Photo courtesy of Tom Kelleher
By Mary Grahn ’28
Staff Writer
Amid the festivities of Family and Friends Weekend and Halloween, members of the Mount Holyoke College community gathered in Rooke Theatre to watch the film media theater department’s recent production of "The Addams Family,”directed by Noah Tuleja, an associate professor of film media theater and the film media theater chair.
The show kicked off with an ensemble performance of “When You're an Addams,” introducing the audience to the family’s macabre charm with its iconic “snap-snap.” Following this, Olive Benito ’26, portraying Uncle Fester, performed “Fester’s Manifesto,” playfully asserting that nothing is more important than love. These two lively numbers introduce us to the themes of the show: family, individuality and love. Soon after, the audience learns Wednesday Addams, played by Bridie Bowler ’26, has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a “normal” boy portrayed by Lucie Jackett ’28.
As Wednesday prepares to introduce Lucas and his parents to her family, tensions among the Addamses rise. Morticia, played by Jay Doane ’28, grows suspicious of her husband Gomez, played by Lex Canon ’26, who is keeping a secret. Meanwhile the youngest Addams child Pugsley, played by Tiana DiLeone ’28, fears his relationship with his sister Wednesday is changing.
Once the two families meet, the contrast between Beinekes’ traditional values and the Addamses’ eccentricities leads to comedic moments. The audience was amused when Wednesday entered the stage holding a goose, claiming to have shot it by Lower Lake.
Wednesday and Lucas try to keep the evening simple, but chaos quickly ensues. They play a truth-telling game called “Full Disclosure,” when Pugsley accidentally gives a truth potion to Lucas’ mother, portrayed by Glynnis Goff ’25, causing her to reveal her dissatisfaction in her marriage in an emotional rendition of “Waiting.”
Soon, Wednesday reveals to her family that she and Lucas want to get married. For Morticia, this sparks the realization that this is what Gomez was hiding from her. This breach of trust disturbs Morticia, until Gomez explains it was for Wednesday. The two then make up in the numbers “Live Before We Die” and “Tango De Amor,” which both charmed audiences with great musical performances and Emma Uva ’26’s fantastic choreography.
The show concluded with the full ensemble performing “Move Toward The Darkness,” in which the characters embraced their individuality, calling the audience to “move towards the darkness and love.”
Madeleine Diesl ’28 contributed fact-checking.