Snap, Snap! Lane and Neuwirth to
Star in ‘Addams Family’
By Patrick Healy
The Tony Award winners Nathan Lane (“The Producers,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”) and Bebe Neuwirth (“Chicago,” “Sweet Charity”), both at right, will play Gomez and Morticia Addams in the new Broadway musical “The Addams Family,” its producers said on Monday in a news release. The show, with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (“Jersey Boys”) and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa (“The Wild Party”), will revolve around the couple’s daughter Wednesday, now 18, and her family’s adjustment to her coming of age, her new boyfriend and his parents. Wednesday will be played by Krysta Rodriguez (“In the Heights”); Wesley Taylor will play the boyfriend and Terrence Mann (“Les Misérables”) and Carolee Carmello (“Parade”) will play his parents. Rounding out the Addams family are Adam Riegler (“Cubby Bernstein,” “Shrek the Musical “) as Pugsley, Jackie Hoffman (“Hairspray”) as Grandmama, Kevin Chamberlin (“Seussical”) as Uncle Fester and Zachary James as Lurch. The musical is scheduled to begin previews on Broadway on March 4 and to open on April 8.
Addams Family musical, coming to Chicago,
reveals stars and story
Surrounded by Charles Addams’ sweetish ghoulish renderings of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley and, of course, Wednesday, the Chicago-based producer Stuart Oken revealed more details Monday afternoon about his current baby: A new Broadway musical based on "The Addams Family."
With music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa ("The Wild Party"), book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice ("Jersey Boys") and direction and design by the new-to-Broadway British team of Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, "The Addams Family" is slated to have its pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre from Nov. 13 through Jan. 10. The Broadway opening is set for April 8.
Monday’s event at the Arts Club brought official confirmation of the rumored cast, read aloud by Oken’s fellow producers, Michael Leavitt and Roy Furman . The A-list includes Nathan Lane (as Gomez), Bebe Neuwirth (Morticia), Terrence Mann (Mal Beineke), Carolee Carmello (Alice Beineke), Kevin Chamberlin (Uncle Fester), Jackie Hoffman (Grandmama), Krysta Rodriguez (Wednesday), Adam Riegler (Pugsley) and Wesley Taylor (Lucas Beineke).
And since this is to be a show based on the original Addams cartoons (as distinct from the iconic TV show), there was also new information about the planned story. "Wednesday is now 18 years old," said Elice, explaining that the characters known as the Beinekes are the "normal" family who come to dinner at the unconventional Addams,’ since their son Lucas has become involved with Wednesday.
To illustrate the moment where Wednesday starts to question her interest in drowning kittens and poisoning her brother, Lippa took the stage and sang Wednesday’s ballad of dramatic unease, entitled "Pulled" and with Elice gleefully providing the sound effects of the accompanying scene of comic torture.
Lippa also performed live a song for Gomez, an ode to the duality of life entitled "Happy/Sad," and Uncle Fester’s big number, "[Let’s Not Talk About Anything Else] But Love."
Crouch said that when planning the look of the show, he and his partner had used Uncle Fester as their inspiration ( "If Fester was going to do a Broadway show, what kind of Broadway show would he do?") and come up with an off-beat take on 19th Century Gothic. Addams Family-style.
Tickets for the Chicago engagement go on sale Wednesday (for American Express cardholders) and then on public sale on May 29.
Addams Family Musical to Star Lane, Neuwirth,
Carmello, Hoffman, Chamberlin and More
By Kenneth Jones
The Addams Family, the new Broadway-bound musical about the winds of change blowing though the haunted mansion of the famously macabre family, will star two-time Tony Award winners Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth.
Lane (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Producers) and Neuwirth (Sweet Charity, Chicago) will play bizarre husband and wife Gomez and Morticia, respectively.
Also creating roles in the show's fall world-premiere tryout at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre in Chicago will be two-time Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann (Beauty and the Beast, Les Miserables) as Mal Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello (Parade, Lestat) as Alice Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin (Seussical, Dirty Blonde) as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman (Hairspray, Xanadu) as Grandmama, Zachary James (South Pacific) as Lurch, Adam Riegler (Shrek) as Pugsley, Wesley Taylor (Theatre World Award winner and Outer Critics' Circle nominee this year for Rock of Ages) as Lucas Beineke and Krysta Rodriguez (In the Heights) as Wednesday.
Many of the names (including Lane and Neuwirth) were attached to readings and developmental workshops of the show. It will mark the first time Neuwirth creates an original principal role on Broadway; the veteran has had much success in popular revivals, including Damn Yankees and Chicago.
The original musical by Tony-nominatd librettists Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) and Drama Desk Award winner Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party) is not based on past Addams Family properties, but uses characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams. The Addams illustrations inspired a TV sitcom, a TV cartoon series and two live-action feature film comedies.
The Broadway producers announced the musical's casting on May 11. The world premiere starts Nov. 12 prior to a Broadway launch on March 4, 2010. It will open at a Broadway Nederlander theatre to be announced on April 8.
The Addams Family is produced by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Productions, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical.
Here's how the producers characterize the story: "Storm clouds are gathering over the Addams Family manse. Daughter Wednesday, now 18, is experiencing a sensation that surprises and disgusts her — caring about another person. Young Pugsley, jealous of his sister's attention, begs her to keep torturing him, severely, while mother Morticia, conflicted over her daughter's lurch into womanhood, fears being upstaged and discarded...like yesterday's road kill. All the while, father Gomez — master of the revels, mischievous and oblivious as ever — would prefer everything and everyone remain as it is. But when outsiders come to dinner, the events of one night will change forever this famously macabre family — a family so very different from your own...or maybe not."
