“The Addams Family” is a comedic, yet heartwarming musical. Getting her first lead at the school, junior Aliyah Lawrence plays Wednesday Addams.
“[The leads] are responsible for leading the whole show because we are the driving forces and the show wouldn’t be ‘The Addams Family’ without us,” Lawrence said. “So it is a little bit of pressure to be good.”
Lawrence grew up around theater, starting at 4 years old. Lawrence said Wednesday Addams is her dream role and the biggest role she has ever had. Theater is her happy place, and Lawrence said she is grateful for the connections she has made.
“My favorite part about [theater] is that I get to express myself, and performing is such a thrill,” Lawrence said. “When I go out on the stage, I can just dance and sing and perform and not have to worry about anything that’s going on in my life. I can just be there and be in the moment, which I think is really powerful.”
Lawrence said she resonates with her character Wednesday through all of the emotions she goes through during the show. Though Lawrence said it has been somewhat of a struggle with the little amount of downtime the cast has, it has gone smoothly.
“We have kind of worked it out, and we now have a system,” Lawrence said. “We know how everyone works and how everything goes.”
Not only does Lawrence have the responsibility of being the lead, she is also helping with costume design and got to choreograph a dance number in the show.
“[The number] is one of Morticia Addams’ songs. It has been so fun working with these six very hardworking girls who are so eager to learn choreo and learn how to dance,” Lawrence said. “It has been so much fun teaching them, and they’re progressing so much, and it’s so fun to be a teacher and a leader.”
Lawrence stars in the show alongside senior Kellen Serrano. Serrano plays the father of “The Addams Family,” Gomez. Serrano described Gomez as a dedicated and caring father who struggles with inner turmoil. Serrano said he has enjoyed working with his scene partners to figure out the dynamics of his character throughout the whole show.
“I enjoy that [‘The Addams Family’] doesn’t take itself too seriously, because that’s something that I also don’t do, which I love,” Serrano said. “I love that even though it has a really nice message, it’s also a very funny and silly show.”
Serrano said he is very excited to get an audience in front of “The Addams Family” to get real laughs. He thinks it is a very good experience for all of the underclassmen to perform their first MainStage show. Serrano has a lot of theater experience, having been in multiple Southwest shows, and said he knows what to do to prepare for show week.
“[I] try and just catch up as much as possible, and just try to keep a very grounded mindset and not stress out too much,” Serrano said. “And just remember, at the end of the day, it’s not that serious.”
The musical is directed by theater teacher Jordan Foote. Foote said he is very excited about this show because it highlights the cast more than normal shows. He said it is important for all of the new incoming underclassmen to get a good experience for the future of the program, and they have people in new jobs with this show, which added a challenge.
“We’ve got a lot of people that have experience and are talented, but maybe haven’t done this specific role before,” Foote said. “That required a lot of figuring it out and communicating and working all that stuff out.”
Foote said show week is his favorite because of how everything in the show comes together. He said how earlier on in the process you just have to trust that it will work, and show week is when you see that payoff. Foote said that’s how you know the show is ready for an audience.
“I always look forward to the end of the show, and seeing those students feel proud of themselves and feel satisfied,” Foote said. “ It is a lot of hard work that these kids put in.”
