Jersey boys and ghouls haunt ‘The Addams Family’ on Broadway

Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth co-star in a new musical drawn from the Westfield artist's characters

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

That witty New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams was born and raised in Westfield (high school class of '29), so it's little wonder that the new Broadway musical comedy based upon his macabre characters, "The Addams Family," has become something of a Jersey affair.

The Victorian architecture in his hometown is said to have influenced the artist's work and although the creepy mansion inhabited by the Addams clan in the musical is not specifically situated in any one place, it's definitely occupied by a bunch of people with Jersey ties.

The ebullient, ever-dapper head of the Addams household, Gomez, is portrayed by Jersey City native Nathan Lane, the show biz pride of St. Peter's Prep whose lustrous Broadway career finally nabbed him a Tony Award for "The Producers." Costarring as his slinky missus Morticia is Princeton's own Bebe Neuwirth of "Cheers" and "Chicago" fame. Moonstruck Uncle Fester is fermented by Kevin Chamberlin, who was raised in Moorestown Township, graduated from Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts and starred as Horton the Elephant in "Seussical."

The plot for the musical, which is now in previews and opens April 8, pivots upon Addams daughter Wednesday's romance with Lucas, a boy from a so-called "normal" family who eventually have a meet-the-parents seance with Gomez and Morticia. Said beau is depicted by Wesley Taylor, a 23-year-old native of Elizabeth lately seen as the angst-y German sissy in "Rock of Ages," while the part of Lucas' Midwestern mom Alice is taken by Carolee Carmello.

"It's a little frustrating to be a non-Addams character in the show," admits Carmello, whose leading roles on Broadway have ranged from the poignant Lucille Frank in "Parade" to her four-year stint as Donna in "Mamma Mia." "But it's also good to have the freedom to portray somebody who audiences don't have a preconception about from the TV series." Costumed in yellow chiffon ("kind of Talbots to the enth degree") Alice proves to be "a little kooky in an uptight way," says Carmello.

The actress commutes to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre from the cedar-shingle 1900s house in Leonia she shares with spouse Gregg Edelman, the Broadway leading man ("Wonderful Town"), and their two children, Zoe and Ethan, respectively 14 and nine. They've lived in Bergen County since 2001 and Carmello reports her drive to midtown Manhattan takes about 25 minutes "on a good day."

Unable to account for the Jersey confluence on "The Addams Family" Carmello finds "all of our show's connection with the Garden State a little spooky." To say nothing of ooky.

Wait — there are more Jerseyans in the mix. Portraying several suspicious figures among the ensemble (and understudying the role of Lurch) is Cedar Grove resident Fred Inkley. The show's production supervisor is Beverley Randolph, who counts more than 20 Broadway attractions among her credits and commutes from Bloomingdale in Passaic County. Even publicist Marc Thibodeau resides in Jersey City.

And for the record, the musical's co-authors are non-Jerseyans Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, who just so happened to write the script for "Jersey Boys."

"The Addams Family" is currently in previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St., New York. Call (877) 250-2929 or visit www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com.