The kooky, upside-down world of the Addams family comes to life through Premier Performance’s summer Broadway Bootcamp production.
“The Addams Family Young@Part” runs June 29-30 at Duneland Community Church in Chesterton.
“It’s different from all the other shows that we work on,” said Daniel Castro, musical director and choreographer for “The Addams Family Young@Part.”
“We’ve mainly worked on Disney shows in the past. We got the opportunity to do a scaled-down version of ‘Addams Family.’ It’s a slightly dark comedy but not so dark. It’s really funny. There are little jokes here and there vs. the movie where that’s very dark. It really related to the TV show.
“The reason why we picked it for our students is because of that comedy factor. Can they be funny while still being in these characters? It’s very easy to play them boring or very stiff but the characters still are people and they still have energy. It encourages acting talent from our students.”
“The Addams Family Young@Part” features book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.
“It’s appropriate for young kids all the way to adults,” said Castro, a Portage native who now lives in Chesterton.
“It really runs the gamut of ages and it keeps the integrity of the show from Broadway but it gets out some of those innuendos that wouldn’t be appropriate but still figures out a way of making it funny. It’s a more condensed version.”
In addition to be being based on characters created by Charles Addams in his single-panel cartoons, “The Addams Family Young@Part” includes Wednesday as an 18-year-old instead of the little girl that audiences have seen on television and in movies.
“We open up and it’s an Addams family event. It’s a big, huge dance number. Their ancestors come back from the grave. It gets you introduced to all the characters we know and love,” Castro said.
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“We see Wednesday as a young adult. She’s more of a mature Wednesday. Wednesday has a secret that she is in love with a boy who the Addams family will probably not be happy with because he’s from an All-American family and the Addamses are very macabre.”
The cast of 26 includes ages 8-14 and Chesterton, Crown Point, Portage and Valparaiso residents.
“We’ve worked with a lot of these kids for the past several years. What’s really awesome to see is these older students just grow every single production,” Castro said.
“Often the new or younger students are emulating those older students so kids that are 8 years old rise to the level of the 14-year-olds. It’s really cool. It’s a broad age difference but they all work together. They all support each other, growing stronger and stronger as a company.”
“The Addams Family Young@Part” is directed by Daniel Castro’s wife, Keri Castro, with whom he co-founded Premier Performance.
“We are very much about instilling confidence in our youth,” Daniel Castro said.
“Whether they’re going to become Broadway actors, movie stars, teachers or other jobs, we want them to go out in this world and be confident, know what they’re doing and speak with authority and energy and have poise and presence no matter what they decide to do.”
Premier Performance also stages a free outdoor performance of “The Addams Family Young@Part” at 4 p.m. July 8 at Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve’s Chesterton Amphitheater, 2401 Village Point, Chesterton.
‘The Addams Family Young@Part’
When: 7 p.m. June 29; 2 and 6 p.m. June 30
Where: Duneland Community Church, 1552 Pioneer Trail, Chesterton
Tickets: $11.50 general admission; $15.50 premium seating
Information: 219-841-2266; www.premierperformance.org