(OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Academy Players will debut their second musical The Addams Family at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Ocean Township, for two weekends, May 7-15, 2022. The Academy Players are the Musical Theater students of the Axelrod Performing Arts Academy (APAA) located at Bell Works in Holmdel.
The Addams Family is being directed and choreographed by Michael La Fleur, who has directed by professional, community and school versions of the show. The Academy Players production will be La Fleur’s sixth time directing the musical. Music direction is provided by Michael Gilch, who will conduct the offstage band.
The Addams Family, with a score by Tony Award nominee Andrew Lippa and an original book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), ran on Broadway starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. While most people in the audience remembers America’s favorite “creepy and kooky” family from reruns of the 1960s hit TV series (or one of the five Hollywood films), the musical is actually based on the source material of Charles Addams’ original single-panel cartoons. The musical has a completely new storyline about the 18-year-old Wednesday, played by Juliana Harary (Navesink), who has fallen in love with a “normal” teenager from Ohio, Lucas Beineke, played by Sealth Grover (Navesink) and the ghoulish chaos that ensues as Wednesday’s parents, Gomez and Morticia, played by Sam Cusson and Giada Garcia (both from Middletown), face the possibility of changing their nontraditional macabre ways. Mr. and Mrs. Beineke, Lucas’s conservative parents, are placed by Aman Tolia (Holmdel) and Ava Giglia (Middletown). Rounding out the Addams family are Micah Schachet-Brisken (Marlboro) as the quirky Uncle Fester, Brennan Boyce (Howell) as young brother Pugsley, Kara Kube (Toms River) as the mystical Grandma and Max Oster (Asbury Park) as the groaning butler Lurch.
The design team for The Addams Family includes Fred Sorrentino (scenic), Jeremy Johnson (lighting), Susan Bloir (props), Gerry Gironda (sound) with costumes provided by Scaramouche Costumes of Chester, NJ. Dennis Tolentino and Sara Tomas are the stage managers. The show is being produced by Andrew DePrisco and Gabriel Chajnik, the director of APAA.
Tickets can be purchased at www.AxelrodArtsCenter.com or by calling the box office at 732-531-9106, ext 14. Performances are May 7 and 14 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm and May 8 and 15 at 3:00pm. Please check the website for the current COVID guidelines at the theater.
