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The iconic Addams family is set to arrive at theater stages in the Tri-Valley this month for separate adaptations of the musical comedy.
Tri-Valley Theatre Company is set to present full-length productions of “The Addams Family” at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore, while condensed youth performances of “Addams Family Younger@Part” are being produced by Pleasanton Youth Theater Company at the Firehouse Arts Center.
Both centering on the Addams family, characters created by Charles Addams, the productions feature the peculiar group’s run-in with “normal”.
Contrary to the Addams family, grown daughter Wednesday falls in love with a young man from an ordinary family. After confiding in her father Gomez Addams, Wednesday pleads with him to keep the romance a secret from matriarch Morticia Addams.
But the families unavoidably cross paths, as the two gather for a shared dinner at the Addams’ house.
“The core of ‘The Addams Family’ musical is really about love and acceptance,” TVTC show director Glen Riggs told the Pleasanton Weekly. “It is embracing the differences that we all have”.
Amid the show’s humor, characters and their relationships are grounded in reality, Riggs said.
Whether it’s a challenging father-daughter relationship or one between siblings who are separated by an age gap, the audience can relate to the characters on stage, Riggs explained.
“Artistically, I want it to be believable — the relationships, the people — I want the audience to actually believe that that person exists,” Riggs said.
“My goal is to put the ‘family’ in ‘Addams Family’,” he added, noting that the cast has successfully achieved the family-like bond. “I know that the audience is going to feel that love and those relationships coming from the stage.”
Among those to catch a glimpse of TVTC rehearsals was Ruth Egherman, director of marketing for Bankhead operator Livermore Valley Arts.
“I am certain this will be a fabulous time out for families to enjoy together,” she said of the production.
Egherman is not alone in her experience of rehearsals; Riggs has been privy to over 15 run-throughs of the production.
“Each time I watch it, I get chills, I smile, I laugh. If I’m able to see it that many times and still have those feelings about it, I’m so excited for our audience to see it for their first time,” Riggs said.
In addition to Riggs, production leadership includes choreographer Shelly McDowell (who plays Morticia), vocal and music director Jed da Roza, producers AJ Amstrup and Brian Olkowski as well as costumer Liz Nelsen. Amstrup also serves as backstage manager and Olkowski also serves as stage manager.
The show’s 21-person cast includes Phillip Leyva as Gomez, Emma Marie Wall as Uncle Fester, Pleasanton’s Jill Vellinger as Grandma, Jocie Purcell as Wednesday, Luca Varela as Pugsley Addams, Livermore’s Keith Thomson as Lurch, Livermore’s Etienne Urbain-Racine as Mal Beineke, Livermore’s Mary Fielding as Alice Beineke and Christopher Dean as Lucas Beineke.
The TVTC’s production is based on the book by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, an Outer Critics Circle Award winner. Music and lyrics were created by Andrew Lippa, Tony Award-nominee and Drama Desk-winner.
“The Addams Family” is set for 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. on Sundays from Jan. 17 to Feb. 1 at the Bankhead. An additional matinee performance is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Jan. 31. For tickets and more information, visit livermorearts.org
Debuting the same-day, Pleasanton Youth Theater Company is set to present “Addams Family Younger@Part”.
Clocking in at 30 to 45 minutes, the youth edition has been trimmed down from the original, while maintaining its general story line and its funniest elements, show directors Leila Brown and Veronica Pascual told the Weekly.
As a production focused on character building, Pascual said the youth performers have excelled in character creation.
“They’re always asking questions and suggesting new things to add to the musical which makes me feel confident that the ‘Addams Family’ will be an amazing show!” Pascual told the Weekly.
Unique to the youth production is the inclusion of 5- and 6-year-old performers dubbed Lil Sprouts.
“It’s always so fulfilling to see the end result with the Sprouts and Lil Sprouts working together to tell a story, and they end up having so much fun meeting each other,” Brown said.
PYTC is set to perform “Addams Family Younger@Part” this weekend (Jan. 17-18) and next (Jan. 24-25) at the Firehouse Arts Center in downtown. For tickets and more information, visit firehousearts.org.
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