Reviews: The Addams Family: School Edition at Loudon Valley High School
Written by Terrell Armstrong of Riverside High School
In a family where torture is a pastime and darkness is a love language, the only truly terrifying thing is change.
Loudoun Valley High School's production of The Addams Family: School Edition revealed that to us all as a truth, transforming secrecy and strangeness into a performance that was as humorous as it was unexpectedly heartfelt.
Based on the iconic characters created by Charles Addams, The Addams Family made its Broadway debut in 2010, with music written by Andrew Lippa and the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The story follows Wednesday Addams as she falls in love with a "normal" boy, forcing both families to confront their differences. Beneath its macabre tone, the musical explores themes of honesty, change, and acceptance�ideas that were clearly reflected throughout the production.
Charlotte Abbe's Morticia Addams delivered a vocally controlled and elegant performance, grounding the show with a rich tone and poised presence. Her ability to sustain both musical precision and subtle emotional depth gave the character a quiet strength. In contrast, Hugh McCormick's Gomez Addams thrived on comedic timing, using expressive physicality and well-paced delivery to consistently engage the audience. McCormick balanced humor with sincerity, particularly in moments centered on Wednesday's growing independence.
Serving as a central guiding presence, Abby Landes' Uncle Fester took command , maintaining strong audience connection while fully embracing the character's eccentric charm. Landes ensured consistent energy across scenes, helping to unify the show's tone. Meanwhile, Kate Bougie's Pugsley Addams stood out vocally, delivering musical moments with clarity and strength that elevated the character beyond simple comic relief.
Behind the scenes, the production's technical execution played a significant role in shaping its immersive world. Under the leadership of Stage Manager Izzy Eden and her team, intricate coordination allowed scenes to transition smoothly, maintaining the show's pacing. The lighting design, led by Marjorie Young and Adela King, effectively distinguished between the Addams' gothic atmosphere and the more conventional outside world, using shadowy tones before shifting into warmer hues that mirrored the story's emotional progression. The running crew further supported this cohesion, executing complex set movements with efficiency and subtlety despite spatial challenges backstage.
However, the production was not without its challenges. At times, sound inconsistencies and microphone issues affected the clarity of certain lines and lyrics, briefly disrupting otherwise strong moments. Despite this, the cast remained composed and continued to deliver with energy and commitment.
Ultimately, Loudoun Valley High School's The Addams Family: School Edition embraced the wonderfully unconventional spirit of its source material. Through a balance of humor, vocal strength, and technical precision, the production demonstrated that even the most unusual families can feel strikingly human.
Written by Iris Cooper of Westfield High School
Come to Loudoun Valley High School and meet The Addams Family, a completely normal household with a romantic legacy of love and sacrifice... and only a few torture chairs.
The very first institution of the Addams Family was conceptualized in the 30's, by one Charles Addams, and would, unbeknownst to him, lead to a long series of shows, movies, and parody works imitating their macabre debut. The Addams Family musical, premiering on Broadway in 2010, starred Nathan Lane of 'Lion King' fame, and left Broadway with middling to negative acclaim; however, after being reclaimed by the High School Version, the kooky clan and their love story are as popular as ever.
The plot of the musical surrounds young Wednesday (Willow Tester), the Addams daughter, in her mission to hide her engagement with Lucas Beineke (Elyse Rath) from her mother. However, having told her father, a long string of secrets and truth-telling potions leads to what may be the undoing of the family altogether. What's more, following the Addams' reunion with their departed relatives, the ghosts of Addamses past are locked out of their tomb until they can resolve Wednesday's filial dispute. The Ancestors, a supernatural ensemble, sported all-white costuming and exhibited tomb-rousing dancing and cohesion if ever the stage was in need of some resurrection.
The Addams couple's mantra requires strict adherence: no secrets. Gomez and Morticia (Hugh McCormick and Charlotte Abbe, respectively), tackling confusions of their own, are thrown into conflict over Gomez's promise to his daughter not to expose her engagement. McCormick's inner conflict was expressed through the combined work of lighting cues and intense variety in line delivery, a choice that reflected his talented range and deep understanding of Gomez's characterization. His attempts to reconcile with his wife skillfully display his mastery of the man's charming nature and eccentric range. Abbe's character, conversely, consoles herself through the song "Death is Just Around the Corner," a darkly cynical tune surrounding Morticia's appreciation for the impermanence of life. Abbe's clean rhythm made the entire song seem effortless, and with keen flow and delivery, she impeccably modeled Morticia's composed view regarding life and its struggles.
Uncle Fester (Abby Landes), on the other hand, could be considered anything but composed. Landes' character was made very clear, not just through appearance, but through physicality, intonation, and the phenomenal talent to seize the audience's attention with bold choices and hysterical vigor.
Being a historical masterpiece of a series, the show's Dramaturgical Team (Mia Templeton) spared no effort in keeping the cast and audience informed of the Addams Family legacy. Going so far as to draw up an entire timeline, and binding two different fully-researched dramaturgical packets, both of which were more than 40 pages, the cast was carefully primed and prepared for life as an Addams member, and the otherworldly eeriness that it prescribed. Furthermore, preparing the audience, and not the stage, the Publicity Team (Azel McConnell, Sarah Bader, Madelyn Piodela) organized significant endeavors to spread the word of the Addams Family opening. Beyond the Playbill, poster, and banner designs, the team reached out to multiple middle schools to offer previews, and even partnered with a local Pizza Place in distributing ads to customers with each order.
The Addams Family is a story with a long history of zaniness and comedy, and its musical, a short branch of the family tree of Addams adaptations. Loudoun Valley ensured its individuality and commitment to the Family name, bringing to the stage just what the mortician ordered: ear-splitting screams, zany distant relatives, and, most dreadfully, people from Ohio.