This weekend, the theater department at Bountiful High School is finishing up their run of The Addams Family. I stopped by their theater class on Wednesday morning to talk with some of the cast about what the show looks like, how they’ve put it together, and why people should come see their show.
When I spoke with some of the cast at Bountiful High School in the auditorium, they told me their theater teacher, Michelle McGarry, picked this particular show because she wanted to do something family-friendly and draw a big crowd. “Everybody loves the Addams Family,” Seneca, who plays Alice in the show, told me. “It’s a classic.”
Without spoiling the show, if you haven’t seen it, the musical follows Wednesday Addams as she introduces her very normal boyfriend to her famously abnormal family. When she asks her father Gomez to keep the relationship a secret from her mother Morticia, chaos follows.
This show has been in production for months. Originally cast back in May, the students started rehearsals in August and then kicked into high gear in November. They’ve put in hours and hours of work. They’ve had to. Zach, who plays Gomez, said the show is double cast, with each group swapping leads and ensemble roles, essentially learning two versions of the musical at once. They’ve also put together a spectacular set, building it out of old sets they’ve used in the past. (If you get the chance, take a good look at the pictures hung up on the walls.)
In addition to that, the show has a live pit orchestra, which really helps bring the show alive but does present its own challenges. Steele, who also plays Gomez, says that it has been a challenge working out the mechanics of timing with the music and the acting, but it’s paying off. “Sometimes it’s difficult…but once we can get it to click and get it to all work together with everyone, I think it’s a really cool experience.”
When I asked what the cast’s favorite part of doing the show has been, I got a lot of enthusiastic responses. Katie, who plays the other Alice, said she is excited for “such an awesome opportunity to get to bring this really iconic family and this really iconic all these characters to life.”
Luke, who plays Mal, said he loves the dancing in the show. Bountiful brought in a choreographer especially for this show to help with their dance scenes. Kirsten, who plays Grandma, said she loves how much the cast has had the opportunity to be themselves and have fun together. Several other cast members expressed just how much they loved and appreciated the other kids and how enjoyable it has been working together. Their energy, even just in our group interview, was vibrant and fun.
So why should you go see the show? Take it from the cast themselves:
Sadie, who plays Grandma, said you should come for the message: “The whole motto of the show is family first and family last. It shows how a family can still love and support each other even when they have all these issues going on or weird things happening.”
Levi, who plays Lucas, similarly said you should come because you can relate to the show: “The show is, I just think it’s really relatable. You can really connect with the characters.”
Parker, who also plays Lucas, said you should come see the show because the whole group has put so much awesome work in: “I’d want to have people come see it because we’ve worked really hard. And not just us as the actors, but the crew, pit, all of that. We’ve all worked super hard just to get this to look good.”
Great, who plays Fester, said you should come because it’s just plain fun: “I personally think it’s really funny. And I like making people laugh.”
The show officially opened on Friday, November 14. They’ve had three other shows since then, and they’ve got three more to go. The remaining shows are on:
- Friday, Nov. 21 at 7pm (Cast A)
- Saturday, Nov. 22 at 2 pm (Cast A)
- Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 pm (Cast B)
Tickets are available at https://gofan.co/app/school/UT7025_1
It’s $5 for students and children, $7 for seniors, and $10 for adults.
