A girl without a sunny disposition. A loving husband who would never keep a secret. An overbearing and concerned mother. What ties all of these together? Well, that girl without a sunny disposition is Wednesday Addams and this year her story was brought to life by the ThunderRidge Theatre. 

The Addams Family play is the story of a girl, Wednesday Addams, being in love with an ordinary boy, Lucas, and tries to have a typical dinner with both families. As she tells her father, Gomez, but not her mother, Morticia, that she wants to get married, it causes many conflicts. Gomez would never keep a secret from his wife but, would never betray his daughter. As he’s caught in this dilemma the dinner moves forward and the two families play “the game”. This game is called Full Disclosure. Each person must share a secret they haven’t told the others around the table. Once the secret of Wednesday’s engagement reaches her mother the entire game takes a sharp turn, making the rest of the night go horribly downhill. After a tornado crashes through central park, they are forced to stay the night. 

As the night gets progressively worse both families come to terms with their feelings and choose to forgive and forget. The two families end up coming together at the end of the show. 

ThunderRidge took an entertaining twist on this show versus their past shows. The set was more prominent, including fully functioning doors, stairs, and lighting. They also have an entertaining ensemble playing the dead and now ghostly ancestors. All of them decked out in white clothes from every century and white makeup made them paler than usual. They watch the events unfold, adding a layer of creativity to the scene. 

The story is also brought to life as the actors focus on the wonderful dances and singing, making the auditorium come alive. With witty jokes and sneaky one-liners, the crowd ends up with a good laugh. Especially from Gabi Clark(11) killing the audience as the crazy, yet caring grandma. Several times, the crowd cracked up as she joked about old age and living young with a boy hanging off her arm. Another laughingstock moment was the song, “Death is Just Around the Corner.” Sung by the mother, Morticia, as she finds out the love of her life is hiding a secret from her she breaks out into song about how death is coming in a positive way. 

Addams Family is a quirky and heartwarming show for those who need a laugh. ThunderRidge brought it to life this semester, making it even better than usual. Come back next year to see the entertaining plays laid out for next year!