Despite a flood, ‘The Addams Family’ musical goes on this weekend

July 21, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti

Lost Nation Theater quotes one of the lead characters from its musical this weekend to sum up recent events: “Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly." – Morticia Addams

The character is a lead in “The Addams Family-The Musical,” originally scheduled to open July 20 and run for 14 performances over three weekends at the Montpelier City Hall Arts Center. The universe had a different plan as the July 10 flood has rendered City Hall and much of downtown Montpelier on pause for flood cleanup. 

But that’s not stopping the determined community theater company. 

The lead cast members of ‘The Addams Family’ are (left to right) Gomez (Alex Gossard), Wednesday (Coyah Mosher), Fester (Mark Roberts), Morticia (Taryn Noelle), Lurch (Jim Thompson), Pugsley (Wyatt Aubut) and Grandma (Kianna Bromley). Photo by John Snell

They sent out their revised plan for the production at the start of the week: “Lost Nation Theater is carrying on bringing the big Broadway Musical ‘The Addams Family’ to Central Vermont despite the flood, for two shows only: July 22-23, at The Barre Opera House.”

Proving indeed that “the show must go on,” the cast and crew have pivoted to keep up with their rehearsal schedule and book a new venue for what is now an abbreviated schedule of just two shows Saturday and Sunday. 

“We are so grateful to the Vermont College of Fine Arts who did not hesitate to provide us with a home for rehearsals and costume/props/makeup storage so we could continue to mount this show, and get it ready for the Opera House; and grateful to Barre Opera House for taking us in,” wrote Producing Artistic Director Kathleen Keenan. 

On Friday, the production moved in at its temporary home in the midst of yet another rainstorm. “‘The Addams Faily - The Musical’ is happening!” the theater company’s Facebook page proclaimed. “And fittingly - as we moved in - it was pouring rain outside! But we're nice and dry in the Opera House.”

Aside from the interruption in logistics, the production remains a celebration of “weirdness, wackiness, campy fun, and above all, love,” the company says. The musical by Andrew Lippa is based on the comic strip, TV series and movies that focus on the characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams who signed his work under the name Chas Addams; he died in 1988.

The Broadway musical is one of Lost Nation’s largest productions ever with a cast of 22 actors, a live orchestra, costumes and choreography.

Back directing this show is actor/director Eric Love, choreographer Taryn Noelle, musical director Patrick Wickliffe alongside many Lost Nation regulars. The show also features Lost Nation students from its educational programs both on stage and behind the scenes. 

Eric Love is directing Lost Nation Theater's musical, 'The Addams Family,' on stage for just two performances this weekend at the Barre Opera House. Courtesy photo

Director Eric Love looked ahead to the new logistics, grateful to see the show moving forward and embracing the new logistics. 

“The Addams Family is a fabulous Broadway musical that draws you in with its dark, wicked humor, and wins you over with its tremendous heart. I love the clash of two families that this show centers around: the Addams  –  on the surface, a bizarre, passionate clan of impossibly strange weirdos  –  and the Beinekes, a ‘normal’ family from Ohio. They’re hilarious! Now we have the added adventure of re-staging the show to suit the scope of the Opera House. We’re excited – it’s a wonderful venue for the show with lots of new opportunities,” he says in the updated show announcement this week. 

For decades, “The Addams Family has been America's darkest family,” Keenan writes. “The musical brings them to life with a story about love, family, honesty and growing up told through song and dance sequences by over-the-top characters.”

One prominent cast member is “local treasure and quadruple threat” Taryn Noelle who plays the role of Morticia and choreographs the show. 

“Another facet of this production I find so exciting, is the multiple genres of both music and movement that are built right into the score. There are so many fun opportunities to explore styles and genres all within one musical!” she said. 

This production assembles a cast of Vermont performers, artists from across the country, and 10 aspiring actor-singer-dancers ages 12-21, who spent 70 hours training in a “boot camp” intensive for this project. 

In addition to Love, Keenan, Wickliffe and Noelle, the cast is: Wyatt Aubut as Pugsley, Kianna Bromley as Grandma, Alex Gossard (coming from NYC) as Gomez, Marc Lamontagne as Lucas, Coyah Mosher as Wednesday, William Pelton as Mal, Mark S. Roberts as Fester, Jim Thompson as Lurch. As The Ancestors are: Caira Adams, Tristan Blumenthal, Anders Bright, Jessica Della Pepa Clayton, Ruby Dyson Dias, Sam Empey, Aster Figliola, Maya Kotkes-Cummings, Evelyn Rocha, Laura Valastro, Rosalie Wasser, and Julia Wulf.

The Addams Family behind the scenes has a large creative team. Favorite collaborators are lighting designer Samuel J. Biondolillo, scenic designer Kelly Daigneault, stage manager and props designer Avalon Dziak, dance captain Sam Empey, costume designers Cora Fauser and  Suzanne Kneller, assistant director Katie Genzer, and sound engineer Andrew Vachon. Production assistants include Emily Cook, McKenna Stark and Ben Jeffries, with Kianna Bromley and Jessica Clayton designing make-up and hair.

Lost Nation Theater also sends a special thanks to technical consultant Joe Sanguinetti for helping with the show transfer to the Opera House.

“It feels so perfect to be doing ‘The Addams Family’ during this crisis. It’s about community, love and – now resiliency. It’s fun! And substantive  –  celebrating the unique contribution all of us make to the multi-colored fabric of a truly strong, vibrant community,” remarked Kim Bent, founding artistic director for the company. “We hope to bring a little hope and inspiration we all so desperately need right now by confronting the impossible – and doing it anyway, bringing this show to fruition for us all.” 

Gomez and Morticia Addams (played by Alex Gossard and Taryn Noelle) hold a tango pose in rehearsal. Courtesy photo

In pitching the show to the community this weekend now in Barre, Love stressed the effort, commitment and attention to detail from the cast and crew. “The actors in this production are super talented; the designers, exquisite, and LNT’s staff is going above and beyond to bring this enormous Broadway musical to you,” he said. 

Shows are 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 22, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 23. Tickets are $10 – $35 depending on ticket type., available online or at the door. Find more information and purchase tickets online at lostnationtheater.org. Email questions to info@lostnationtheater.org. 

See a preview feature on the show by Jim Lowe at The Times Argus here.