By Rebecca Havely
After sell-out crowds and standing ovations in their first two weeks, “THE ADDAMS FAMILY” at Theatre 29!, the Morongo Basin’s most recognized year round community theatre, is a certified smash hit! As Z107.7FM Entertainment reporter Rebecca Havely put it, “A must-see and a perfect evening out for the entire family”.
“THE ADDAMS FAMILY”, that lovable clan of creepy kooks, is alive and well and living in their super-spooky mansion in Central Park. Wednesday Addams is now 18 and has fallen in love. After confiding in her father about her impending nuptials and begging him not to tell her mother, Gomez must do something he’s never done before; keep a secret from his beloved wife Morticia. When this ultimate “princess of darkness” invites her new boyfriend over with his “normal” family to get better acquainted with the Addams household, comic chaos ensues. Will the star-crossed lovers get their happy ending? Will Morticia forgive her doting Gomez on his betrayal? Will Uncle Fester and his cadre of undead ancestors come to the rescue? All this and more will be revealed!
Kathryn Ferguson, the artistic and musical force behind the production, is thrilled with the responses from the audience, observing, “When the iconic theme plays, the audience gleefully joins in with the finger snapping. They get immersed in this world, smile, laugh, and even get choked up when Gomez sings “Happy/Sad” to his daughter, Wednesday.
Ferguson, a multi-award winning veteran director, said, “I was very blessed to have a talented cast who picked up thee challenging score and iconic characters so quickly. When you do a show like this, where the characters are so well known, actors walk a fine line between paying homage to the source material and creating their own take on the characters without losing the magic that make the characters a joy to watch. This cast was very successful in bridging that gap.”
Of her cast members, Ferguson said, “Leonard Weber’s Gomez is “masterful”, Virginia Sulick’s Morticia is an “imperious, sexy goddess”, Jasmine Shaffer’s Wednesday is “a stick of intense low-key dynamite, just as Wednesday should be”. Charles Harvey’s Uncle Fester is “a goofy, madcap spirit”, while Cindy Daigneault’s Grandma Addams is “equal parts old hippie and crazy cat (or rat) lady”. Masochistic Pugsley, played by Amanda Mohn, was “a delight and nailed the part with a dangerous flair”.
She went on to note, “The “normal” Beineke’s, Mal (Gary Daigneault), Alice ( Amanda Winters) and Lucas (Scott Clinkscales) are the proverbial fly in the Addams’ soup. They are the strangers in the strangest land possible. Winters transformation is breathtaking and hilarious at the same time. Daigneault is a great bombastic patriarch and Clinkscales adds innocence and a beautiful voice to his role as the love interest, Lucas”.
Ferguson also lauded the ensemble “ancestors”, who she says, “Do most of the “heavy lifting” in terms of Derik Shopinski’s choreography and as living scenery from the dank interiors of the mansion to the forests of New York’s Central Park to living “stars” in the night sky.” “They are the glue that holds the whole show together, I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of them.”
“THE ADDAMS FAMILY” continues its run Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00PM through October 31st. There will be Sunday matinee performances at 2:30pm on October 18th & 24th. Tickets for all performances are available for purchase now at www.theatre29.org, by calling the Box Office at 760-361-4151.
It is HIGHLY suggested that theatergoers get their tickets in advance, with performances selling out, it would not be wise to just show up and hope a seat is available. There is some overflow seating available on a “first come, first served” basis.
Tickets are $12.00 Regular, $10.00 Seniors and Military, and $8.00 for Students with ID or children under 12. “THE ADDAMS FAMILY” is appropriate for PG audiences, as there is some mild adult innuendo and simulated torture. (It IS The Addams Family, after all!)
Theatre 29 is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)3 Community Theater organization.
