The iconic “creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, and altogether ooky” Addams Family is coming to the Riverview School District.
Riverview students ranging from seventh to 12th grade will embody the eccentric family in “The Addams Family” musical starting March 12.
Despite opening night being yet to come, the show has already changed at least one life.
Campbell Miller, 17, will be hitting the stage for the first time as Gomez Addams. The junior stumbled into the program after injuring his shoulder. During a time when he would usually be playing sports, he now had an opportunity to explore his creative side.
“I wanted to give musical a try because I love to sing,” Miller said. “It kind of sparked me back to life.”
Miller said he was ecstatic to be able to land a lead role in his first musical. As a Latino, Miller said, Gomez’s character holds a special place in his heart. Miller said he relates to Gomez’s humor and penchant for celebrating the little things.
Miller said the show has inspired him to pursue dance, singing and possibly music in college.
“(The musical) changed what I wanted to do completely because I love this stuff so much,” he said. “I’ve always loved music, but doing this changed what I wanted to do.”
Senior student Siddaly Sykes, 17, will be playing a lead role for the second time in the theater program. She’ll be playing Wednesday Addams, the family’s oldest daughter known for her deadpan wit and gothic style.
This is Sykes’ sixth year in the program.
“Being able to create a show, I would say, almost magic, with this group of people is just beautiful,” Sykes said.
Sykes relates to Wednesday in the way the character navigates her relationships with her family and friends as a teenage girl, she said.
Junior Oden Rebarchak, 16, will be playing Lucas Beineke, Wednesday’s love interest in the musical. Rebarchak has been in the program since he was in eighth grade.
“Theater has been a big thing in my life,” Rebarchak said. “It’s been super fun, and I can notice improvements in myself every day.”
Rebarchak said he had trouble getting into character in the first few rehearsals. Lucas Beineke’s confident, “walk tall” personality was a challenge to embody. He was able to relate to the character’s youth and how it feels to have a first love.
“Lucas and Wednesday, they’re both young and they just want to almost enclose themselves to each other,” Rebarchak said. “Knowing that when you like somebody and you kind of just want to be around that person, I can definitely see that.”
A theater newcomer, Cole Brunn, 17, is making his theater debut as Lurch, the Addams family’s loyal butler. Brunn was convinced to join the program by his friends.
“I’ve been loving it so far,” he said.
While his character communicates mostly through low grunts, Brunn said he enjoys exploring how he can express emotions through his movements and noises rather than relying on lines. He even hopes to include the audience in the jokes.
“I’ve never done a show before but on opening night, I’m going to try to look at the audience and make them laugh with funny faces,” Brunn said.
Brunn said he can relate to Lurch’s quiet dependability.
“He’s just a reliable guy and I relate to feeling like that and wanting to be like that,” Brunn said. “Somebody who might not always be in the spotlight, but is there when you need them.”
The students will stage five performances, including two evening and three matinee shows, March 12-15 at the Tenth Street Elementary’s auditorium in Oakmont.
This year isn’t just a big change for some of the cast members.
JohnPaul Bertucci, of Oakmont, is directing the first spring musical in years that won’t feature his son Johnny, who graduated last school year.
“As a dad, it was a special time to have him,” Bertucci said. “I’ve been doing this for 26 years. So, there’s a passion in me that loves theater and I love giving it back to the kids. But that time I had with my son, that was a special time that I was given.”
Bertucci said this year’s show is all about amplification.
“We’re amplifying the characters tenfold,” he said. “The humor is going to be over the top. We have some actors who are very good at physical comedy. It’s going to bring a whole new level to the show.”
Characters are reshaped by the actors’ strengths, Bertucci said.
He said amplification can be seen in the show’s costumes, set and makeup, and the chemistry of the cast.
“It’s the Riverview way,” Bertucci said.
