From the Director
A warm welcome to the Ryan Theatre this evening for our production of The Addams Family - A Musical Comedy.
We are delighted to present this hilarious and heartwarming musical, which brings the eccentric and beloved Addams family to life in a way that is both captivating and unique. This production marks another exciting opportunity for members of the John Lyon community to come together to celebrate the talents and efforts of our Senior School pupils as well as, for the first time, our wonderful Prep School pupils. This is a show that celebrates family, individuality, and love, reminding us of the importance of embracing the quirks and idiosyncrasies that make us who we are. In a world that often feels uncertain, the odd but loveable Addams Family teaches us that embracing our true selves is what leads to the deepest connections. For the cast and company, diving into the wonderfully macabre world of the play has been a great deal of fun. We hope you leave the theatre with a smile and a reminder that, no matter how strange life gets, love and family will always see us through.
As always, this production has been a true collaborative effort, with pupils participating from a range of year groups, including Year 5, and Year 8 through to Upper Sixth from the Senior Schools. We are also thrilled to welcome the participation of students from Whitmore High School, St Dominic’s Sixth Form College, and St Helen’s School, whose contributions have brought fresh energy and talent to this production. The dedication and enthusiasm displayed by everyone involved, from the actors to the backstage crew, have been truly exceptional,
and we are excited to share the magic of this performance with you tonight. I have been equally privileged to be able to work with such a dedicated Creative Team in my final production at John Lyon.
The Addams Family – A Musical Comedy challenges our performers in exciting ways, from mastering Mr Poole’s intricate vocal arrangements to delivering Miss Lee and Miss Waller’s lively and playful choreography, all while capturing the wit and charm of these iconic characters.
Arguably, the standout moment in the show is ‘When You’re an Addams’, a dazzling number that sets the tone for the entire performance, combining humour, energy, and precision. The haunting finale to the show ‘Move Towards the Darkness’.
The Ryan Theatre, with its excellent facilities, has played an essential role in enhancing the quality of our production. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Mr Kinsella, Harrow School Enterprise Limited, and all the staff who have supported us throughout the rehearsal process with their expertise and professionalism.
Tonight’s performance represents the culmination of many hours of dedication, creativity, and teamwork. We hope you enjoy the show and find yourselves charmed by the wonderfully weird world of The Addams Family.
Mr Nick Bissessar
From the Musical Directors
The Addams Family has been revised numerous times since the original Broadway production in 2009. Despite the popularity of this well-known family with its own cartoon series and numerous films, the musical itself was not received well by audiences at its premiere on Broadway. Critics felt that the inconsistent storyline was too sentimental in places for a farcical play. Nevertheless, after some revisions the musical eventually received a nomination at the coveted Tony Awards.
The music and lyrics written by Andrew Lippa reflect the creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky nature of the original Addams Family. However, rather than focussing on one particular genre of music for the musical, the songs are used as a means to explore the many facets of each individual character. The quasi-tango number performed by Morticia combined with a flamenco style composition for Gomez both reflect a heritage we have come to know from the films. Whilst Uncle Fester’s numbers have a vaudeville like style to them showcasing his fun and quirky nature, Wednesday, the daughter who is trying to marry a more “normal” individual is accompanied by more modern musical styles showing a more progressive character to the rebellious and vengeful character seen on the latest Netflix TV series.
Of course, Lippa is always conscious of the familiar melody of the cartoon and films and this celebrated melodic motif does make brief appearances in certain numbers.
As Musical Directors, it has been a great privilege to work on The Addams Family with such a talented group of performers. Those who play the ancestors have been as much a pleasure to work with as those portraying the two families in the musical. Finally, it has been wonderful to collaborate and create this macabre musical with Mr Bissessar and Miss Waller, as well as choreographer Miss Lee.
