#MIDDLEBURY #ADDAMS #PHS
By MARISSA MATOZZO
The Pomperaug High School (PHS) main stage show this spring is the musical comedy, “The Addams Family.” If you missed last night’s performance, you can enjoy the show tonight, Saturday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. or tomorrow, Sunday, April 30, at 2:30 p.m. in the PHS auditorium. Twenty-nine cast members, 30 crew members and an orchestra are working together to stage the production.
“Everyone knows about the famous Addams Family, but not everyone knows about the musical version,” said Megan Balla, a Pomperaug senior who heads the Pomperaug Theater Company’s costume crew. “The creepy and kooky Addams family we know from the television show and movie are now part of a different story line and musical.”
The show stars Conrad McDonald as Gomez Addams, Abigail Dwight as Morticia Addams, Jamie Leo as Wednesday Addams, Jacob Rogotzke as Uncle Fester, and Benjamin Bernard as Pugsley Addams. Also in the cast are Grace Monagan as Grandma, Daniel Koobatian as Lurch, Christian Winter as Lucas Beineke, and Justin Callanan and Lauren Stango as Lucas’s parents. The family’s ancestors will be played by the ensemble.
Behind the scenes, Elizabeth Styblo is the assistant director, Samantha Santos is the stage manager, Morgan Rosen is the head of construction, Carly Fernandes is the tech director, Megan Balla and Julia Kossakowski are the costume mistresses, Samantha Buckley is the properties mistress, Lea Clafin is the art director, and Amanda Clarke is the house manager.
With music and lyrics written by Andrew Lippa, the musical comedy first opened on Broadway in 2010 after a Chicago try-out in 2009. “We first saw the musical version of ‘The Addams Family’ on Broadway a few years ago and enjoyed it immensely,” said Pomperaug Drama Director Paul E. Doniger. “My wife Nancy, who also loved it, suggested then that it would be a great show for us to do at PHS, but at the time, I thought the technical demands might be prohibitive.
“We’re taking it on despite the challenges. I have a great group of students in the cast and crew, and they seem to really enjoy being challenged,” he said.
Pomperaug senior and stage manager Samantha Santos said, “This has been the largest production I’ve ever been a part of. Everyone works toward the same goal of making the musical as best as we can make it. Every single person is important to the production. I think our community will find ‘The Addams Family’ to be very entertaining because it is so family oriented and funny. It really draws the audience in.”
Doniger said staging a musical means coordinating the acting, singing, and dancing with the orchestra is quite complex, and timing is much more crucial. He is working closely alongside Linda Hughes, the school’s orchestra and chorus teacher, as well as John Tzetzo, Pomperaug’s band teacher, to create a well-prepared musical ensemble that amplifies the overall experience of the show.
The show also has dance elements. “This season, we have a new choreographer, Erika Jannetty, who graduated from PHS before I began working here,” Doniger said. “She is doing wonders with the students – even those who claim not to be able to dance.”
“I have been a fan of ‘The Addams Family’ since my youth, when I used to read the comic strip in magazines and later watched the old sitcom on television,” Doniger said. “There isn’t anything quite like the fun of mixing the macabre with humor. I love Fester’s serenade to the moon, Gomez’s mixed emotions in ‘Happy/Sad,’ most of Wednesday’s songs and dialogue, and so many other moments. There are a number of clever punch lines, too.”
Assistant Director and PHS senior Elizabeth Styblo said, “I think our community will be very impressed with all our actors and the beautiful sets and costumes our crew has created. ‘The Addams Family’ is a story about trust, love, and family and will be an enjoyable show for all members of our community.”
Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for PHS students, Region 15 staff, and senior citizens.
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