main draw for her.
“I love being here with all my friends and doing the thing that I love,” said Braaten.
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