Amelie Henderson and Ed Perkins are pulling out all the snaps as Morticia and Gomez in The Addams Family musical. Photo / Monique Matthews Photography
Amelie Henderson and Ed Perkins are pulling out all the snaps as Morticia and Gomez in The Addams Family musical. Photo / Monique Matthews Photography
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, and they’re about to hit the stage in Taranaki.
Under a towering old mansion and peeking out from behind gravestones, more than 40 teenagers have harnessed their weird and wacky talents to stage the award-winning Broadway musical The Addams Family.
Among thegifted group are Ed Perkins and Amelie Henderson, who dazzle with delicious darkness as the beloved husband and wife duo, Gomez and Morticia. For 15-year-old Perkins, playing Gomez has been a wildly entertaining ride.
“Gomez is very eccentric and very dramatic, and very fun to play. When he’s not sword fighting with Lurch, he’s obsessing over his wife Morticia.”
Perkins, who starred in Netflix’s Cowboy BeBop and the Emmy award-winning Rūrangi: Rising Light, thinks The Addams Family musical is something special.
“I know I’m biased, but this is a genuinely great show. It’s hilarious, it’s great fun, and all ages can enjoy it and gain something different from it.”
Henderson is equally enamoured with her iconic character, Morticia. Morticia was a vampire in some versions, she’s no-nonsense and she’s quite elegant and proper, Henderson says.
“She’s not really like me, so she’s fun to play. It’s been a cool show to work on, and to play characters who aren’t normal.”
It's getting kooky on stage for Faye Mula (Uncle Fester), Raine Eriwata (Wednesday Addams), Amelie Henderson (Morticia Addams), Cleo Burwell (Lurch), Ed Perkins (Gomez
Addams), and Hannah Postlethwaite (Grandma Addams). Photo / Monique Matthews Photography)
The musical opens at Spotswood College on August 23 and director Deb Gallagher says the talent of the cast and crew is “through the roof”.
“This is a full-blown production, with sound, lights, special effects, sets, props, costumes, and a phenomenal cast. We started from scratch and had to build everything. Through all of that I’ve seen the growth of the students, the building of relationships, the development of life skills, their increasing confidence and the sheer fun.”
The school’s head of performing arts, Marie Hunneyball, says bringing this show to life has taken eight months, and cost around $10,000. Hunneyball, who has been teaching drama since 2000, says The Addams Family was chosen because it suited the talents of the students, and dealt with relevant social issues.
“With the growing prevalence and awareness of neurodiversity and rainbow/queer culture, the message about acceptance and creating your own family is vital. Many of the cast and crew identify with these groups and find a home or family within the process of putting on a show.”
