There were some spooky goings on here on the Hill last weekend when we staged our production of The Addams Family musical.
Billed as a comic feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, the musical tells the story of Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, who has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family – a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before – keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s 'normal' boyfriend and his parents.
Head of Drama, and Director and Producer of the show, Mrs Sawford said, “What drew me to The Addams Family is that much of the humour comes from the fact that the family displays no malice. They are hospitable to everyone and have no clue that their ghoulish tastes and world view are not the norm. The concept of family is very important, in the words of one of the songs from the show ‘It’s family first and family last, and family by and by...’ We had a great time preparing for the performances and I am so proud of each and every member of the cast and crew.”
After several months of rehearsals, our fantastic pupils (and staff!) worked extremely hard to deliver a really impressive production over the course of three nights, which was very well received by our audiences:
“To all the cast and crew for last night's performance - it was incredible! Thank you for all the hard work you have put in over the past academic year with this and Academy.”
“Morticia and Gomez had brilliant chemistry and worked very well together. Gomez was particularly funny.”
“Everyone who we brought along to watch (and there were many of us!) thought that it was fantastic. Some even came back a second time to see it again.”
“It was as good as a West End show, and we’ve seen a lot of them!”
Rehearsals for the show formed part of our weekly Performing Arts Academy which takes place every Monday evening and is run very much along the lines of a theatre school. Over the last few years, it has become an institution within school, with over a quarter of the school roll attending. During the evening, pupils are able to choose between a whole variety of activities such as Wind Band, Dance Classes (junior and senior), Tech Club (theatre sound and lighting), Community singing, Script-writing, Improvisation, Individual music practice, and Rock Band.
The opportunity to perform in front of an audience is a fantastic way for our pupils to build their self-confidence, improve their team working skills and, most of all, have fun!