Overview
Synopsis
In the kooky, upside-down world of the Addams Family, to be sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy, and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams. Nonetheless, this quirky family still has to deal with many of the same challenges faced by any other family, and the spookiest nightmare faced by every family creates the focus Lippa, Brickman, and Elice’s musical: the Addams kids are growing up. The Addamses have lived by their unique values for hundreds of years and Gomez and Morticia, the patriarch and matriarch of the clan, would be only too happy to continue living that way. Their dark, macabre, beloved daughter Wednesday, however, is now an eighteen year-old young woman who is ready for a life of her own. She has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a sweet, smart boy from a normal, respectable Ohio family — the most un-Addams sounding person one could be! And to make matters worse, she has invited the Beinekes to their home for dinner. In one fateful, hilarious night, secrets are disclosed, relationships are tested, and the Addams family must face up to the one horrible thing they’ve managed to avoid for generations: change.
Show Information
- Book
- Rick Elice , Marshall Brickman
- Music
- Andrew Lippa
- Lyrics
- Andrew Lippa
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2010
- Genres
- Comedy, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- new york city. the present.
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- Theatrical Rights Worldwide
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Diverse Cast, High School, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Late Teen, Young Adult, Child, Early Teen, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
The Addams Family is a musical based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams. While many television and film adaptations have been made, the musical is the first stage production based on Addams’ concept and takes all inspiration from the original cartoons with a completely original plot, separate from the characters’ on-screen story lines.
Work began on The Addams Family in 2007, when producers first gained rights to write a musical about these beloved characters from the
to read the context for The Addams Family and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
NOTE: This synopsis is based on the script for the original Broadway production.
Act One
(“Addams Family Theme/Overture”)
The eccentric, morbid, fun-hearted Addams family — patriarch Gomez, his wife Morticia, their children Wednesday and Pugsley, Grandma, Uncle Fester, and servant Lurch — are celebrating their yearly ritual of summoning their ancestors from the dead. As they do so, they explain to the audience what it means to be an Addams: one must have a sense of humor, a taste for
to read the plot for The Addams Family and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass |
Songs
BROADWAY PRODUCTION
Act One
- “Addams Family Theme / Overture” — Orchestra
- * “When You’re an Addams” — Addams Family, Ancestors
- “Pulled” — Wednesday, Pugsley
- “Where Did We Go Wrong” — Morticia, Gomez
- “One Normal Night” — Company
- “Morticia” — Gomez, Male Ancestors
- “What If” — Pugsley
- “Full Disclosure” — Company
- “Waiting” — Alice
- “Full Disclosure (Part 2)” — Company
Act Two
- “Entr’acte” — Orchestra
- * “Just Around the Corner” — Morticia, Ancestors
- “The Moon and Me” — Fester, Female Ancestors
- “Happy/Sad” — Gomez
- “Crazier Than You” — Wednesday, Lucas
- * “Let’s Not Talk About Anything Else But Love” — Gomez, Mal, Fester
- * “Let’s Not Talk About Anything Else But Love (Reprise)” — Grandma, Gomez, Fester
- “In the Arms” — Mal, Alice
- “Live Before We Die” — Gomez, Morticia
- * “Tango de Amor” — Morticia, Gomez, * Ancestors
- “Move Toward the Darkness” — Company
- “Bows/When You’re An Addams (Encore)” — Company
US TOURING PRODUCTION
Act One
- “Addams Family Theme / Overture” — Orchestra
- * “When You’re an Addams” — Addams Family, Ancestors
- “Fester’s Manifesto” — Fester
- “Wednesday’s Growing Up” — Gomez
- “Trapped” — Gomez
- “Pulled” — Wednesday, Pugsley
- “One Normal Night” — Company
- “But Love (Reprise 1)” — Fester, Ancestors
- “But Love (Reprise 2)” — Fester, Ancestors
- “Secrets” — Morticia, Alice, Female Ancestors
- “Gomez’s ‘What If’” — Gomez
- “What If” — Pugsley
- “Full Disclosure” — Company
- “Waiting” — Alice
- “Full Disclosure (Part 2)” — Company
Act Two
- “Entr’acte” — Orchestra
- * “Just Around the Corner” — Morticia, Ancestors
- “The Moon and Me” — Fester, Female Ancestors
- “Happy/Sad” — Gomez
- “Crazier Than You” — Wednesday, Lucas, Mal, Alice
- “Not Today” — Gomez
- “Live Before We Die” — Gomez, Morticia
- * “Tango de Amor” — Morticia, Gomez, * Ancestors
- “Move Toward the Darkness” — Company
- “Bows/When You’re An Addams (Encore)” — Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
The lowest female vocal type, generally F3-F5.
The middle male vocal type, generally A2-A4.
The lowest male vocal type, generally E2-E4.
The script of a musical.
Behavior that is strange or unconventional.
An additional performance at the end of a show, usually encouraged by audience applause.
The musical interval between acts of a play, musical, or opera.
Describing a mood, atmosphere, or environment of fear, mystery, or horror.
The script of the musical, separate from the musical orchestrations.
Using images of injury or death for dramatic and gruesome effect.
The woman who is the head of the family.
The middle female vocal type, generally A3-A5.
An abnormal interest and fascination in death and disease.
A storyteller, or someone who provides commentary on the action of a play or musical.
The arrangement of instrument parts, including piano, percussion, horns, and strings.
An orchestral piece at the beginning of a musical or opera, often incorporating melodies from the show.
The head of a tribe or community.
A repetition of a phrase, passage, or entire song within music.
The notation of music for the musical. There are several types of scores (detailed in the guide).
The highest female vocal type, generally C4-C6.
The highest male vocal type, generally C3-C5.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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