The Dramateurs, Inc. will open their 83rd season with THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a musical comedy based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams for The New Yorker magazine.
The musical features an original story, and it’s every father’s nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. A man her parents have never met. She confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before — keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.
The original Broadway production, featuring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia Addams, opened April 8, 2010 and ran for 722 performances, closing December 31, 2011. The production won numerous awards, including the Drama League Award and Drama Desk Award. The show is the work of Jersey Boys authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music and lyrics by the award-winning composer of The Wild Party, Andrew Lippa.
The Dramateurs’ production, directed by Marianne and Steve DiNenno of Eagleville, is supported by a production staff featuring music directors Barbara Newberry of Oaks and Laura Burhans of King of Prussia, costumer Eileen Ciccarone of Jeffersonville and choreographer Diane Hodgkiss of Phoenixville. The production features a talented ensemble of performers from across the Philadelphia area. Steve Arcidiacono of Havertown and Nina Harper of Wayne lead the cast as Gomez and Morticia Addams. Alyssa Reape of Pottstown portrays Wednesday Addams, the princess of darkness who has fallen in love with the “normal” Lucas Bieneke, portrayed by Joshua Muska of Hi-Nella, NJ. Steven Schulz of Oaks and Sandy Yozviak of Conshohocken play unsuspecting parents Mal and Alice Bieneke. Chris DiMeo of Norristown, Justin Lamphere of Sellersville, Maureen Scallatino of Philadelphia, and Michael Riggs of Norristown round out the Addams clan as Uncle Fester, Pugsley, Grandma Addams and taciturn butler, Lurch. The cast is supported by a talented ensemble of “Ancestors” featuring Maddi Sloan of Norristown, Meghan Murphy of Phoenixville, Patrina Harding and Andrew Paul of Wynnewood, Nancy Kadwill-Brand of Schwenksville, and Kate and Dan Guest of Philadelphia.
The production opens April 28 and runs April 29, May 5, 6, 12 & 13 at the Barn Playhouse, located at 1700 Christopher Street in Jeffersonville, PA, three miles west of Norristown. Curtain time is 8:00 pm. There is also a matinee performance Sunday, May 7 at 2:00 pm. The Friday, May 5 performance features a special talk-back session with the director cast and crew. During this time, audience members can stay after the performance to ask questions about the production and learn about the process of creating a musical theater production.
Tickets are $20, with a $2 discount for seniors (65 and over) and students. Reservations can be made by visiting the theater’s website, www.barnplayhouse.org or by contacting the box office at (610) 539-BARN.
ABOUT THE BARN PLAYHOUSE
The Barn Playhouse, a theater housed in an historic 1793 building, is owned and operated by The Dramateurs, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit educational corporation. Since 1934, the group has pursued the goal that was laid out when it was organized, “To stimulate greater interest in dramatic arts in Norristown and its vicinity through the presentation of stage plays of various types.” The group has presented a summer season of plays at The Barn Playhouse every year since 1937.
Theater/Organization The Dramateurs, Inc. at the Barn Playhouse
Theater/Organization Website: http://www.barnplayhouse.org
Theater/Organization Address: 1700 Christopher Street Jeffersonville, Pennsylvania 19403 (Map It)
Theater/Organization Phone: (610) 539-2276
