The Ordway Presents THE ADDAMS FAMILY, Now thru 5/20

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents the first national tour of the new musical "The Addams Family," based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams. "The Addams Family" runs from tonight, May 8 through May 20 as a part of the Ordway's 2011-2012 Theater Season.

"As a member of Five Cent Productions-a producing partner of 'The Addams Family'-the Ordway has been delighted to be a part of this Broadway hit from the very beginning," says Patricia A. Mitchell, Ordway president and CEO. "We're thrilled to be able to welcome this new version of the hilarious, family-favorite musical to our stage."

Featuring an original story, "The Addams Family" is every father's nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family; a man her parents have never met. And if that weren't upsetting enough, she confides in her father begging him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he's never done before: keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the entire family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's "normal" boyfriend and his parents.

Joining Tony Award nominee Douglas Sills as Gomez and Sara Gettelfinger as Morticia are Tony Award nominee Martin Vidnovic as Mal Beineke, Gaelen Gilliland as Alice Beineke, Blake Hammond as Uncle Fester, Pippa Pearthree as Grandma, Tom Corbeil as Lurch, Patrick D. Kennedy as Pugsley, Brian Justin Crum as Lucas Beineke and Cortney Wolfson as Wednesday.

Portraying the ancestors are Ted Ely, Karla Garcia, Steve Geary, Victoria Huston-Elem, Patrick Oliver Jones, Lizzie Klemperer, Alexandra Matteo, Pilar Millhollen, Christy Morton, Brad Nacht, Jonathan Ritter, Roland Rusinek, Geo Seery, Samantha Shafer and Ethan Wexler.

"The Addams Family," which began performances in March 2010 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and ran through December 2011, immediately became one of Broadway's biggest hits and began a newly created national tour in September 2011. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune described the production as "classic, full-tilt, fast paced, old-fashioned musical comedy!" And John Simon of Bloomberg News called it "uproarious! A glitzy-gloomy musical entirely worthy of the macabre drawings by Charles Addams."

"The Addams Family" features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. The production is directed and designed (sets and costumes) by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, with production supervision by Jerry Zaks and choreography by Sergio Trujillo. The production features lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by ACME Sound Partners and puppetry by Basil Twist.

"The Addams Family" tour is produced by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt, Five Cent Productions (the Ordway is one of five organizations making up Five Cent Productions), Stuart Ditsky/AdamDitsky, Stephen and Mary Jo Schuler, Eva Price, James L. Nederlander, Stephanie P. McClelland, Pittsburgh CLO/Gutterman/Deitch, Vivek Tiwary/Jamie deRoy/Carl Mollenberg and Mary Lu Roffe, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical. International productions have been announced for Brazil (started in March 2012) and Australia (March 2013) with others to be announced shortly.

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. 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, and now this new musical.
An Ordway Extra will take place one hour before the show on May 9 and May 16, with the topic being "Bringing Cartoon Characters to the Stage." The Ordway will also host a talkback for "The Addams Family" on May 9 and 16 directly following the performance. The talkbacks will be Q&A sessions about the show with members of the cast and creative team.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
The Ordway is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading nonprofit performing arts centers and Saint Paul's most elegant and inviting performance space. The Ordway's Music Theater and McKnight stages attract diverse audiences with an array of productions showcasing the finest in American musical theater, world music, dance, and vocal performance. Education and community engagement are integral to the Ordway's mission, with major initiatives including the annual Flint Hills International Children's Festival and Ordway Education programs that serve more than 50,000 students annually. The Ordway also serves as authorizer for the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a professionally guided academic and artistic environment that trains aspiring pre-professional performing artists. Together with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera and The Schubert Club, the Ordway is a member of the Arts Partnership and serves as the principal venue for their performances.

Performance and Ticket Information are available at: The Addams Family.

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