Direction and design are by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (already acclaimed for Shockheaded Peter, a revue of macabre, violent tales). Choreography is by Sergio Trujillo (Guys and Dolls, Next to Normal, Jersey Boys). Musical direction is by Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Broadway's recent Company).
Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets now for The Addams Family in Chicago by calling the toll-free number (877) 233-2671. Individual tickets will be placed on sale to the general public through Ticketmaster later this year.
An altogether ooky opening
is bound for Ford Center
Make way for Gomez, Morticia, Fester, Wednesday, Pugsley and all the rest. "The Addams Family"-a new musical inspired by cartoonist Charles Addams' droll, goth-style decidedly macabre version of the American family-is set for its pre-Broadway world premiere at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre, running Nov. 13, 2009-Jan. 10, 2010
Already widely familiar from various television series, films and video games, the stage musical will instead feature a book (inspired largely by the cartoonist's hundreds of drawings) by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice ("Jersey Boys") and a score by Andrew Lippa ("The Wild Party"). Direction and design will be by the British team of Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (chosen for their "Shockheaded Peter" and Metropolitan Opera credits).
Definitive casting will be announced in the coming months, but Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth already have been associated with an initial reading of the show, and it is hoped they will be on board for a January workshop.
The show will be produced by Chicago-based Elephant Eye Theatrical (Stuart Oken, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent productions) and Roy Furman.
"This is a story about things common to all families, and various rites of passage," Oken said. "We envision it as a classic Broadway musical comedy-literate and theatrical, with a score that has everything from hilarious but touching ballads, to Broadway vaudeville, to real love songs and relationship songs."
Group tickets are on sale at (312) 977-1710. The show will be part of the Broadway in Chicago series that goes on sale Nov. 21.
'Addams Family' will spook Chi in tryout
By Gordon Cox
New Broadway-bound tuner "The Addams Family has set a city and a date for its out-of-town tryout, bowing in November 2009 as part of the Broadway in Chicago series at Chi's Oriental Theater.
Co-directed and co-designed by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch ("Shockheaded Peter"), the production does not yet have actors attached, although an August reading starred Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as the parents of the titular macabre clan. A Broadway berth is planned for spring 2010.
With a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice ("Jersey Boys") and score by Andrew Lippa ("The Wild Party"), "The Addams Family" draws from the original Charles Addams cartoons rather than subsequent feature and TV adaptations. According to producer Stuart Oken, the Addams children are depicted as teenagers in the tuner, with Wednesday Addams as an 18-year-old.
Elephant Eye Theatrical-operated by Oken, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Prods.-and Roy Furman produce the musical. Both Oken and Leavitt have roots in Chi, and Broadway in Chicago is an Elephant Eye partner. Creatives are currently involved in a weeklong development "lab" centering on the character of Fester. Oken expects at least two further labs to be held: a two-week session in January and a five-week sesh in summer 2009.
Cast of the production will be around 20. Creatives aboard include Sergio Trujillo (choreography) and Natasha Katz (lights).
"The Addams Family" begins perfs at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts' Oriental Theater Nov. 13, 2009, for a limited engagement ending Jan. 10, 2010. Oken said he hopes to book a mid-size venue for the Broadway run.
Elephant Eye trunks money
Producing org obtains $8 million in funds
By Gordon Cox
NEW YORK -- It's all systems go for Elephant Eye Theatrical.
Devoted to developing new book musicals, the legit producing org, an unusual initiative that partners 12 nonprofits and three commercial presenting orgs, has just achieved its total capitalization of $8 million, including $4.5 million coming from private investment.
Even before all the coin fell into place, Elephant Eye had an ambitious slate in its sights, with an already-announced Broadway-bound version of "The Addams Family" on the way and a Rialto-aimed tuner inspired by the life of Bruce Lee percolating, among others (more).
Elephant Eye ready to hatch successful
musicals; Founders intend to keep a series of
shows in their pipeline
By Hedy Weiss
One of the most sophisticated, innovatively engineered incubators for the development and production of new Broadway musicals just happens to be headquartered in downtown Chicago. And it has just reached a milestone.
The company is called Elephant Eye Theatrical (inspired by lyrics from "Oklahoma" that proclaim "the corn is as high as an elephant's eye"). And it has maintained a rather low public profile since its founding, in 2005, by two veteran producers with deep Chicago roots - Stuart Oken (who spent years at Disney Theatricals), and Michael Leavitt (the force behind "Thoroughly Modern Millie").
Elephant Eye poised to be a Major Player
By Chris Jones
It has yet to take a show to Broadway, but Chicago-based Elephant Eye Theatrical seems destined to be a force in theatrical production during the next decade.
Run by producers Stuart Oken (formerly of Disney) and Michael Leavitt (formerly of Fox Theatricals) from offices in Chicago's River North district, Elephant Eye is to officially announce Monday that it has raised its "full capitalization" of $8 million, allowing it to develop several high-profile musicals for production over about the five years. Mostly, Elephant Eye is working with big Broadway names on projects with demonstrable pop-culture appeal.
Elephant Eye Theatricals Names New Partners
in Mission to Make Musicals
Elephant Eye Theatricals, the production company founded in 2005 in order to produce new works continuing the legacy of the American musical theatre, has announced additional partnerships with non-profit regional and commercial presenters.
The costs of an out-of-town try out are prohibitive for many new musicals, forcing them to begin previews on Broadway with work still ahead of them. However, producers and directors admit that the chance to develop and fine-tune a new production away from the eyes of New York audiences is one of the most important things afforded to any new production.
By seeking out and uniting these various theatrical institutions, Elephant Eye hopes to not only fund new works, but to also secure homes for the out-of-town tryouts of its new productions, as well as finding venues to launch national tours or regional productions (more).