SCOTCH PLAINS – The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (SPFHS) Repertory Theatre delighted audiences on March 14 to 16 with their spring musical production of The Addams Family. There’s nothing like a twist on the classic “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”. This time the two families brought together by their kids’ love are from opposite ends of the cultural spectrum. The Addams family are ghoulish, eccentric New York city dwellers while the Beineke family is from the conservative Midwest. Under the exquisite team of director Morgan Knight, music director Jan Allen, orchestra director Trey Shore, and assistant director Courtney Nemec, the SPFHS show was quite a crowd pleaser with funny, quirky characters, gorgeous costumes, marvelous music, and an impressive set design.
All the beloved Addams family members were represented – even Thing, the disembodied hand opened the show. While the Addams family members gather for their yearly dance with their ancestors in “When You’re an Addams,” we find that the ghosts cannot return to their graves until true love triumphs. It’s a twisted journey to that realized dream but Wednesday Addams (Olivia Gomez) and Lucas Beineke (Mac Bastable) make it happen. From the minute the father, Gomez, opens his mouth, the audience falls under his spell. Played to the hilt musically and visually by David Gomez, Gomez Addams is a charmer. He is a hopeless romantic who snips off the lovely buds of yellow roses to hand his appreciative wife Morticia (Hannah Solomon) a bouquet of stems. The whole family loves the macabre, so the wackier an idea is to “normal” folks, the happier they are. When Morticia wants to help her son Pugsley (Phoebe Kother) calm himself, for instance, she puts him in a casket. What’s not to love about this slightly demented tale?
After confessing her love to Lucas to her father, Wednesday pleads to her parents to have “One Normal Night” at dinner with her beau’s family. This is where the kookiness takes wing. The Addams family tries to be “normal” and hilarity kicks into high gear. Uncle Fester (Lexi van Blijdesteijn) lightens the mood with an optimistic let’s not talk about anything “But Love.” And Fester confesses he is in love with – ah, the moon.
In stark contrast to the weird Addams family, the Beineke family is a buttoned-up, repressed group who have never seen the likes of their counterparts. So, when at dinner Alice Beineke (Ashley Hoberman) mistakenly drinks a truth serum while playing the family game “Full Disclosure,” she winds up revealing her feelings about her passionless husband and their boring life. The number, “Waiting” was a showstopper on opening night with Ms. Hoberman, the co-dance captain of the show (under the terrific direction of choreographer Kyra Robinson), who ends her lament on the dining room tabletop. The conclusion of the first act couldn’t possibly end with the Beineke family quietly slipping away. No, Uncle Fester calls on the Ancestors to bring in a gigantic storm to keep the two families captive.
In Act II, Hannah Soloman’s Morticia really knows how to make an entrance. Her number “Just Around the Corner” cheers her up with idea that is death is coming for us all. The lyrics are killers, yet the music is light and carefree and affords her and the ensemble a reason to dance up their own storm. Contrasting Morticia’s characteristic dark attire, Alice’s bright yellow dress (and poem about yellow) balances as the opposite end of a seesaw. Alice and Morticia are great foils for each other, looking at life in diametrically different ways. Do you keep secrets from your mate or always tell the truth? That provides for another great dancing moment. Poignancy prevails when Pugsley (Phoebe Kother) confesses he feels that if his sister Wednesday marries, he will be left in the cold.
For an actor, sometimes, there’s nothing better than a cameo role and both Grandma (Sofia Cesario) and Lurch (Connor Matulonis) steal their moments in the spotlight. An impressive orchestra – made up of at least a dozen teens from the school – is nothing short of amazing under Trey Shore’s baton. The ancestor ensemble and featured dancers get a chance to shine in many numbers, thanks to Christian Confalone’s lighting design and JoAnne Sprague’s innovative costumes. A light bulb of recognition goes on for Alice’s husband Mel (Joey Estevez) when he realizes he’s stagnant and is ready to re-ignite his passion with Alice. Lucas is willing to die for his love Wednesday, so the Ancestors bring about a miraculous save. What could be better than an “all’s well that ends well” moment? How about another show-stopping dance number at the end? That’s what the show requires and that’s what was delivered.
SPFHS Repertory Theatre always showcases student talent with a production that shows the enthusiasm and commitment it takes to mount a show of this gigantic undertaking. Bravo all around.
