The Addams Family National Tour Premiere in New Orleans!

The new Broadway musical comedy THE ADDAMS FAMILY, based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, will kick off its national tour in New Orleans at The Mahalia Jackson Theater with 10 performances: Thursday, September 15 – Saturday, September 24, 2011. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 8, 2011, at 11 a.m. CDT.

Douglas Sills, a Tony Award nominee for The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Sara Gettelfinger, last seen on Broadway in A Free Man of Color and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, will star as Gomez and Morticia. Additional casting will soon be announced.

East Jefferson General Hospital Broadway In New Orleans, now entering its third successful season in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, is pleased to announce that THE ADDAMS FAMILY will be the first Broadway musical to take advantage of the tax incentive programs offered by Louisiana Entertainment, the state’s comprehensive entertainment industry development office. The company will arrive in New Orleans August 24, approximately one month prior to opening, to rehearse the production before taking it on the road to more than 30 cities across North America.

“Broadway in New Orleans is honored to present the opening engagement of THE ADDAMS FAMILY national tour,” says David Skinner, general manager of Arts Center Enterprises. “This is a great example of how the tax credits provided by Broadway South work to bring high caliber shows to New Orleans that impact the regional economy and local arts scene.”

THE ADDAMS FAMILY, now in its second year on Broadway, began performances in March 2010 at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre. 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 creative consultation 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 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 on Broadway 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 Co./Clarence, LLC and Adam Zotovich/Tribe Theatricals, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical.

 

SCHEDULE AND TICKETS

 

Performances are scheduled from Thursday, September 15 – Saturday, September 24 daily at 8 p.m. (no Sunday/Monday evening performance), with matinees on Sunday, September 18 and Saturday, September 24 at 2 p.m.

Tickets go on sale Friday, July 8 at 11 a.m. For more information on tickets, visit BroadwayInNewOrleans.com, MahaliaJacksonTheater.com/event/189628 or the Mahalia Jackson Box Office. Tickets are also available at all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com/venueartist/221667/1551102 or via phone at 800-982-2787 (ARTS). Group discounts for 15 or more are available by calling 504-287-0372.

 

For more information, visit TheAddamsFamilyMusicalTour.com.