Mr Andrew Furniss
Mr Gary Poole
Addams and Beineke Families
Gomez Addams
Morticia Addams
Wednesday Addams
Pugsley Addams
Jai Davison
Amber Russell
Zara de Souza-Gilroy and Jasmine Colibaseanu
Hannah Pyke
Uncle Fester Amaroo Brown and Mark Humphrey
Grandma Ollie Hoskins
Lurch Arun Karunadasa
Mal Beineke
Alice Beineke
Lucas Beineke
Cousin It
The Addams Ancestors
Conquistador
Keshav Nagda
Riya Hemant
Sahil Patel
Dhyan Patel
John Vásquez-Torrez
Viking Wesley Pardo
Rockstar Yusuf Mahroo
Ballerina
Rebecca Edwards
Bride Bella Nanthakumar
Caveman
Rafa Berry
Cavewoman Amelia Thomas
Flora Amor
Fauna Amor
Georgian Gent
Alisha Patel
Anjali Patel
Shlok Shah
Juliet Inaya Sadiq
Romeo Aman Bal
Soldier
Dr Pinder-Schloss
Arjun Nagda
Ayaan Shabbir
Maid Raphaella Alexandrou
Flight Attendant
Sophia Appleton
Painter Ambar Davison
Shepherd Dhara Bhagat
Tennis Player
Ensemble
Ethan Adonteng
Sierra Andrews
Tobi Fagbulu
Venpa Kamaleswaran
Aviya Lawrence
Nile Charles Kiaan Mirchandani
Catherine Cook
Jack Ellis
Tobi Fagbulu
Jasmine Fernandes
Arushi Garg
Sriakr Gundubogula
Amirah Heidar
Rohan Jeyendran
Daniel Mohammadlou
Finn Murphy
Sahib Neote
Anaiah Nwosuagwu
Inaya Sadiq
Jason Scott
Giyaan Thusekaran
India Trivedi
The Ancestor Children - Ensemble
Hanna Anwar Amelia Naves-Geraldes
Sophia Anwar
Eliana Dineschandra
Noura Khair
Anaya Parekh
Aryela Shah
Naavya Shah
Creative Team
Director Mr Nick Bissessar
Assistant Director
Musical Directors
Miss Daisy Waller
Mr Gary Poole and Mr Andrew Furniss
Choreographer Miss Lisa Lee
Production Manger/ Sound Designer
Lighting Designer
RF and Fiber Operations
Manager
Network, Systems and Production Sound Engineer
Musical Programming
Wardrobe Supervisors
Wardrobe Assistants
Stage Manager
Deputy Stage Managers
Front of House Manager
Production Assistant
Hair and Make-up
Supervisior
Hair and Make-up Artists
Prop Makers
Mr Luke Rao (OL)
Mr James Wakerell
Mr Joseph Calvey (OL)
Mr Marco Viscito (OL)
Mr Ryan Marshall
Mrs Aliya Appleton and Mrs Stephanie Jones
Mrs Korinna Vosper and Dr Lisa Andrews
Mrs Jilly Mannion
Crew
Production Electrician
Lighting Operator
Sound Operative
Production Assistants
Followspot Operators
Stage Crew
Crew
Conductor
Keyboard 1
Keyboard 2
Reed 1
Reed 2
Trumpet
Trombone
Violin
Violincello
Guitar
Bass Guitar
Percussion
Drum kit
Milo Huntington
Dhru Hirani
Zreh Dhillon
Arad Mohammadlou, Aditya Puri, Soma Subramanian, and Harshiney Atchithan
Arjun Mehta and Shaan Khoda
Montgomery Thorne, William Pye, Reuben de Souza-Gilroy, and Liam Lynch
Mr Andrew Furniss
Mr Rhys Bowden
Mr Joe Erber
Mrs Victoria MacLachlan
Ms Holly Isherwood
Mr Tim Turner
Mr Miguel Zoco Sesma
Mrs Sarah Colley
Ms Stephanie Bloor
Mr Luke Rao (OL)
Mr James Smyth
Mr Ryan Marshall
Mr Bertram Atkinson (OL)
Cast Biographies
Jai is a Drama and Academic Scholar in the Upper Sixth at John Lyon. He has been involved in numerous school productions, including both musicals and plays; with notable principal roles in The Sound of Music as ‘Rolf’, and in The Tempest as ‘Prospero’. He is currently studying Drama A-Level, alongside English Literature and Philosophy in the hopes to study English Literature further at University. Jai is a member of the school’s senior Rock Band, playing the electric guitar and he hopes to continue his passion for both Music and Drama in the future. Jai has thoroughly enjoyed evolving the exuberant character of ‘Gomez Addams’ and is incredibly grateful for the enjoyable experience that this cast has provided, in what will be his last show at John Lyon.
