From Oct. 25 to Oct. 29, Villanova Student Musical Theatre showed Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s The Addams Family in the Topper Theatre. The performers consisted of 26 talented undergraduate students, and the play was directed by Lily Panuto.
Though they may look frightening, the Addams family is just like any other ordinary family. However, they are meant to display a satirical inversion of a typical family, since they have been embodying the values of darkness, pain, suffering and sadness for generations. Fortunately, they are content with these values, since they are what brings them joy and makes the family unique. However, the family has not yet experienced one of the scariest things to happen to them: 18-year-old Wednesday (Clare Murphy) is growing up. Gomez (Jacob Long) and Morticia (Chloe Han), the patriarch and matriarch of the group, have trouble accepting this change in their children, and wish the family could continue to live the same way they have been for hundreds of years. All hell breaks loose when Wednesday meets a boy, Lucas Beineke (Cole Joyce), who comes from a typical Ohio family, which is the complete opposite of the Addams’. She confides in Gomez, begging him not to tell her mother about the new relationship, and he has trouble keeping this secret from his wife. Further worsening the situation for her parents, Wednesday invites the entire Beineke family to dinner at her home. Everything will change for the family after this dinner, and the Addams will be forced to accept that change within their family is inevitable.
Though choosing to produce The Addams Family is not an unpopular choice in university theaters across the country, Villanova’s production of the musical stands out because the cast is “truly a family first and family last, as the show says,” Abby Maroun, who plays Stewardess Ancestor, said.
“We’ve spent the entire semester thus far working on this show, reinforcing the relationships between current members in our organization while welcoming new members into the mix,
Maroun said. “We all truly love each other and have fun both onstage and off. I think this shines through in our production.”
Minh-Chau Scott, who plays Judge Ancestor, eagerly agreed.
“I doubt there is any production quite like ours,” Scott said. “Where else will the Sailor Ancestor and the Victorian Ancestor have a sordid, tragic past? Where else will Uncle Fester clap a rhythm for the Ancestors to clap back to him?”
The changes in plot and character created by Villanova’s production team are bound to make this production stand out.
Though they are busy on stage, some cast members choose to take on other roles within the production team. Maroun also is one of the dance captains for The Addams Family and has teamed up with choreographer Jules Vicario and co-dance captain, Matthew Sabol. Maroun has the ability to “refine choreography, teach dances and run lift calls for every run of the show.
“This has been a great experience because I love to dance and have always looked for leadership opportunities within VSMT,” Maround said. “It was so rewarding seeing all our hard work pay off in terms of choreography, and we look great.”
For Scott, being back on stage and playing Judge Ancestor was a “fun, little full-circle moment.”
“My first VSMT production was Legally Blonde, and I played the Court Stenographer,” Scott said. “It’s fun to be back in the courtroom (even if this courtroom is posthumous).”
The Addams Family combines tons of humor, family drama and catchy music, so it was definitely a must-see Villanova production.
