BRAVO! The Addams Family

The Addams Family

When the curtain rose on The Addams Family, the Upper School spring production, the audience was in for a musical and comedic treat that embraced the wackiness in every family.

An all-grown-up Wednesday Addams, unbeknownst to her parents, has fallen in love with a young man from a “respectable” family. To complicate this turn of events, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Gomez Addams must now do something he’s never done before: keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia.

The family’s world turns topsy-turvy when they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents. It’s a story of love and friendship through adversity, at times hilarious, at times poignant.

The audience fell in love with all the quirky members of the Addams family and found themselves singing along with every tune. They did the line dance, the bunny hop, and the twist, too, and who could forget the two teachers who played Lurch and Cousin Itt?

The performers were out-of-this-world talented. The costumes were magnificent and the set was on a professional level. The makeup and hair were stunning and the lighting was spectacular. Seventy Upper School students — that’s 27 percent of the student body! — put in countless hours to make this production phenomenal. And they forged bonds that will last long after the final curtain.

Students say that what made this experience the most memorable was the camaraderie between cast and crew. For example, during rehearsals, cast members initiated dress-up days: Everyone had to wear a funny hat or a crazy shirt, and perhaps the most shocking to the kids was when Mrs. Wenk and Mrs. Keyes dressed up as each other! The play’s message is one we’ll all keep singing in our hearts: “It’s family first and family last / And family by and by.”