During the last week of March, the Heritage High School Theater Department performed “The Addams Family.” The play was very well received due to the cast and crew making their own fun version stemming from all the different versions. This play showcased an excellent median between drama and comedy, with exceptional acting and improv when necessary. Additionally, it featured creative sets and artistic details in every displayed piece.
In the story behind the performance, Wednesday Addams falls in love with a boy named Lucas Beineke. Lucas is portrayed as a normal boy from a normal family. However, the love between the two teenagers is kept a secret, until Wednesday’s family learns of the boy. She tells her father, which causes conflict between Morticia and Gomez, because they have a very honest relationship. Meanwhile, Wednesday and Lucas are trying to plan a dinner between their families to announce their upcoming engagement. Although, this was a problem due to Morticia not being aware of Lucas’s and Wednesday’s relationship.
When the time arrives, the two families meet, and the Beinekes are immediately uncomfortable due to the Addams’ obsession with death. After awkward conversations between the families, it was time for the massive feast. Instead of eating, they played their famous family game called “full disclosure.” In this game, they went around the table, and everyone told their own darkest secrets. When the time came, it was time for Wednesday’s turn. That’s when she announced her upcoming engagement to Lucas, revealing their relationship to her mother and their families. This wasn’t accepted well between the families; the tension was made even worse because Morticia discovered Gomez’s lies. Additionally, the Beineke family didn’t approve of Lucas marrying Wednesday, because they were already weary of the Addams family, especially since the two lovers were just teenagers.
After multiple fights and arguments, all relationships were resolved, and peace was met again within the families. The Beineke family was ready to leave, but the two lovers didn’t want to split. As Uncle Fester found his love for the moon, the relationships of both parents were corrected. Wednesday and Lucas decided to wait to become married until they got older, which was approved between the two families.
Due to the majority of the play having iconic scenes and very iconic characters, the students’ acting was fantastic. Director Mrs. Grayson Gray shared her favorite scene from the play, “One of my favorite scenes is probably the closing of act one when they’re at dinner. Just that whole scene, I was very proud of how everybody reacted, then of course Hannah Johnston crawling across the table was hilarious.” Additionally, Mrs. Gray spoke about how they helped the students grow into the unique characters: “We have had ‘The Addams Family’ in our heads to do for a quite few years now. Just based on the kids’ own personalities, we felt like we were able to cast them just based on who they are as normal human beings. We also looked a lot at the different versions of ‘The Addams Family,’ and how we kind of just meshed all of them together.”
“The Addams Family” production from the Heritage Theater Department is one to be remembered, holding great amounts of comedy and thorough storytelling. Heritage seeks to follow their line of success in the fall performance, but the 2025 Spring “Addams Family” musical will be difficult to beat.
