A Monstrously Good Time

The Theater Department brings the chills and the thrills with “The Addams Family” spring musical

BY KRISTIN DUISBERG

Who says true love can’t be a little bit ghoulish? Certainly not the members of the SPS Theater Company, who brought their talents to bear on the St. Paul’s School spring musical, “The Addams Family,” which portrays a funny and painful night on which two families — one “normal,” one not so much — are brought together by their children’s romance and secret plan to marry. Staged in Memorial Hall on May 17 and 18, “The Addams Family” featured nearly three dozen Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Formers who sang, danced and acted their way through a comically disastrous dinner party, supported by the technical expertise of student assistant directors, choreographers, stage managers and more.

The second spring musical in as many years, “The Addams Family” was a show SPS Director of Theater Kirsten McKinney had in her sights for the Theater Company since Fall Term. “I wanted something that would offer a bigger challenge to our principal actors with building true relationships on stage in a musical, and I also wanted the ensemble to have the opportunity to create their own characters on stage,” McKinney says. “And they did a great job developing the life of all these characters.”

Another thing they did great with? Mastering the complexity of a musical on a compressed timeline. “When directing any show, whether at this level or professional, the formula is two hours of rehearsal time for every minute of stage time, or ideally nine to 10 weeks for a show like this,” McKinney explains. At SPS, the show went on in just seven and a half weeks — to standing ovations from two appreciative crowds.

Watch video highlights of the production »