It’s time for that creepily comic musical, The Addams Family, as Cowichan Secondary’s performing arts students step up with their big show of the year.
Starting tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 16), you and your family can enjoy this tuneful presentation, which is anything but “grave”. Right from the finger-snapping opening number, you just don’t know what might happen next.
We spoke to director/teacher Mike Moroz, Phillip Schneider (Gomez), Gus Boehme-Vertefeuille (Fester), Avery Ward (Wednesday), and Ryley MacDonald (Morticia) on Sunday as they put the final polish on their parts in the action.
“This is our final show as Grade 12s,” said Schneider, who plays Gomez, and who was sporting a painted-on moustache when we spoke to him.
“Gomez is the Spaniard. It was a little difficult to master the Spanish accent, but I think I’ve got it now,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
MacDonald is Morticia.
“I’m Wednesday’s mom. I think we’re coming along well. It’s going to be good. I’m in Grade 11, too, so I’ve got another show after this year.”
Avery Ward is Wednesday, Morticia’s daughter.
“I’m playing a rebellious teen that falls in love,” she said.
Gus Boehme-Vertefeuille is Uncle Fester, and his face was covered in chalky makeup with his features emphasized with black smudges.
“I’m Gomez’s brother. I’m basically a bit crazy. I orchestrate this whole thing so that everyone falls into love. I love the character. He’s the romantic in the play.”
Schneider jumped in, saying, to laughter, “The amazing thing is he isn’t wearing make-up right now.”
Obviously they’re enjoying getting ready for The Addams Family, which could be described as an all-ages show.
Ward said, “It’s funny for children but also for adults.”
Schneider then pointed out, “We have a lot of different comedy in the show. We break the fourth wall sometimes but there’s lots of jokes. Also the music to back that up is really good. Especially since both of these girls are really good singers. And he’s good. I try.”
Ah, but he has the mustachios!
“Yes, that’s the key to it: to distract everyone.”
Audiences are going to like everything, in MacDonald’s opinion.
“It’s got the singing, it’s got the dancing. It’s got something for everyone. There are some serious parts as well so you have a story,” she said.
“I know looking at it from the outside, it would appear very strange because all the different characters are outgoing but their personalities are very strange in comparison to normal life,” said Moroz. “But when you are thinking about it as the character, it’s just normal. You’ve been in this family for 12 or so years.”
“It’s a good take on the original Addams Family but they make it a little funnier,” Ward chimed in.
Moroz added, “One of the things that made the original Addams Family popular was that we found ways to identify with them, right? They are very much in love with each other; it is dissimilar to our families in appearance but very much like families in realities. One of the lines that Morticia uses is: What is normal anyway? What is normal for the spider is a calamity for the fly. And at the end of the show I think that is what people walk away with, that understanding that they can recognize something about that family regardless of how different it is from the outside from their own.”
Mt. Prevost school has been able to accommodate the secondary school’s musical and the stage is proving most effective for the needs of The Addams Family, after some work, Moroz said.
“We’ve come in and built the walls for set construction. They’ve been fantastic in allowing us access to their awesome space.”
Boehme-Vertefeuille said that what he loved most about The Addams Family is, “it does have singing and humour. But that’s not covering up for anything. The backbone of the story is very solid. All of the songs build upon a solid foundation.”
Ward agreed.
“Even the ancestors have their own characters, like the Cowgirl or the Conquistador. They all have a backstory. When you’re watching the big scenes you’ll see the other characters in the back will be doing things.”
Schneider said that, despite landing the part of Gomez, “I was really upset that I didn’t get the role as Conquistador ancestor; I was really going for that one!”
Moroz said casting the show is always fun but “the worst part of the show is that there’s always someone who is disappointed. We double cast as best we can. And we want to make sure we’ve got a good balance of Grade 12s with Grade 10s and 11s so our program is always building. It’s heartbreaking to know that when you put up the list someone will be disappointed.”
Someone who is not going to be disappointed is the audience, he said.
Shows starts tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 16) at 7:30 p.m. at Mt. Prevost Elementary School and continue on Jan. 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, all starting at similar times.
Seats cost $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. Get your tickets at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3787406?fbclid=IwAR2eQjSE88LAreYXUj7vmtA3DdnL96AqFOv3wqqkRsbhGHHTKVfCRBsl6Jw
