S PRING 2015
P AGE 9
The Addams Family Musical: Creepy and Crazy Fun
The drama club delivers with entertaining musical
Matthew Burbine
Staff Writer
The AHS Drama Club has outdone
itself once again with its performance
of “The Addams Family.” Written by
Marshall Brickman, Rick Lice, and
Andrew Lippa, the musical is based on
the popular Addams Family comic
strip created by Charles Addams.
Despite the ghoulish cast of characters,
the production, directed by Mr. Steve
Shannon, was a hit all three nights it
was presented in the Frolio School
Auditorium.
The story, despite being laced with
dark humor and macabre themes, is
really about love. Each main character
deals with a different problem involving love, whether it be an unhappy
marriage, a man torn between his love
for his daughter and his love for his
wife, a brother attempting to keep his
sister from leaving him for the boy she
loves, or the creepy uncle who is in
love with the moon.
The story is narrated by Uncle Fester,
played by a bald Chris Burgess, who
tells us the state of affairs within the
Addams family. Wednesday Addams,
played by the talented Alessandra
Vento, wants to marry Lucas Beineke,
played by Nick Sideropoulos. However, she knows her mother will object,
so she enlists the help of her father,
Gomez Addams, played by Riley
Morrison. He sports a wonderful
mustachio, and an impressive Spanish
accent. Gomez is torn between keeping secrets from his wife Morticia,
portrayed perfectly by Leah Alessi, and
supporting his daughter.
If this craziness was not enough, the
Beineke family has problems of their
own. The parents have a loveless
marriage as Alice, played by a sunny
Hayley Burke, suffers due to her husband no longer being the wild man he
used to be. Mal Beineke, played by a
downtrodden Tim MacDonnell, is not
happy with the current state of affairs
either. A feisty grandma (Lindsey
Collins) and mysteriously intuitive
butler named Lurch (Mike Nickley)
add color, warmth and laughter.
This convoluted plot would be a challenge to any production crew. The
AHS Drama Club does a great job of
keeping all the pieces together with
great acting, dancing, and singing
performances. The set designers and
the stage crew (led by Stage Manager
Tyler Mariano) deserve applause as
well for setting the mood so effectively.
The standout musical performances
come from Leah Alessi, Riley Morrison, Alessandra Vento, and Hayley
Burke. Leah Alessi’s solo piece “Just
Around the Corner,” while macabre, is
a perfect song to show off her singing
prowess. Riley Morrison’s best performance is during the song “Happy/Sad”
where he is able to show off his Spanish accent and his great singing voice.
Alessandra Vento’s most impressive
performance comes during the song
“Pulled” where she hits the high notes
with a little help from Pugsley, played
by her real life brother Marc Vento.
Last but not least, Hayley Burke lets
out Alice’s darkest thoughts in the
song “Waiting,” which Burke sang
wonderfully.
Led by great performances by both the
leads and ensemble (especially the
pleasingly precise featured dancers
choreographed by Corinne Mason),
the show was a huge success.
Nick Sideropoulos (Lucas), Alessandra Vento
(Wednesday) and Riley Morrison (Gomez)
(GWG Photo)
“H AYLEY B URKE
LETS OUT
DARKEST
A LICE ’ S
THOUGHTS IN
THE SONG
“W AITING ,”
WHICH B URK E
SANG
WONDERFULLY .”
— M ATTHEW
B URBINE
Ready to Take Their Last Bow
AHS Seniors reflect on their high school experiences
Nicole Bradbury
Staff Writer
The school year is drawing to an end,
and the Class of 2015 must come to
the realization that another chapter in
their life has come to a close. While
some of the best moments of their
lives may have happened in their four
years at AHS, many more are sure to
come. Here are four senior’s best
memories of high school, and thoughts
on their bright futures.
What has been your best memory
in high school?
Jill Mortimer: My best memory of
high school would have to be drawing
and painting with Hannah Lee and Mr.
Mahoney. It was the most fun I have
ever had in a class.
Hayley Burke: My best memory was
performing in “The Addams Family”
this past March. I think because all of
the seniors realized that it was our last
time performing together, we just
dove right in and I don’t think it could
have gone any better.
Nick Sideropoulos: Tough one…
I’ll say senior homecoming. It’s the
only one I went to and it was a blast.
What are you planning to do
after you graduate?
Hayley Burke: Next year, I am
planning on majoring in communications at Westfield State University.
Jill Mortimer: I got accepted to
MassArt for fall 2016, so after high
school I plan on going to Massasoit
first to take my core courses, then
transferring. I also plan to continue
inspiring people with my words and
artwork.
Susan Mullen: After graduating, I’m
planning on going to Stonehill College
and majoring in education to eventually become a teacher.
How do you think what you
have learned in high school will
help you in the future?
Nick Sideropoulos: I think what
I’ve learned from high school will help
me with my college planning definitely, but outside of school I think my
variety in extracurriculars has helped
me come to respect a lot of different
groups out there. I now have some
skill in those areas like drama and
band. So, I’ve helped myself by expanding my capacities.
Seniors Abby Budwey, Katie Griggs, Susan
Mullen and Melissa Baez-Guiliani in "The
Addams Family." Nick Sideropoulos can be seen
behind them.( GWG)
Susan Mullen: I think what I’ve
learned in high school will definitely
help me in the future, and I think
having a variety of different teachers
has helped me find my teaching style.
Jill Mortimer: I have definitely
learned a lot about the way people
function from high school, and I will
carry that knowledge with me forever.
No matter who they are or what they
stand for, everyone is just trying to
feel comfortable with themselves. So I
have learned to have patience with
everyone and understand their perspective.
Happy Graduation Class of 2015! We
wish you the best of luck in whatever
you do!
Hayley Burke as Alice in “The Addams
Family” (GWG)