by Adina Brenner ’20

 Sherwood’s CAST (Creating Awesome Sherwood Theater) has put on numerous productions over the years that have surpassed any expectations. This past weekend they put their spin on a well-known production, “The Addams Family,” originally known for its 1964-1966 TV series. Coming to the Broadway scene in 2009, “The Addams Family” musical takes aspects of the TV series while putting a new twist on the old plot. Sherwood’s production has demonstrated that CAST can go above and beyond with their take on this classic.

 The show depicts an American family with a strange infatuation with the ideas of death and torture. They live in a ghoulish home located on the outskirts of New York City. The family dynamic is suddenly disrupted when the parents’ teenage daughter, Wednesday, falls in love with a bland and sensible boy. The families of this unexpected couple must come together after the two get engaged.

 CAST has been a program open to students for many years. This year a major change was made in direction as a new face came to the scene, Elizabeth Kominski. Formerly an English and drama teacher at Northwest, Kominski proved she had the right qualities and charisma to take on this leadership position with her amazing execution of the show.

 The success of the show would not have been achieved if it weren’t for the gifted actors and actresses, the beautiful set created by a talented stage crew and the amazing job well done by the student orchestra.

 Each and every performer demonstrated their own aspect of talent. Senior Nick Weinrich as Gomez Addams, and  junior Elizabeth Oliver as Morticia Addams showcased their unique and Broadway material voices throughout the entire show. Weinrich proved his hard work and preparation paid off as he performed with a Spanish accent for the whole show. Oliver had multiple solos, one really powerful one being “Secrets.” From opening to closing of the curtain, these two actors always had the audience fully engaged.

 “The Addams Family” consists of humorous moments as well as exciting and upbeat musical numbers. During the first number, “When You’re An Addams,” the whole auditorium clapped and sang along. Having not known the soundtrack before seeing the show, I expected I would become a bit bored at times; however I could not have been more wrong in my assumption. The entire time, no matter what song was being performed, I, as well as the entire audience, bopped our heads and tapped our feet to the entertaining and catchy tunes happening on stage.

 Whether they were a main character, part of the ensemble, or in the lighting and sound booth, each student played a vital role in making this show come together. In order to create a musical as professional as “The Addams Family” was, CAST members practiced almost everyday in preparation. In doing so, almost perfection was achieved.