By Eddie King
Executive Arts Editor
“When you’re an Addams, you need to have a sense of humor,” a sentiment that holds true throughout the entirety of the Mira Costa Drama Department’s amusing spring comedy-musical, “The Addams Family”.
Based on the musical of the same name and the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams, Mira Costa’s performance of “The Addams Family” chronicles the lives of Gomez (Duncan Bardeau), Morticia (Miranda Baldo), Wednesday (Calyssa Frankel), Puggsly (Rachel Kay), and Fester (Chris Aniello) Addams, an eccentric, satirical inversion of the ideal American family. The musical’s realistic set, brilliant and comical screenplay, inspired performances and easy to follow storyline come together to breathe new life into the tried and true characters of Charles Addams’ imagination.
The play begins with the ghoulish living and deceased members of the Addams family meeting in the graveyard on their property in Central Park, New York to celebrate being an Addams. As the dead Addams ancestors begin to leave and return to their graves at the end of the meeting, Uncle Fester stops them and attempts to enlist their help because his niece, Wednesday, has fallen in love with a man named Lucas Beineke (Noah Geller) and he wants to make sure nothing happens to the love that they have fostered.
Wednesday then invites Lucas and his family over for dinner with the intention of announcing to both of their families that she is engaged to him. She tells her father, Gomez, about this and instructs him not to tell her mother, Morticia, as she is concerned that Morticia will overreact to the situation. But as the guests arrive and the evening progresses, tensions rise, pushing the macabre family and their guests to the brink.
Much of the play’s success can be attributed to its well-executed screenplay. The script is brilliant, contrasting thematic and emotional scenes with appropriately timed bits of humor. An example is when Uncle Fester humorously professes his love to the moon during the musical’s dramatic climax, helping to keep the mood lighthearted even during this more serious scene.
In addition, the musical’s storyline is easy to follow, avoiding convolution. There are few twists in the performance and its plot is laid out for the viewer from the onset. Because the musical has such a straightforward progression, it is able to be enjoyed as a whole without confusion rather than abridged and misunderstood like many complex narratives.
Another highlight of “The Addams Family” is its set, a realistic portrayal of the Addams family mansion. The set looks professionally done as each individual detail, like the bricks that comprise the mansion’s walls, is meticulously crafted to appear genuine. The fog that rolls in at the feet of the actors during outdoor scenes casts an ominous mood over the stage and its movement gives the musical’s set a realistic, substantive feel.
Additionally, the ghoulish and dreary characters are brought to life by the inspired performances of the actors. The comic relief provided by Bardeau and Aniello, coupled with the powerful yet elegant vocals of Frankel and Baldo, keeps the play fresh and entertaining for its entirety with an attention grabbing gag or song in every scene.
Overall, Mira Costa’s rendition of “The Addams Family” is an overwhelming success. The musical achieves perfection in nearly every regard and excels due to its inspired acting, genuine and realistic set, and its brilliant script.
“The Addams Family” is performed by the Mira Costa Drama Department on April 22 at 7:30PM, April 23 at 7:30PM, April 27 at 4PM, April 28 at 6:30PM, April 29 at 7:30PM, and on April 30 at 2PM and 7:30PM.
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