As the curtains closed on the Sunday matinee, the Wayne Valley High School’s very own production The Addams Family (*snap snap*) hosted over 1,000 people during three consecutive successful performances. Whether it was Gomez Addams’ (Craig Legras) eccentric attitude, Morticia Addams’ (Alexandra Heerema) deadpan wit, or Uncle Fester’s (Eugene “EJ” Calabrese) romantic devotion to the moon, the audience couldn’t help but laugh as the dark-humored family navigated the marriage of Wednesday (Ilana Leshowitz). The musical was a spectacular sendoff to all the seniors who dedicated their time and passion to the productions over the last four years.
Ilana Leshowitz, a long-term member of Wayne Valley’s theater, describes musical theater as her “favorite thing in the world. The stage is where I feel most myself and in my element, not to mention I’ve met some of my best friends and greatest people through it…My favorite part was the way that my entire cast endlessly supported me not only through the ups but also the downs. I could never ask for a better group of people.” When asked how she felt now that the show ended, she illustrated how finishing her senior show was incredibly hard. “I was pretty devastated after closing, but knowing that even though the show ended, the friendships didn’t. That made everything a lot better.”
Tyler Leu, who played the role of Lurch, tells the story of how he came to be part of the show. “I think this show changed my life,” he claims. “Around the time of auditions, I was going through a particularly rough patch. But after joining the show, I had something to look forward to and it pushed me to be more productive as a whole. Also, through the show, I was able to get closer to some of my current best friends. It’s sad that it’s over, but I know that it’ll be just as great next year.”
Behind the scenes of the production were Mr. DeFazio, Ms. Russoniello, Ms. Sveglia, and Ms. Connie, who worked tirelessly with the cast for around ten hours a week in the beginning and upwards of thirty-five hours a week by the end! Without them, the show never would have been possible.
Congrats to the cast and crew, especially all of the seniors leaving Wayne Valley this year. We know you’ll do great things after your high school years!
