One Normal Night: The Addams Family at the Tybee Post Theater
Written by Sophie Deal. Photo by Molly Japenga.
Even sun-soaked Tybee Island can’t resist a little Halloween oddity. Women in dark dresses, colorful shoes, and vampiric makeup crowded the street as I entered the Tybee Post Theater on Oct. 15, the opening night for Tybee Arts Association’s production of “The Addams Family.” The front windows of the theater glowed with soft light, capturing the detail of the brick entrance. The Tybee Post Theater is a small venue, constructed in 1930 as a movie house for the soldiers stationed at the Army base in the now Fort Screven Historic District. In 2015, it was reborn, and now serves as a performing arts and movie venue.
I received my tickets at the front booth and hurried inside. A preshow playlist set the ambience, soft tunes floating across the crisp rows and curtained stage. My dad and I stopped at the concessions stand, where he opted for a beer and I, an apple juice. We shared popcorn. Electricity filled the air as we took our seats and waited for the show to begin.
The curtains opened to a graveyard, peppered with intricate gravestone props for the cast to loop and dance around in the opening number.
The show follows Wednesday Addam’s love with a normal boy, and her attempt at a normal family dinner to introduce him to the rest of the Addam’s crew. Going in with little Addam’s family knowledge, the show kept me on the edge of my seat, and even managed to draw chuckles from my theater-negative father.
Each cast member added an individual taste, musical numbers harmonized with delicious texture and scenes played with palpable feeling. Gomez (Darren Broman) commanded the stage, while Morticia (Saree Fioravanti) dazzled. Moments from the Addam’s children, Wednesday (Braylee Bennett) and Pugsley (Elliot Mathis), brought a laugh-out-loud realism to the fictional family. Lurch (Marquette A. Shaw), Uncle Fester (Luisa Nolasco), and Grandma (Carol Melton) brought undeniable zing to the extended Addam’s gang.
But what would our favorite gothic troupe be without normies to reflect against them? The Beinecke family stunned with bold vocal and immersive acting performances. Alice (Maia Wohlert) and Lucas (Cameron Walker) were easily some of my favorite vocal performances, while Mal (Gary Shelby) wowed with sharp and witty acting. The ensemble tied it together, filling the stage with dazzling movement and strong vocal foundation.
Despite its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, the natural comedic breeze kept the show flying by. Laughter passed through the audience in waves. Each musical number drew whoops and cheers from the crowd. By the performance’s thundering ending, I left the theater with my head in the clouds, exhilarated from head to toe.
Actors peppered the entrance, all smiles as they chatted and took pictures with the excited viewers. I found Nolasco, who said,“Addam’s family is such a good show because if you think you’re a misfit, if you think you don’t fit, the Addam’s family reminds you that that’s how you wanna be. There’s something for everybody. Funny stuff, sad stuff, heartfelt stuff. There’s nothing better than people coming out and seeing us have fun for two-and-a-half-hours.”
Nolasco also pressed the importance of supporting local theater. “Savannah has a lot of talent and good artists. One thing I heard today from a friend of mine was that things don’t get made if people don’t come to see it.”
Stage manager, Molly Japenga, also implores people to get involved with local theatre,
“Being part of a project with other people who love what they do and getting to collectively create something is so special. It takes a lot of time and effort but it’s so worth it!”
The Addam’s Family musical offered a night of laughs and community to the Tybee Island and Savannah community. The next time the Tybee Arts Association brings a show to the Tybee Post Theater, make sure to get a ticket or get involved!
