The members of the Addams family are as creepy and kooky as ever, but they’re in for a host of new adventures when they hit Broadway this month in “The Addams Family.” Opening April 8th, this musical adaptation of the classic TV show introduces audiences most notably to an 18-year-old Wednesday Addams, who, contrary to her grave, gothic nature, has fallen in love for the first time. In a story told through song, dance and fantastic puppetry, the family copes with Wednesday’s foray into womanhood and tries to embrace her fiancé’s family, who is remarkably normal (well, by our standards). The show stars Nathan Lane as Gomez, and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, as well as theater and television veteran actor Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester. It’s a convergence of Broadway talent that on its own makes for a compelling show—not to mention the wacky storyline, state-of-the-art makeup and set, and fun musical numbers. We caught up with Chamberlin, as well as 25-year-old rising star Krysta Rodriguez, who plays Wednesday, and 11-year-old Adam Riegler, who dons the role of Pugsley, to learn about their experiences being part of the spookiest show on Broadway.
These are iconic
characters. What do you like about your role?
Kevin Chamberlin: I
was always a fan of the television show. I loved Jackie Coogan’s
original portrayal of Fester, and I’m sort of doing homage to him.
Krysta Rodriguez: It’s
such a cool opportunity because it’s a role everyone knows, but we’ve
never seen this part of Wednesday before. The 18-year-old Wednesday is
in love, and she’s on the cusp of defining who she is going to be as a
woman. It’s nice to have source material so you have something to go
from, but it’s also nice to have the freedom to do something new and
different.
Adam
Riegler: I get to do all the things I like to do—I get to sing and
dance, so that’s good.
How do you identify with your part?
Kevin: Fester’s
sort of the outsider, he observes from afar. He’s the narrator of the
play so he’s the voice of reason in the show.
Krysta: I think
I’m a little cheerier than Wednesday, but I think most people identify
with her because she’s so matter-of-fact. And, as all of us, when love
and boys get into the equation there’s the little switcharoo of how
we’re going to be. I definitely understand the feeling of thinking you
know yourself until something like love makes you redefine who you are.
And how are you
different from the character you play?
Kevin: Um. I’m
not dead; I’m not rotting [laughs].
Adam: Pugsley
likes to cause a lot of mischief, and I don’t cause as much mischief as
he does. Maybe a little bit, but not as much.
How did you prepare
for this role?
Adam: I watched a
couple of episodes of the TV show, but this show is actually based on
the New Yorker comics, so I looked at the comics a lot. He was really
talented, Charles Addams [The New Yorker cartoonist who created “The
Addams Family”].
Was it difficult to
develop a character out of cartoons?
Kevin: You get
the essence from the cartoons. You take what you get and translate that
into human behavior. I think it’s really exciting seeing the characters
come alive onstage for everybody.
Do you have
experiences with your own family you were able to draw upon for this
role?
Krysta:
I would not put my parents in the categories of Morticia or Gomez,
but in the show, Wednesday’s dealing with the time you become
embarrassed a little bit by your family. So yeah, there’s definitely
that point, especially around 18 where you’re like, “My family’s crazy!”
Adam: [laughs]
Kind of, but not so much. I think the relationship is like our family,
but I don’t think anyone in my family is really like them.
Kevin: The
Addams family is a very loving family and I came from a loving family.
The Addams are non-judgmental—they welcome anyone into their family
whether they have two heads or they’re dead.
What have you liked most about working on
this show?
Kevin: I’m
enjoying the theatricality of the show. I have a number in the second
act called “The Moon and Me,” which is a love song with the moon. It has
puppets involved and a lot of theatrical magic. The number is really
thrilling to do. The audience kind of murmurs throughout it wondering
how it’s being done, and the kids love it.
Krysta: I’m
lucky to have a great working relationship with Wes Taylor who plays
Lucas, Wednesday’s fiancé. We’ve had a really good time navigating this
as the younger, newer members of this community. It’s been really
exciting to have someone else on my same level to experience this with.
What’s the dynamic
been like with the rest of the cast?
Kevin: We’ve
fallen into sort of a family grouping. Bebe and Nathan lead the cast and
lead us. They are sort of our parents even though I’ve worked with both
of them before, and we’re the same generation of actors. There’s a kind
of camaraderie there.
Can you tell me
more about what it’s like working with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth?
Krysta: Nathan
is the king of comedy. There’s nobody that understands the craft like he
does, and it’s really unbelievable to watch him and learn from him and
get advice from him. When you’re like ‘this isn’t working,’ he’s got it.
It’s so easy for him and that’s really been cool to watch. I saw Bebe
in Chicago when I was 14 or 13 and will never forget seeing her. Just
the way she carries herself and walks around is so graceful and really
something to look up to. It’s been very cool to watch them work together
and get to dance with her and tell jokes with him.
