By John Lyle Belden
Epsilon Theatrical Company works its unique magic on what is becoming a musical classic, “The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy.” A Broadway hit with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, based on the popular characters by Charles Addams, this “mysterious spooky kooky ooky” clan is well suited to the family atmosphere of ETC.
Director and choreographer Buddy Reeder, a native Hoosier who has performed and directed shows nationwide, embraced the vibe of both the company and the show. Performances are upbeat and energetic, employing the stage, the back of the audience, and the aisleways in between.
Reeder said that after casting special actor Sarah Gasper, a devoted fan who has attended more than 125 performances of the musical and appeared in a number of community productions, he was inspired to greatly expand the number of “Ancestors” who haunt the Addams estate. Their near-constant presence – as chorus, in dance numbers, and roaming the audience – help us all feel like part of the show. We also get, during scene and costume changes, some moments of corny humor with a couple of Cave-Addamses played by Jack London and his grandmother Laurie London.
The family members practically stepped out of the old New Yorker cartoons: gregarious patriarch Gomez (Kent Livingston), sultry slender Morticia (Katie van den Heuvel), darkly darling daughter Wednesday (Gemma Rollison), glutton for punishment son Pugsley (Judah Livingston), charmingly eccentric Uncle Fester (Rodney Sciba), feisty Grandma (Tammy Coss), shaggy Cousin Itt (Ezzy Livingston), and butler/looming presence Lurch (Sean Stroup), who ensures that Thing (uncredited) is always on hand.
The plot (similar to the old oddball family comedy “You Can’t Take It With You”) involves the possibility that nearly-adult Wednesday has somehow fallen in love – and with a “normal” boy! Lucas Beineke (Chase Cornelius) is so okay with the weirdness that they are secretly engaged. Their intentions are to be announced at an Addams family dinner with his parents, Mal and Alice (Jim O’Connor and Brianne Snow) of Ohio, as guests. To ensure mayhem, they will play a very Addams party game.
Meanwhile, Gomez and Morticia’s relationship will be tested by Wednesday’s insistence that her mother not know about the engagement (which Pugsley will privately seek to wreck).
We will also find out Fester’s infatuation with a certain heavenly body – which is presented in a nice special effect.
Other Ancestors are played by Norah Amrose, London Bramer, Fender Brokamp, Lydia Capps, Alec Cole, Sophia Dam, Andy DeLoughery, Sophie Eastman, Mark Gasper, Klara Hollaway, Robin Kim, Thomas Kim, Eliott King, Amelia Landrum, Sharon Livingston, Gavin McMillin, Christian Parchman, Breanne Penrod, Lacey Pierce, Maranatha Potter, Brooklynn Shaw, Rain Stafford, Bella Velasco, Olivia Venable, and Luke Wilson, who is also a featured guitarist.
Rollison is exceptional in her central role, which says a lot considering the talent she shares the stage with. Cornelius as Lucas is endearing with gentle bravery. Sciba gives Fester boyish charm and joyous animated demeanor. Livingston gives Gomez his famous combination of wit and being at wit’s end, while van den Heuvel makes Morticia’s demeanor both chilling and seductive. O’Connor delivers the anticipated amount of bluster as Mr. Beineke, while Snow gives us one of the show’s hilarious highlights as Alice.
A not-so-scary spooky treat for your October, “The Addams Family” has performances Friday and Saturday evening, Saturday and Sunday afternoon (Oct. 23-25), at Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E. 29th St., Indianapolis. Get tickets and info at epsilontheatricalco.org.
