SYRACUSE — The Addams Family, normally done as a Halloween musical around here, was chosen by the Syracuse City Arts Council as their summer musical. With music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the musical follows the story of the Addams, based on the comics which were turned into numerous popular film and TV series. The musical was on Broadway in 2010 and only had limited success, but has found quite the life in the community world. The story follows strange daughter Wednesday, played here by Emma Scanlon, falling in love with your run of the mill young man Lucas, played by Bryson Wanner, and they decide to have their families meet in what is sure to be one “normal” night.
Directed by Heather Ganus, the community of Syracuse has again put together a fun and entertaining community show. I am sure I am slightly biased as it was 14 years ago I wrote my first review at the Syracuse summer show, but I do feel that this community represents a lot of what makes Utah community theatre some of the best nationwide. I am sad they have stopped using the Syracuse Community Orchestra for the music the last few years, and hope someday a partnership can resume. One of the evening’s highlights was the set designed by Erin Steed. Having seen and even participated in many of the shows over the years, I think I spied some reuse of materials which is to be expected, but the way Steed has transformed the staircases into the spooky Addams manor was fantastic. I also enjoyed the trees used around the stage and the cemetery stones, and how the wings of the stage were used well in appropriate scenes.
The Syracuse City Arts Council’s production of The Addams Family plays through July 21st, 2025. Photo taken by Morgan Miller.
The lighting design by Taylor Sachs complimented the set well, and really helped with certain elements of the story. In the opening number, there are certain parts where the lighting changes as the story unfolds and it was quite apropos. This again happens in the song “Pulled” and in the end of the first act with Alice, played deliciously by Annie Oldham. That moment, where Oldham’s skillful change in character and powerful vocals combined with Sachs’s choice of lighting change all come together was a strong highlight.
The musical’s plot rests heavily on the romance between Wednesday and Lucas, and Scanlon and Wanner do an excellent job building this relationship. Wednesday’s character is tricky, because she needs to be dark and gloomy, yet the song “Pulled” needs to have the comedic timing and balance of dark and light very few can get right. Scanlon has done an impressive job. Wanner has a good balance of innocence and intrigue, and the pair have lovely voices as well. Their duet in act two, “Crazier than You”, which is one of the most fun songs in the show, brought out a lot of good chemistry in the pair.
Another strong element in the show was Max Fawcett as Uncle Fester. As in most telling’s of the Addams family, the character of Fester is loveable and strange. Fawcett leans into both elements without apology. During the song “One Normal Night”, as the family prepares to help Wednesday impress Lucas’s family, the way Fawcett tries to be normal left me in stitches. Fawcett’s vocal strength and his ability to pull off comedy made me happy whenever he entered the stage.
The Syracuse City Arts Council’s production of The Addams Family. From left to right: Bradley Chapman as Pugsley and Emma Scanlon as Wednesday. Photo taken by Sylvie Buckway.
Adam Gneiting as Gomez and Amy Carter as Morticia served as good leaders of the spooky family. Their tango highlighted some of the great choreography by Ganus, Mikayla Thorne, and Cora Hamblin. Choreography is also where I get to start talking about the fabulous ensemble of ancestors, who do everything from tango to tap to traditional dancing. The ensemble is also where the costumes by Camille Chapman shine. The ensemble in this show consists of the dead ancestors of the Addams family meaning this can be a lot of fun for a costume designer because they are not limited to one time period. In the program the ancestors range from Greek to French Revolution to a 1980’s prom queen. It was a lot of fun to look at each character’s costume and to see how that costume made the character react.
At a time when arts funding is getting cut all over the country, it is great to see local cities still support community productions like The Addams Family here in Syracuse. It is amazing to see a show in the same place I saw one 14 years ago, with some of the same ensemble members, same volunteers, still wanting to create the art they love. It is a perfect way to spend your Saturday watching “One Normal Night” unfold.
