Playbill: Addams Family Sings Together in NYC Workshop of New Musical, With Lane and Neuwirth
Addams Family Sings Together in NYC Workshop of New Musical, With Lane and Neuwirth
By Kenneth Jones
January 14, 2009
The creators of The Addams Family, the new musical inspired by the macabre characters created by illustrator Charles Addams, are currently holed up in a Manhattan studio for a starry two-week workshop that will culminate in a private industry presentation on Jan. 27.
Playbill.com has learned that the cast of this January developmental workshop includes Nathan Lane as Gomez, Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, Kevin Chamberlin as Fester, Zachary James as Lurch, Marylouise Burke as Grandmama, Terrence Mann, Jan Maxwell and more. As is often the case with readings and workshops, this does not necessarily reflect what the final production casting will be.
With a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys) and music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award-winning composer-lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), the musical is wholly original and not based on Addams Family material from other media - don't expect the TV series or the films.
As previously announced, the musical will have its world premiere beginning Nov. 13, 2009-Jan. 10, 2010, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago, prior to a spring 2010 launch on Broadway.
Produced by Elephant Eye Theatrical (Stuart Oken, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Productions) and Roy Furman, The Addams Family has direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, the visionary creators of the darkly comic and spooky Shockheaded Peter. They are co-founders of London's Improbable Theatre.
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The Addams Family creative team also includes choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys), lighting designer Natasha Katz (The Coast of Utopia, Aida) and musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Company, Road Show).
"In a prolific career spanning six decades, Charles Addams created several thousand cartoons, sketches and drawings, many of which were famously published in The New Yorker," according to the 2008 announcement of the Broadway-bound production. "But it was his creation of characters that came to be known as The Addams Family that brought Addams his greatest acclaim. With a unique style that combined the twisted, macabre and just plain weird with charm, wit and enchantment, Addams' drawings of Gomez, Morticia, Fester, Wednesday, Pugsley, Grandmama, Lurch and Thing have entertained millions worldwide and served as the inspiration for multiple television series and motion pictures."
Stuart Oken of Elephant Eye Theatrical stated, "It's an extraordinary privilege as well as a daunting responsibility being entrusted with Charles Addams' most beloved creations, but I'm confident this outstanding creative team is re-imagining the work in a way that would have made Charlie proud."
For more information on the premiere engagement of The Addams Family, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
For more information about the work of Charles Addams, visit www.addamsfoundation.org.
By Kenneth Jones
January 14, 2009
The creators of The Addams Family, the new musical inspired by the macabre characters created by illustrator Charles Addams, are currently holed up in a Manhattan studio for a starry two-week workshop that will culminate in a private industry presentation on Jan. 27.
Playbill.com has learned that the cast of this January developmental workshop includes Nathan Lane as Gomez, Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, Kevin Chamberlin as Fester, Zachary James as Lurch, Marylouise Burke as Grandmama, Terrence Mann, Jan Maxwell and more. As is often the case with readings and workshops, this does not necessarily reflect what the final production casting will be.
With a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys) and music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award-winning composer-lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), the musical is wholly original and not based on Addams Family material from other media - don't expect the TV series or the films.
As previously announced, the musical will have its world premiere beginning Nov. 13, 2009-Jan. 10, 2010, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago, prior to a spring 2010 launch on Broadway.
Produced by Elephant Eye Theatrical (Stuart Oken, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Productions) and Roy Furman, The Addams Family has direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, the visionary creators of the darkly comic and spooky Shockheaded Peter. They are co-founders of London's Improbable Theatre.
*
The Addams Family creative team also includes choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys), lighting designer Natasha Katz (The Coast of Utopia, Aida) and musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Company, Road Show).
"In a prolific career spanning six decades, Charles Addams created several thousand cartoons, sketches and drawings, many of which were famously published in The New Yorker," according to the 2008 announcement of the Broadway-bound production. "But it was his creation of characters that came to be known as The Addams Family that brought Addams his greatest acclaim. With a unique style that combined the twisted, macabre and just plain weird with charm, wit and enchantment, Addams' drawings of Gomez, Morticia, Fester, Wednesday, Pugsley, Grandmama, Lurch and Thing have entertained millions worldwide and served as the inspiration for multiple television series and motion pictures."
Stuart Oken of Elephant Eye Theatrical stated, "It's an extraordinary privilege as well as a daunting responsibility being entrusted with Charles Addams' most beloved creations, but I'm confident this outstanding creative team is re-imagining the work in a way that would have made Charlie proud."
For more information on the premiere engagement of The Addams Family, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
For more information about the work of Charles Addams, visit www.addamsfoundation.org.