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The Addams Family Young@Part musical production will be presented at Newark Middle School April 21st & 22nd.
Directed by Newark High School English teacher Emily Howard, the show is an abbreviated version of the Broadway musical tailored for younger performers, but the story line, woven into a ghastly romantic spoof, is essentially the same every father’s worst nightmare of having his darling daughter want to marry her total opposite.
The show centers around the ultimate princess of darkness, all grown up Wednesday Addams, who has fallen in love with someone utterly unlike herself Lucas Beneike, a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Her parents have never met her suitor. Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Torn between the two loves of his life, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before – keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. However, everything changes when the Addams’ host a dinner for Wednesday’s ‘normal’ boyfriend and his parents.
“The Newark High School Drama Club produced The Addams Family musical in 2017 and I’m very excited to bring the story to the Middle School stage. The musical is about embracing what makes you unique and leaning on the support of family,” said Howard, Newark Drama Club advisor who also directed and choreographed the full-length musical at NHS.
Melissa Narusky, NMS vocal music teacher is the music director for the show; Stefan Uveges, a NMS school counselor, is the choreographer and Perkins School vocal music teacher Lara Larsson is the technical director.
“Our Middle School theatre program focuses on the process of creating theatre. The sets, props, and costumes are student-designed and student-created. Ms. Larsson took the lead on organizing our student crew and allowing students to tap into their creativity. I am particularly excited to see how our student costume team came together to costume our 30 ancestors. The team decided on five different designs that represented various decades in history. They used white t-shirts as the base and decorated accordingly. Our student prop builders used cardboard to fabricate a crossbow and picture frames used throughout the show,” Howard said. “A unique element in the show is the integration of American Sign Language into one of the songs, ‘The Moon and Me.’ Mr. Uveges coordinated with a contracted interpreter, Lisa Ondra from Interpretek in Rochester to help teach the cast the signs for the lyrics.”
Principal cast members include: Maggie Cornwell as Wednesday; Cavan McNeil as Gomez; Kylie Gravino as Morticia; Sloane Colling as Pugsley; Genevieve Witter as Fester; Matiece Miller as Grandma; Kylie Craig as Lurch; Kloie Sergeant as Alice Beneike; Spencer Nies as Lucas Beneike; and Liam DeWaters as Mal Beneike.
Cast members who are Ancestors include: Lily Anello, Lilliana Austin, Alena Black, Katlin Brewster, Aaliyah Briggs, Nebin Caster, Mason Casterlin, Lilly Cauvel, Madison Chamberlin, Ridley Chandler, Reagan DeSain, Anna Eckert, Tessa Gary, Elizabeth Hamelinck, Caitlyn Harris, Ava Herrington, Allura Hicks, Avery Kelly, Kara Kohler, Rylee Mayo, Arissa Pallister-Eller, Genevieve Pankewytch, Alexandria Pellegrini, Alyvia Poole, Victoria Ridley, (also the Moon), Madison Ross, Peyton Sandore, David Sergeant II, Marie Shoemaker, Elle Underhill and Caspian Wunder.
Various crew members: Dean Aldrich, stage crew, Olivia Almekinder, stage crew, Haley Frey, costume crew/stage manager, Isabella Hartgrove, props crew/stage crew, Lily Kerr, props crew/lighting manager, Zachary Ladd, props crew/assistant stage manager, Kianna Leslie, costume crew/ stage crew, Alyxandria Newark, props crew/stage crew, Turell Parker Jr., costume crew, Shelby Schermerhorn, costume crew/stage crew, Giuliana Visingard, props crew, Elliana Weigand, set painting artist, Eliza Wheatley, props crew and Rosemary Winkler, set painting crew/sound.
The musical will be presented in the NMS auditorium at 7 p.m. April 21st and at 2 p.m. April 22nd. Tickets are $3.
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