‘The Addams Family’ musical comedy opens in Rogers City

A mysterious, kooky and fun musical comedy is coming to the stage as the Rogers City Community Theatre (RCCT) will present “The Addams Family- A New Musical Comedy,” a musical worthy of the characters created by Charles Addams. The award-winning team Marshall Brickman and Rick Elicend and lyricist Andrew Lippa bring these macabre characters to life! Performances are scheduled for March 11-13 and March 18-20 at the Rogers Theater.

The play is directed by Katy Carignan, who has worked in theatre as a child, in college, and professionally.

“I worked in various capacities including as an actor, writer, director, lighting and sound designer and one fun summer as a theatre electrician. I basically stopped when I went to law school, except for the law school roast which I did every year. This is the first show I’ve directed at RCCT though I did assistant direct ‘All Together Now’ in the fall. It is great to get back to the theatre. I love the collaborative nature of the art and how it takes every artist that is involved to put on the show,” Carignan said.  “This show is fun for all ages, bringing the humor of the Addams Family and music that will keep you humming as you leave the theatre.” 

With music direction and sets by Karl Heidemann, choreography by Ashley Nowicki, costumes designed by Valerie Schalk, and makeup design by Katy Conklin, this is an opportunity to experience live theatre that will be fun for all ages. The actors will sing and dance as they tell the story of Wednesday Addams’ (played by local high school student Lexi Haske) first love and the crisis that ensues when her suitor’s family comes for dinner.

This show brings together new members of the theatre community and experienced cast and crew. Carignan said Brittany VanderWall and Garrison Benson heat up the stage as the passionate tango loving Morticia and Gomez Addams. Jodi Kamyszek is hilarious as Uncle Fester watching over our beloved and in love Wednesday. Baylee Lijewski, a longtime theatre alum in her first featured role, is the jealous and lonely younger brother Pugsley, left behind by Wednesday when she fell in love. Robert Starnes is a wonder as the taciturn zombie butler Lurch. Tanya Fowler shines as Grandma, who’s just a little crazy (even for the Addams). 

The featured cast is rounded out by the earnest lover Lucas (Alex Czarnecki), his poetry reciting mother Alice (Ashley Nowicki), and his speechifying father Mal (Karl Heidemann). The ancestor cast includes Theresa Gibson, Charlotte Heidemann, Anna May Kohler, Alison Marx, Mike Marx, Abby Muller and Sophia Schiepek. 

 “This will be Ashley Nowicki’s final show before she goes away to college and she has been part of this theatre community since she was a child. In this show she does triple duty as a lead character, a featured dancer, and the choreographer. She has done an amazing job putting together fun dances in a variety of styles for the show-stopping numbers in the ‘Addams Family Musical,’” Carignan said. 

The director called the play a fun musical and that is totally accessible to people who don’t like plays and musicals. 

“It is different and funny and audience members will leave the theatre humming these tunes. A couple of my favorite scenes are ‘When You’re an Addams’ which opens the show and is a blast with all the Addams and Addams ancestors dancing in a graveyard. ‘Death is Just Around the Corner’ is in the second act and is a surprisingly funny song by Morticia and the female ancestors (with a special appearance by the grim reaper). Both of these are fun songs with great dances that audience members will want to come back to see again,” Carignan said.

 “I wanted to direct this

play because I have always loved the Addams Family. When I was little I used to dress up as Morticia for Halloween and I had really long straight hair just like her and I loved black. I still love black. I love this show because it has something for everyone and it’s just a little twisted which is fun,” she said.

Carignan said the cast, crew and designers have made this show what it is and the audience will get to see incredible costumes, set design, choreography, music direction, makeup, and more. The actors have really given their all to bring this kooky and mysterious family to life, she said. 

The play opens next week, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. Additional performances are March 12, 13, 18, 19, and 20. The Sunday shows are 2 p.m. matinees. The house opens 30 minutes before showtime.