By Abby Kass
The Addams Family, put on by TLS’s arts program, had 4 performances between January 11th to January 13th in which they beautifully encapsulated the eerie essence of the storyline. The Addams Family (musical)details the story of Lucas, a normal boy from Ohio planning to marry Wednesday, and his family meeting Wednesday Addams, the daughter of Morticia and Gomez Addams, and her family. The two families, completely different in lifestyles and ideals, understandably encounter tension, but, at the end of the day, they both want what is best for their children, a value they connect on, even if Wednesday and her family are a little strange. Emily Schain was the stage director, and Maayan Lowenberg directed the show.
“This production is all about celebrating what is weird and staying unique and true to yourself in a world of craziness,” Lowenberg said.
From the unbelievable costumes of elaborate floor-length dresses and ghostly makeup to the amazing choreography which included elaborate lifts and partner dances, this production was truly not one to be missed. Musical numbers such as “Full Disclosure”, which depicted a game where the two families reveal secrets that they’ve been hiding, demonstrate the incredible vocal range of the cast as well as their ability to convey gut-wrenching emotions such as familial conflicts of interest and longings for better relationships.
There was excellent chemistry between the characters of Wednesday, played by Abi Wiseman, and Lucas, played by Isaiah Yolkut; not only did they accurately portray the deep love that is shared between the characters, but also the underlying message that the love that two people share only has to be understood and wanted by those in the relationship. An even better chemistry than what these two characters had was between Morticia Addams, played by Hava Katz, and Gomez Addams, played by Leor Hoffman; in this dynamic, these actors fantastically represented the deep relationship between the characters as well as how they navigate the world despite their idiosyncrasies.
Solos such as “Pulled in a New Direction”, sung by the character of Wednesday, exposed another overarching theme of the play: coming of age, and that it’s not only okay but important to evolve your understanding of the world as you grow up. And, of course, throughout the entire show, comedy was incorporated into scenes with the grandma, played by Maayan Yolkut, saying some truly hilarious lines and even a blow-up dinosaur costume making an appearance at the end of the show.
All in all, throughout the whole play, the passion that every actor and actress has for their art was evident. They not only communicated the plot to the audience through song and dance but also left the audience with an inspiring message that, with some effort, two worlds can come together for the good of a cause bigger than themselves, such as their children, and work together peacefully, and they just might learn a thing or two from each other. Kol HaKavod to the entire cast of The Addams Family, you should all be extremely proud of yourselves!