Jai Davison as Amber Russell as Zara de Souza-Gilroy as
Amber is thrilled to be portraying ‘Mortica’ in this year’s production of The Addams Family. She has performed in productions such as Matilda at Whitmore High School. Additionally, Amber has recently participated in the Jeremy Lemon Shakespeare project, partnered with The Globe. Amber has thoroughly enjoyed stepping into her character’s iconic shoes, embracing her mysterious elegance and wit in this quirky dark comedy!
Zara is a Year 10 Drama Scholar at John Lyon. Outside of school, she has performed as part of the ensemble in Hairspray, Fame Junior, Addams Family, Oliver! and Cats. While at John Lyon, Zara has enjoyed principal roles in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time as ‘Mrs Alexander’, The Tempest as ‘Miranda’, The Sound of Music as ‘Gretl’, and Made in Dagenham as ‘Barbara Castle’. She is passionate about Drama and sings in two school bands (The R&B Group and Amplified). Zara has had fun playing the role of ‘Wednesday’ and working alongside the cast. She is very excited to perform and hopes you will enjoy the production.
Cast Biographies
Jasmine Colibaseanu as
Jasmine’s biggest passion is Drama. She is a member of the National Youth Theatre and has also worked with Rare Productions. She attends St Helen’s School where she has had the opportunity to perform in productions such as: The 39 Steps where she played the Scottish Inspector ‘John Turnbull’, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, playing the part of ‘Judy’, as well as many student led productions like St Helen’s House Arts and is soon to be in Noughts and Crosses too. She has also worked on more contemporary and abstract pieces with the National Youth Theatre and Musicals like Annie playing ‘Miss Hannigan’, Matilda and Cinderella. Jasmine enjoyed performing in John Lyon’s last production, Made in Dagenham, playing ‘Sandra Beaumont’. She’s excited to learn from her role as ‘Wednesday’. Jasmine would like to give many thanks to the cast and crew of The Addams Family for the effort they have put into making this production one of the best ones yet.
Hannah Pyke as
Hannah is a Year 10 Drama and Academic Scholar. She attends Drama classes outside of school at Questors Theatre. She has participated in many productions at John Lyon, including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Made in Dagenham as part of the Ensemble. In The Sound of Music Hannah played the role of ‘Brigitta’ and in A Monster Calls she played ‘Mother’. Hannah is also very excited to explore the role of ‘Pugsley’ in The Addams Family. Hannah would like to thank the cast and crew for all their efforts to make this production a momentous and significant musical.
Mark Humphrey as
Mark is an Upper Sixth Drama Scholar at John Lyon and attends Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. He has participated in many productions at John Lyon, with a notable role in Made in Dagenham as ‘Harold Wilson’ and in an online production of DNA. Mark is eager to take Drama to the next level at university. Mark would like to thank his fellow cast and crew for the wonderful opportunity to perform in this year’s musical.
Cast Biographies
Amaroo is a Year 10 Drama and Academic Scholar. He is a passionate performer and entertainer and has immersed himself in many performance opportunities, ranging from several concerts and shows. This includes in Dagenham and The Sound of Music Amaroo believes that the skills from Music and Drama interlink and make him a better performer. He is keen to take on all performance opportunities that come his way. Amaroo would like to thank the cast and crew for being so welcoming and making this a wonderful experience for everyone.
Ollie is a Year 10 Drama and Sports Scholar who has a passion for performance. He has participated in other productions such as Dagenham, performed the previous year. Ollie is also taking IGCSE Drama and is excited to take part in future productions in upcoming years. He would like to thank the cast and crew for their efforts in making this musical such a memorable and joyful experience.
