Darlington’s fine arts department will present
“The Addams Family: A New Musical” Feb. 16-18 at the Rome City Auditorium. Doors will open Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with showtime at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday matinee begins at 2:30 p.m., after doors open at 2 p.m.
In the kooky, upside-down world of the the Addams family, to be sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy, and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams. Nonetheless, this quirky family still has to deal with many of the same challenges faced by any other family, and the spookiest nightmare faced by every family creates the focus Lippa, Brickman, and Elice’s musical: the Addams kids are growing up.
The Addamses have lived by their unique values for hundreds of years and Gomez and Morticia, the patriarch and matriarch of the clan played by seniors Nolan Wilson and Brie Bishop, would be only too happy to continue living that way. Their dark, macabre, beloved daughter Wednesday, played by junior Maggie Inman, is now an eighteen year-old young woman who is ready for a life of her own.
Wednesday has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, played by sophomore Nick Powell. Lucas is a sweet, smart boy from a normal, respectable Ohio family — the most un-Addams sounding person one could be! And to make matters worse, she has invited the Beinekes, played by seniors Alan Shorey and Stacey Chen, to their home for dinner. In one fateful, hilarious night, secrets are disclosed, relationships are tested, and the Addams family must face up to the one horrible thing they’ve managed to avoid for generations: change.
“It’s hard not to have fun when you’re directing these characters!” said Shelley Daniel, Darlington’s theatre director. “The humor is wicked and dark, but it has an awesome message that is buried down inside the comedy. At its core, ‘The Addams Family’ is about unconditional love, loyalty, and the beauty of authenticity. It celebrates family and relationships. It celebrates life and love, even in its darkest moments. For the Addams’, to deny any part of life’s messy journey is to deny the very gift of it. ”
The audience can expect to see some iconic Addams Family favorites throughout the play. Freshman Owen Payne will be playing the part of Pugsley Addams and Fester Addams will be played by senior Jack Albertson. Junior Aaryn Ijames will play the part of Grandma Addams, Lurch will be brought to life by senior Long Nguyen (wearing 6 inch platform shoes), and Thing will be played by junior Kathryn Chunn.
The stage ensemble will bring the stage to life in the form Addams Family ancestors spanning the era of the caveman era to the Egyptians and flappers. The ensemble includes Tejas Reddy, Will Bowman, Neal Yin, Gabriel Zuloaga, Caleb Baldwin, Wilson Zhang, Abby Burris, Annabelle Scarborough, Emily Edwards, Gabby Jones, Giulia Verzino, Jamila Wood, Leelee Barnes, Molly Mansell, Morgan Ivester, Rainey Scarborough, Ieva Taraskeviciute, Pat Chimtanoo, Sophie Jin, Stella Miao, Olivia Harper, Trang Khuc, Amber Fields, Frances Fields, and Amy Kim.
Juniors Ellen Jiang and Tammy Yan are serving as assistant directors. The stage crew will be led by Olivia Barfield with Amelia Allen and MaTyah Jackson leading the costume crew. Six student musicians will help bring the live music to the show including Laetitia Fielder, Morgan Adams, Steven Yan, Mitch Crego, Michaela Hu, and Elva Wang.
Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance online at
www.darlingtonschool.org/musical, or at the door on the day of the show. General admission tickets are $10. Tiger Booster Club members and current Darlington families may request reserved seating for no additional cost. The general public can purchase tickets in the reserved section for $15 each. All reserved tickets are offered online only and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information about Darlington's production of “The Addams Family: A New Musical,” contact the box office at 706-368-5256, or by email at
boxoffice@darlingtonschool.org.