Adam: They’re both
so talented, and the rest of the cast is so talented. It’s so great and a
lot of fun.
What’s
it been like working with the young actors? Kevin: I have taken on
sort of a fatherly or crazy uncle role. I’m very protective of them. I
want Adam’s Broadway experience to be something that he’ll remember for
the rest of his life.
Onstage Wednesday tortures Pugsley. What’s the offstage
relationship like between you two?
Krysta: I learn something from Adam
everyday. He is so witty and funny and honest and smart. We have a
really good time. We have a good brother-sister relationship—without the
torture. The torture is the onstage part.
Adam: She’s really nice, and I like
working with her. We really are a family. We are really close,
especially me and her. We’re like brother and sister backstage.
When did you start acting?
Krysta: I have a picture of me when I was 9 months old pulling myself up on the piano and banging on it and singing, so kind of always. My mom brought me to see plays when I was younger. I saw “Annie” when I was 5, and that was life-changing. It wasn’t until about 13 or so that I realized this was a career option. From then on I started doing that. I went to a performing arts high school and then I came to New York and went to NYU until I started working.
Adam: My mom was the musical director of a theater school in Connecticut. I used to go and watch and rehearse after school. Then I started doing shows there after that and then I auditioned for an off-Broadway show. That’s when I started doing shows in New York.
And Kevin, you grew up in Southern New Jersey. Was your interest in theater influenced by your proximity to New York?
Kevin: Oh yeah. I came to New York all the time. I would sometimes get on a bus by myself as a kid, and sometimes come on school group trips. I saw my first Broadway show in this theater. It was “Peter Pan” with Sandy Duncan.
Was there any particular show that especially resonated with you?
Kevin: That one, “Peter Pan,” and “Sweeney Todd” with Angela Lansbury—and she was just here the other night, so that was weird. That was 30 years ago almost to the day.
Adam, are you also in school?
Adam: We’re doing tutoring in the theater, and I’m partially home-schooled.
Is it tough to balance all your work and school?
Adam: A little bit. It’s not so bad.
What’s a typical day like for you?
Adam: I warm up at 11 a.m., and we usually have to run to catch the subway. We eat a 20-minute lunch, I come here and then I do school for a long time. When I’m not doing school I’m rehearsing. Then I have an hour-and-a-half dinner break, then I come in and do a show. Before the show I have to put my mic on, have to put my makeup on, warmup again, get my wig on and my costume.
What advice would you give to kids who’d like to pursue a career in theater?
Kevin: Do as many plays as you can. You learn by doing. If you still have that love for it then get a degree in it. Learn as much as you can about acting and about the history of acting. As an actor you should know every name, every playwright, and read plays. Knowledge is power in this business.
Krysta: It’s going to take a lot of work so you have to be completely focused and really committed to doing it. I always say if this is what you want to do you can’t give up. There are going to be so many pits in the road, but you have to stay the course and be persistent. I really think that if you wake up in the morning and you can’t think about doing anything else [but acting], then you should do this. It’s totally worth it for the reward.
Adam: They should just go for it and try their hardest if they really want it because it’s an amazing experience and it’s so fun.
So what do you think families will enjoy about this show?
Adam: Well, it’s hysterically funny. I think they’ll love it because of all the jokes and the special effects. It’s kind of creepy in a good way.
Kevin: The obvious is that it’s about a family. I think everyone thinks their families are freaks. Kids notoriously are embarrassed by their parents, especially in puberty—I know I was. With Wednesday’s plot line there’s something to relate to, especially with the father-daughter relationship and the mother-daughter relationship. The core of the story we’re telling with this version of “The Addams Family” is how you have to let go of your daughter and let her live her own life.
Krysta: It’s really touching. You come in thinking you’re going to see this wacky family and somewhere along the line you realize they’re called The Addams Family for a reason: They’re a family, they’re a unit, they operate and love and work like a family.
So creepiness and kookiness aside, do you think there’s a message people will take away from the show?
Kevin: It’s very moving. I’ve had friends who have come to it and been in tears after the show, especially friends of mine who have daughters. There’s a wonderful song called “Happy Sad” because you’re happy because they’re moving on, but you’re sad because you’re losing a daughter. The song’s about all the dichotomies of life. And, in the larger picture, the Addams are about these dichotomies. What’s black to them is white to others.
SEE THE SHOW
Want to see the creepiest family in New York live? “The Addams Family” officially opens on April 8th and is recommended for ages 10 and up. Shows are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on 205 West 46th Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue). For tickets, call 877-ADDAMS-1 or visit theaddamsfamilymusical.com.
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