Bebe Neuwirth Discusses Working with Fosse and Nuances of Morticia

In a recent interview with The Star Ledger, ADDAMS FAMILY star Bebe Neuwirth discussed her transition into the project and how she approached the role of Morticia, as well as her career working with Fosse and her career as a whole.

Neuwirth said the character is very different from its original incarnation, as the script has gone through a number of changes. "This script has gone through many different versions. It has been an evolution of two years. What we've noticed about the character is that the audience loves to see that vulnerability, but we don't want to see her really in despair."

Neuwirth also discussed the vast knowledge she acquired when working with famed director/choreographer Bob Fosse at the outset of her career. "He was so inspiring and Gwen (Verdon) was so inspiring, you weren't thinking about, "Oh, I need confidence to walk into this room." For me, I just couldn't wait to walk into the room and to work with him. He and Gwen were geniuses and that's not a word that I would throw around. I tried to do the best I could and they were amazing, and to this day, I draw on what I learned from Bob and Gwen."

To read the full article from The Star Ledger, click here.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY will open at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 8, 2010. Based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, THE ADDAMS FAMILY has a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys), music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award winner Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (Shockheaded Peter, The Metropolitan Opera's Satyagraha), choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Next to Normal, Jersey Boys) and creative consulting by Jerry Zaks.

Starring two-time Tony Award winners Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia, THE ADDAMS FAMILY features two-time Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann as Mal Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello as Alice Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandma, Zachary James as Lurch, Adam Riegler as Pugsley, Wesley Taylor as Lucas Beineke and Krysta Rodriguez as Wednesday.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY features lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (The Coast of Utopia, Aida), sound design by Acme Sound Partners (Tony nomination for In the Heights) and puppetry by acclaimed Obie Award-winning puppeteer Basil Twist (Arias with a Twist).

The production also features music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell (the revivals of Sweeney Todd and Company), orchestrations by Larry Hochman (Monty Python's Spamalot), dance arrangements by August Eriksmoen (Memphis), hair design by Tom Watson (Wicked), make-up design by Angelina Avallone (The Little Mermaid) and special effects design by Greg Meeh (Monty Python's Spamalot).

THE ADDAMS FAMILY features an original story. It's every parent's nightmare. Your little girl has suddenly become a young woman, and what's worse, has fallen deliriously in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Yes, Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has a "normal" boyfriend, and for parents Gomez and Morticia, it's a shocking development that turns the Addams house upside down when they are forced to host a dinner for the young man and his parents.

In a prolific career spanning six decades, Charles Addams created several thousand cartoons, sketches and drawings, many of which were published in The New Yorker. But it was his creation of characters that came to be known as The Addams Family that brought Addams his greatest acclaim. With a unique style that combined the twisted, macabre and just plain weird with charm, wit and enchantment, Addams' drawings have entertained millions worldwide and served as the inspiration for multiple television series and motion pictures.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY is produced by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt, Five Cent Productions, Stephen Schuler, Decca Theatricals, Scott M. Delman, Stuart Ditsky, Terry Allen Kramer, Stephanie P. McClelland, James L. Nederlander, Eva Price, Jam Theatricals/Mary Lu Roffe, Pittsburgh CLO/Gutterman-Swinsky, Vivek Tiwary/Gary Kaplan, The Weinstein Company/Clarence LLC and Adam Zotovich/Tribe Theatricals, by Special Arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical.

The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is located at 205 West 46th Street. Regular box office hours are 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Ticket prices range from $51.50 to $136.50. Tickets are also available online at Tickmaster.com or by calling 877-250-BWAY (2929). For more information, please visit www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com.