The Addams Family Musical Creeps into Woodland Theater

By Liv Stecker

Following the tradition of a spring musical as a  season opener, Woodland Theater hearkens to the dark side with the creepy and the kooky Addams Family Musical. beginning March 4th, the show runs every Thursday- Sunday until March 20th. 

The Addams Family Musical first hit Broadway in 2010, adding a song-and-dance twist to the quirky and dark tale of a morbidly funny family. Drawing on decades of tradition which began with comic characters that were first featured in the New Yorker Magazine in 1938, The Addams Family Musical follows the antics of family patriarch Gomez, his wife Morticia, Grandma Addams, Uncle Fester, son Pugsley and teenage daughter, Wednesday, as she tries to date a normal, all-American boy. The struggle is real as the family tries mask their macabre tendencies and fail miserably. Hilarity ensues. According to director Sean Tabloff, the show called out to him as a throwback to his youth in the late 1960s. “...the series resonated a note of family warmth - albeit distorted to extremes - but nevertheless I am filled with a nostalgia and am pulled back to those simpler times.”

The musical takes the stage at Woodland in March under the direction of Sean Tabloff, with an all-star cast of local theater veterans and a few new faces lending their voices to the mix. The show stars Jesse Ransom from Northport as Wednesday Addams, it is Jesse’s first time performing with Woodland Theater. Gian Carlo Desterfano is a newcomer to the stage who plays her father Gomez. Morticia is portrayed by the lovely and talented Shannon Howes-Hulse who appeared in Annie Get Your Gun and The Drowsy Chaperone. The “normal” boyfriend, Lucas Beineke, is brought to life by local favorite Adam Huff, who led the cast of Seussical the Musical last spring as Horton the elephant. Uncle Fester is played by David Van Guilder a theater vet from shows including The Wizard of Oz and Seussical the Musical, and Shawmus Sergent is Pugsley. Long time theater favorite George Eberth returns to the stage as a hysterical portrayal of Lurch, the family butler of questionable animation. A talented roster of dedicated actors, dancers and singers round out the cast list in this unorthodox comedy. 

Vocal director Stazya Richman, Orchestra director Byron Kerner, choreographer Kathleen Malcolm and producer Nancy Christopher are a few of the veteran troops who double up as cast members and the behind the scenes force that brings the show to life. “Stazya is often the only eyes and ears in the audience during rehearsals,” Tabloff comments, while the director, assistant director and the rest of the staff have found themselves on stage performing for various reasons. In addition to directing and playing the part of the boy-next-door’s “normal” father, Sean designed and built the intricate set for the show - a complex project he began last October as plans for the show unfolded. 

Thanks to a grant for the theater, Sean and helpers were able to reconstruct the old stage from the joists up, a complete renovation that was long overdue. During the process, Sean was able to sneak in a few engineering surprises that help make The Addams Family Musical a unique show in Woodland’s repertoire. “There are so many more elements in this show,” says Tabloff, “it is the most intense show that we have done prop and set wise.” The set up for the lighting effects alone took Tabloff and his crew 12 hours to accomplish. “It’s been a tremendous amount of work to bring the surprise element into this show.” For Tabloff, creating a sense of mystery and comic intrigue is the ultimate mission for his cast of characters. “Magic is what I live for, and what I believe theater is all about,” he says. “This show is extremely heavy on magic, creatures, effects way beyond anything we have done before!”

Showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday nights, and for the first time this year, Saturday and Sunday shows are matinees, starting at 2 p.m. Tickets for the March 4th and 17th are $10 for all seats, all other shows are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students. Tickets are available at Main Street Floral in Colville and at the door. According to Tabloff, “This is one show you have got to see, believe me, if you miss it, you will be sore from hearing all your friends rave about it!”

Also new this year, Woodland Theater will have assistive listening devices for audience members who suffer from hearing loss. This equipment is made available through a grant from Empire Health Foundation, which provided 20 units that can be checked out during any show at the theater. Check out is free with a valid identification card.