Student theater group Lost Flamingo Company is playing the most famous ghoulish family The Addams Family in its annual spring musical.
The Lost Flamingo Company is prepping to play the creepiest, kookiest and all together “ookiest” famous fictional family.
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LFC, a student theater troupe, will present the musical The Addams Family for two weekends in Baker Center Theater. In the musical, everything is gloriously horrible as usual until Wednesday Addams admits she’s in love with Lucas Beineke, who comes from a seemingly normal family. As she is “pulled in a new direction,” Wednesday tries to hide her family’s quirks from the Beinekes when they come for dinner.
The Addams clan consists of Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester, Butler Lurch and Grandma Addams.
The Addams Family has been made famous in many mediums from the original Charles Addams comic to several TV shows and movies. Michelle Robinson, the show’s director, said the musical is a treat for fans but also accessible to those who don’t know much about the family with a love for all things macabre.
“The show is just really funny,” Emily Gilgoff, who plays Morticia, said. “There are some serious parts and some parts that will choke you up because it’s about family so everyone can relate to it even though it is over-the-top and crazy, but … overall it’s just hilarious and funny. … You’ll be happy the whole time you’re watching.”
Robinson, a senior studying broadcast journalism, said she pitched The Addams Family to LFC because of the fond memories she had of the show when a tour came to Ohio University, through the Performing Arts and Concert Series, in spring 2013.
Additionally, Robinson, who also serves as the president of LFC, said she wanted the annual musical to be more lighthearted than last year’s choice of Spring Awakening.
LFC is doing the touring production version of the musical, which features many changes from the original 2010 Broadway production that starred Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth and Krysta Rodriguez.
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“A lot of numbers have been added that I think are the strongest in the show because they help to showcase the ancestors, who are the ensemble of the show,” Robinson said of songs like “Secrets.” “But there’s still the traditional ones like ‘When You’re An Addams,’ ‘Crazier Than You,’ which is a fan favorite, and ‘Move Toward the Darkness’ is an iconic number.”
To harness the outlandish personality of Morticia, Gilgoff said her costume has been essential.
“Before I was just wearing a sweatshirt and I’m blonde,” Gilgoff said with a laugh as she wore Morticia’s traditional long black wig and fitted black dress with a deep V-neck. “As far as getting into character goes: the more ridiculous, the better.”
For the set, Robinson said LFC will be utilizing the theater’s curtains, lighting and furniture purchased for the show.
“A lot of people said we couldn’t do it because it was so big and normally takes huge sets, but the creativity behind every exec member and anyone running this show have done a really great job in making a limited space really work,” Samantha White, who plays Grandma Addams, said.
As for playing the beloved and crazy Grandma Addams, White said it’s been a blast.
“You can have so much creativity with the role,” White, a freshman studying music therapy, said. “You can say whatever you want in the most obscure old lady ways.”
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