Ollie Hoskins as
Arun Karunadasa as
Amaroo Brown as
Cast Biographies
Riya Hemant as
Riya is in Year 13 at Whitmore High School. Having attained top grades in Music and Drama throughout her academic career, she is currently studying Music A-Level. This is her third and final John Lyon production, having previously played ‘Clare’ in Made in Dagenham, last year, as well as ‘Frau Schmidt’ and ‘Sister Margaretta’ in The Sound of Music in 2022. She recently took part in the Jeremy Lemmon Project at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and is Band Captain for Harrow Steel. Riya has particularly enjoyed being able to showcase her exploration of ‘Alice’ through her performance skills and vocal range in her solo song ‘Waiting’. She is so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this production, as well as the work put into the show by the cast, crew, and production team. Despite her plans to study Media at university, she doubts she will ever be far from the stage!
Sahil Patel as
Sahil is a Year 11 Drama Scholar at John Lyon, and has enjoyed learning and performing the role of ‘Lucas’. He thoroughly enjoys performing and learning Drama at John Lyon, with recent roles including: ‘Ferdinand’ in The Tempest, ‘Adam’ in DNA and ‘Dad’ in A Monster Calls. Sahil has enjoyed the rehearsal process, working with a tremendous cast and company. He cannot wait to perform in December to a vast audience of 350 people! He hopes you enjoy the show as much as he has working up to it!
Creatives
Miss Daisy Waller
Daisy is thrilled to be working with the cast of The Addams Family as Assistant Director and to share her experience with choreographing and performance. Daisy began her technical training in Dance at three years old and has performed in venues like the Royal Albert Hall and in Dance competitions across the UK. Whilst teaching English at John Lyon, Daisy continues to train as a dancer regularly and teaches a variety of styles to pupils.
Miss Lisa Lee
Lisa is a professional dancer, choreographer and dance teacher and has worked in the industry for many years in theatre, film, ballet, television, pop tours, cabaret, and state events. Her most recent and notable credits include The Platinum Jubilee Pageant, the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations and the Diamond Jubilee Pageant all at Windsor Castle. Lisa is thrilled to have been invited to work with the fabulous students at John Lyon as their choreographer for this production of The Addams Family.
Mr Luke Rao
Luke studied at John Lyon where his passion for music and audio engineering began. Having graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts with an honours degree in Sound Technology, he has worked and performed in many prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Echo Arena Liverpool and the O2 Arena. He regularly tours with his own band and has also been fortunate enough to work with artists such as Rod Stewart, Katy Perry, Muse and many more.
Mr James Wakerell
James is the Theatre Manager of the Celia Johnson Theatre at St Paul’s Girls’ School as well as an established lighting designer. As a lighting graduate of London’s Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, James went on to work in lighting and production for highly acclaimed live events such as London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies and Glastonbury Festival as well as theatre productions such as Punchdrunk’s The Drowned Man. He specialises in theatre in education, working with many schools and organisations across London.
Acknowledgements
Mr Nick Bissessar and the company of The Addams Family would like to offer their sincerest thanks to the following:
The Head, Mrs Rose Hardy, for her generous support of this production.
Mrs Lauren Williamson, and all the staff at Harrow School Enterprises Limited.
Mr Adam Cross, Mr Kieran Kinsella and all the staff at Harrow School and the Ryan Theatre for their professionalism and hospitality.
The talented orchestra of professional instrumentalists.
All the staff and pupils who have worked backstage and in front of house.
Our talented group of visiting pupils from Whitmore High School and St Helen’s Girls, with whom, it has been an absolute pleasure to work.
The parents and family of the cast and crew for their patience and support.
Future Productions
LAMDA Showcase
Music Hall, Wednesday 22 January 2025
House Drama
Boyd Campbell Hall, Monday 3 February 2025
Spring Term Production
Boyd Campbell Hall, Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 March 2025
Year 7 Drama Festival
Boyd Campbell Hall, Monday 31 March 2025
