The gothic and quirky family who has entered the hearts of thousands is coming to the Kay Porter Theatre this weekend in the Poplar Bluff High School production of “The Addams Family Musical.”
The production follows the story of Wednesday Addams and Lucas Beineke as they try to get their very different families to get along before announcing their engagement.
Emma Harris, who played Wednesday, said she originally was concerned she wouldn’t be able to give the production the time it takes, but once she decided to try, she wanted to be Wednesday.
“Personality-wise, we might not be the same, but it’s still fun,” she said. “I really like her song ‘Pulled,’ because she gets to belt and that’s my favorite style of singing.”
Isaac Reid and Lauren Robertson, who play her parents Gomez and Morticia Addams, are stepping outside of their comfort zone in some ways with their roles. But, this also isn’t the first time the two have played love interests.
“With ‘My Fair Lady,’ I played the guy that was head over heels for Lauren’s character. She didn’t like me back, obviously, but I kept pushing,” Reid said. “In this one, I play the guy who is head over heels in love with Lauren’s character.”
“And, I’m mad at him,” she added.
Reid said he normally plays the kind of character who is fairly normal, but a little bit out there. Last year, he played Linus in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”
He said when he looked at Gomez’ role, he was shocked by some of the emotion wrapped up in it, and “I needed to play this character.
“It’s so out there for me to play anything like Gomez, but I really, really, really wanted to get this part because it just melted my heart to hear ‘Happy/Sad,’ ‘Not Today,’ all the songs that he has.”
Robertson said she was drawn to Morticia, in part, because of a scene toward the end of the show where she and Gomez tango. She said she’s been dancing for eight years and actually choreographed their tango for the show. Robertson also designed her dress, she said, which required a lot of math as she sewed a corset into it.
However, she also was interested in how different the character is from how she normally acts.
“I really love the character of Morticia because I’m a very blunt person; I say my mind,” she said. “It’s just how I know how to communicate. Morticia is very reserved, and she keeps to herself until she has to say something, and I’ve just never learned characters like that.
“I’ve always liked characters that are more like me, just blunt, outspoken, they say what they’re thinking, they say what they’re feeling.”
While the conflict of the show is focused on Wednesday, all three agreed Gomez is the star of the plot as he works through keeping a secret from Morticia and Wednesday growing up.
All three said one of the best things about the show is that there’s a little bit for everybody. Bits of comedy mix in with drama and challenging emotions before turning into a dance break.
“It’s very easy to work in very funny jokes,” Robertson said. “There’s a part in Abby (Murphy)’s part, she plays Fester, where she’s going on about ‘was Napoleon right for Josephine, was nausea right for Dramamine’ and she ends the spiel with ‘was Poplar Bluff ready for quarantine? Who’s to say.’”
Reid said the cast was able to work in a joke about the election. In the original script, the Beineke family is from Ohio and Gomez makes a comment about it being a swing state.
“We changed it to Pennsylvania, because Ohio wasn’t a swing state this year,” he explained.
However, Reid said, he thinks the standout moment for everybody would be the song “Full Disclosure,” which wraps up act one.
The song switched between comedy and a rather dark, intense moment before jumping back into comedy.
“We get to see a bunch of characters who don’t have a lot of stage time otherwise, a lot of like standout moments,” Robertson said. “They come alive during ‘Full Disclosure,’ and that is such a treat for the audience. You get to see characters and it gives them so much depth.”
The show opens Friday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m., with 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday performances. Masks are required, and tickets can be purchased at the door for $5.