Lane Says Audiences Can Expect 'Depth' from THE ADDAMS FAMILY

ADDAMS FAMILY Stars Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth sat down with USA Today for a Q&A to talk about the show, their quirky characters and what they feel will surprise people about the new musical.

Here is an excerpt of the interview from USA Today:

Q: When did you first become familiar with the Addams Family?

Neuwirth: I watched the show on television as a little girl, then discovered the cartoons when I got a bit older.

Lane: I watched the show first, too, and loved it.

Neuwirth: Did you want to be Gomez?

Lane: Nah, I didn't project myself into it. I just thought it was really fun and different. It only ran for a couple of seasons, but they were obviously memorable.

Q: Word is that this show takes its spirit from Charles Addams' cartoons. Is there anything that will surprise people who are only familiar with the TV series?

Neuwirth: Its depth.

Lane: Yes, I think we win them over with humor and then ...

Neuwirth: Then we sock 'em in the solar plexus!

Lane: People will expect to laugh and have a good time, but maybe not to be moved by it. But there are some very touching moments.

Neuwirth: The big musical theater moments are there, but they happen in a way that's true to the Addams Family. There are no sequins on this stage. Nobody wears anything shiny.

To read the rest of the interview in USA Today, click here.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY is currently in previews and 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.