Get ready for a zany evening with The Addams Family – Pugsley (Jet Mucha), Gomez (Miguel Angel Olivas), Morticia (Jessie Cubberly) and Wednesday (Liv Carmichael).
The Missoula Community Theatre kicks off the 2022-2023 season with a deliciously creepy version of “The Addams Family,” Oct. 20-30 at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts.
This ghoulish musical comedy is reminiscent of the 1960s television series, featuring the iconic characters Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday and Pugsley Addams, along with their extended family (including a Grandma who is not so sweet nor soft-spoken) and departed ancestors. Uncle Fester is in love (with the moon), and daughter Wednesday literally tortures her brother Pugsley. When Wednesday falls in love with a bright and pleasant boy from a bright and pleasant family, she invites them to dinner to meet her most unusual family, prompting Pugsley to plot his revenge. They learn what it’s like to blend families together when one is relatively normal and the other is, well, anything but.
The Addams family is made up of unique characters, each with a macabre sense of humor. This production, directed by James Rio, is quite satirical, with occasional references to death, drugs and sword-fighting. There are jokes about, and references to, politics and bedroom humor with a few expletives tossed into the mix. This may sound grim, Rio notes, but everything is filtered through the lens of physical comedy (think the Three Stooges). It may not be everyone’s cup of poison … er, tea, but the show really IS a musical comedy, rated PG-13.
“With so many versions of ‘The Addams Family’ over the years, each generation has its own reference point to the colorful cast of characters. Mine happens to have come from watching reruns of the TV series,” says Rio. “What is special about this musical are the dynamics of the relationships, from young love to the challenges that long-term couples face, all within the confines of the very quirky and zany Addams’ household.”
The cast includes familiar faces like those of Alicia Bullock Muth (Grandma), Arielle Nachtigal (Alice Beineke), Jon Bell (Uncle Fester) and Miguel Angel Olivas (Gomez). Among those making their Missoula Community Theatre debut are Jessie Cubberly (Morticia), Liv Carmichael (Wednesday) and Jet Mucha (Pugsley).
“MCT has assembled a talented local cast with a varied range of stage experience,” Rio says. “I love to see what young actors bring to the stage, and then guide them along to bring the story to life.”
He notes that the more seasoned actors “are great examples for those new to the stage and have been thoughtful in their approach to the iconic characters.”
Music director Gregory Boris and choreographer Colleen Rosbarsky round out the experienced creative team.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 20-30. Tickets are available at www.MCTinc.org, by calling 406-728-7529 (PLAY) or stopping by the MCT Box Office from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.