The Addams Family Musical was the show choice for the 2025 CHS Theater Department production. This musical follows the story of said family and their adventure of their daughter finding love with a “normal” boy. Now, I’m sure all of you have heard a lot about this show already, as it’s been all over the school and so many students helped out with it, but I want to give credit to everyone who worked on the show! The best way to do this is to give some information about the cast, the crew, and the orchestra, and how each night went for the show week.
First off, the show was directed by Mr. Colonel, and was accompanied by Mrs. Colonel, Mrs. Westbrook, Mrs. Stegmann, Mrs. Ray, Mrs. Hankins, Mr. Weigand who helped build sets and props, and many other teachers and adults who did different jobs certain nights.
Now, let’s talk about the main cast and who each student played as! The leading male character of the show was Gomez Addams, which was played by Junior student, Jason Sibley. The leading female character of the show was Morticia Addams, Gomez’s wife, and she was played by Sophomore student, Grace Kirkpatrick. The narrator of the show was Fester, who is the brother of Gomez, and he was played by Senior student, Will Welge. The famous Wednesday character was played by Senior Ary Shipley, and her brother, Pugsley, was played by Senior Nico DeGuzman. The “Grandma” of the family was played by Junior Annah Helvey Ahring, and the family’s butler was played by Senior Brenden Malley. The show also followed a second family, The Beinekes. The father and husband, Malcom Beineke, was played by Freshman Bentley Valleroy, and his wife, Alice Beineke, was played by Junior Megan Zimmer. Their son, Lucas, was played by Senior Jaden Lopez, and he’s also Wednesday’s love interest.
There was also the ensemble, which were called ancestors in this specific show. The ancestors were played by a number of students, who all had different costumes to represent specific time periods. The ancestors are as followed; Senior Whitney Sulser as a flapper girl, Senior Alex Williamson as a priest and the grim reaper, Senior Kathrine Pierce and Sophomore Kendall Nanney as pioneers, Junior Addison Gottschammer as a pirate, Sophomore Hannah Stueve as a cowgirl and the monster under the bed, Sophomore Macy VanZandt as a chef, Freshman Natalie Guethle as a bride, Freshman Abigail Carter as a baseball player, Freshman Jaden Bert as a poodle girl, Freshman Alyssa Stehl as a rich lady, and Freshman Kylie Eggemeyer as a hippie.
The crew consisted of Graduate Rylie McDonough as the manager for lights and sound, Junior Elizabeth Wilson as the stage manager/student director who helped operate the curtains and changed sets, Sophomore Kiara Mathis who also helped operate the curtains, Sophomore Chelse Mathis who helped the sound stage, Junior Liam Holland who helped with the light stage, Sophomore Anna Menefee who did spotlight, Junior Natalie Guetersloh who also did spotlight, Sophomore Hannah Hoskin who helped changed sets and helped spotlight, Senior Lincon Schroeder who was the assistant manager and helped change sets, Senior Mirra Krieg who helped changed sets, Junior Hayden Cartwright who helped changed sets, Sophomore Monica Anaya who helped changed sets, Sophomore Isabel Smith who helped changed sets, Sophomore Jack Kennedy who helped changed sets, and Junior Southern LaChance who helped with hair and makeup.
Lastly, there was also a live orchestra for the show which was also directed by Mr. Colonel. The students and adults who helped with the show were Mrs. Sue Colonel, Dr. Jim Beers, Mrs. Vicky Beers, Ms. Melanie Johnson, Mrs. Lisa Nazar, Mrs. Jeanne Pence, Mrs. Brooklyn Stehl, Mr. Justin Stehl, Mr. Brock Stinson, Junior David August, and Sophomore Lexi Davis.
Opening night was on Thursday, March 20th, where the cast and crew had to be there at 4:30 PM and the show started at 7:00 PM. In between that time students got ready with makeup, hair, costumes, setting up the sets, and practicing lines and choreography. Elizabeth Wilson brought in dinner and Nico DeGuzman brought in dessert for students to eat before the show opened. The students went upstairs and had their traditional pre-show talk and chant. The talk is led by Mr. Colonel and the chant is led by Rylie McDonough. The students put on the show and did amazing.
The next night, Friday, March 21st, was very similar to the first night with the time and pre-show talks. This time however Grace Kirkpatrick brought dinner for everyone and the seniors led the pre-show chant. The chant is basically just a cheer we do to get everyone all awake and hyped up for the show.
On Saturday, March 22nd, they of course did everything once again, but nobody brought dinner. This is because after the show was over, the students stayed at school almost until midnight to have their annual celebratory cast party. This is where anyone who helped out with the show could celebrate all of the hard work they put into it by bringing in food, signing posters, and having their own performances. People never ate before the party so they could fill up on the food everyone else put hard work into making. The performances people put on consisted of the main cast putting on a scene and song called “Full Disclosure/Waiting” where they all put the character names into a bowl and had to pull out a different character. This made the performance extremely funny because nobody knew the characters, and the cast wouldn’t stop cracking jokes! Next was Whitney Sulser and Alex Williamson performing the famous dance from the movie “Dirty Dancing” to the song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. Grace Kirkpatrick also did karaoke of “Almost There,” which is from “The Princess and the Frog” animated film. Then Megan Zimmer and Jason Sibley sung “The Phantom Of The Opera” from the musical with the same name. Then Annah Helvey Ahring started the “Cotton Eye Joe” dance and anyone could join her if they wanted. Lastly, Macy VanZandt and Hannah Stueve performed “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)” from Disney’s “Frozen” film.
Closing night was Sunday, March 23rd, where the cast and crew had to be at the school by 12:00 PM for a show that started at 2:00 PM. Once the show was done and everyone took their bows, Grace Kirkpatrick made a speech that thanked Mr. Colonel for all of the hard work he’s put into doing this show and giving him the credit for shaping us into the actors, crew members, and musicians everyone became. Then Mr. Colonel got everyone together to take a photo, and afterwards everyone was able to go on the floor and take individual photos and talk to each other or the audience. This was the most emotional night of them all, as with it being closing night that means it was also the senior’s last show ever. Once the audience left the building, the theater department had to tear down the set and clean up the gym. Students were able to keep certain props and tickets so they could hold onto these memories forever.
This show clearly meant so much for everyone involved, and everyone had such a large role in making this show. We are thankful for everyone who helped us and everyone who came to support us! It truly means a lot seeing our teachers, peers, family, and friends all come to watch the show. The CHS Theater Department is sad the show is over, but are excited for whatever Mr. Colonel has planned for us next year!
