The Addams Family; The Musical Creative

Director

Ethan Zazueta

Spider Web Guacamole Ingredients: 4 cups guacamole 1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream Lime juice, if needed 2 pitted black olives Blue corn tortilla chips, for serving 1 firm avocado, skin-on Directions: Special equipment: a squeeze bottle or pastry bag and a skewer, optional For the web: Put a large round shallow bowl on a larger round platter. Fill the bowl with the guacamole and smooth the top with a spoon or offset spatula. Fill a squeeze bottle or pastry bag with Mexican crema or sour cream (thin it out with some lime juice if needed). Pipe 4 concentric circles of crema onto the guacamole. Using the tip of a knife or skewer, pull lines from the center circle out, creating a spider web pattern. For the spider: Slice 1 olive in half lengthwise and use one of the halves for the spider body. Slice 8 long spider legs from the remaining 1 1/2 olives. Arrange the spider on the web. Surround the bowl of guacamole with the tortilla chips. For the skull: Using a paring knife, make 2 eyes on the wide end of the avocado, cutting through the skin and flesh all the way down to the pit; discard the skin and flesh. Cut an upside-down heart shape just through the skin for the nose, then remove the skin, leaving the flesh showing. For the mouth, cut a long rectangle just through the skin and remove it. Use a skewer or the tip of a knife to draw lines on the flesh for teeth.

Assistant Director

Kat Botelho

EXPERIENCE: I have been involved with the world of theatre for a very long time and have acted in various productions. Over the last year I have been getting more involved in the tech aspect and now designing and directing. Some shows Include, Twelfth Night as Sir Andrew, a few faultline productions one act/murder mystery shows, She Kills Monsters as Evil Tina, Addams family the Musical as Little Pugsley, and A Comedy of Errors as Dromio of Syracuse. Some other shows I was involved with were, A Mousetrap (stagehand), A Crsitmas Carol (stagehand), Steel Magnolia (stagehand), An Avalanche of Murder (Stagehand mentor), and Over the River and Through the Woods(Prop designer and prop master). Another aspect of theatre that I am very passionate about is directing, I recently had my director debut at SVCT in their new director workshop. I was the director of Granny's Homestyle Delights. I am looking very forward to working on this Production of Addams Family the Musical. LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE - WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT? I would say it is a tossup between theatre and working with kids. I absolutely love both things and that is why I decided I want to be an acting teacher for highschool level and one day college. I really love the idea of being able to introduce kids to the world of theatre. FAVORITE ADDAMS: I would say my favorite Addams is either Uncle Fester or Cousin It. Uncle Fester is just so weird and just the best uncle ever and Cousin It is just so funny. FAVORITE MUSICAL: My favorite musical really varies but one of my favorites is A Very Potter Musical by starkid and can be found on youtube. i love this one because it is so out of pocket and just funny! The best part about it is it is also part of a trilogy and each one is just as good!

PSM

Robin StClair

Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus with Scary Baked Tortilla Chips Ingredients: 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (about 4 cups chopped), seeds cleaned and reserved 1 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling Kosher salt and ground black pepper 4 cloves garlic One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained 1/3 cup lemon juice 2 tablespoons tahini Eight 12-inch spinach tortillas Directions: Special equipment: Halloween (scary) cookie cutters Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Toss the butternut squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets and roast until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. During the last 5 to 10 minutes of the squash roasting, add the cleaned squash seeds to the other prepared baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a large pinch of salt. Roast until puffed and brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Let the squash cool slightly. Put the garlic in a food processor and process to break it up a little. Add the squash, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini and some salt and pepper and puree until smooth. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil to incorporate. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if desired. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut the tortillas into scary shapes with Halloween cookie cutters (you may need to stack the tortillas to press the cutters through) and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until crispy, 12 to 16 minutes. Top the hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and the roasted squash seeds. Serve with the scary tortilla chips.

ASM

Daniel Simms

Jack-O'-Lantern Onion Dip Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish 1 large egg One 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough All-purpose flour, for rolling 12 cubes sharp Cheddar plus 1 cup shredded, plus more for sprinkling on top 1 to 2 jalapeños, sliced 1/4 inch thick 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium yellow onion, grated 3 blue corn tortilla chips, plus more for serving 1/4 cup black olives, sliced Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 10-inch round baking dish or skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Beat the egg together with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and set aside. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide and cut the dough into 12 rectangles. Brush the egg wash on top of each rectangle. Place a Cheddar cube in the center of each rectangle. Place a couple jalapeño slices on every other rectangle (see Cook's Note). Close the dough around the cheese cubes and jalapeños and shape the pieces into balls. Place the balls around the edge of the prepared baking dish. Mix the shredded Cheddar, cream cheese, mayonnaise, mozzarella, Parmesan, chives, salt, pepper, garlic and onion together in a medium bowl. Spoon the mixture into the center of the baking dish. Sprinkle additional Cheddar on top. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Arrange the blue corn tortilla chips and olive slices to resemble a Jack-o'-lantern. Serve hot with more tortilla chip

Music Director

Simon Spencer

Black Bean Swamp Dip Ingredients: 3 poblano chile peppers 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1/2 cup chopped scallions 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes) Kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Blue corn tortilla chips, for serving Directions: Preheat the broiler. Put the poblanos on a baking sheet and broil, turning halfway through, until charred all over, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove the stems and seeds and peel off the charred skin. (It’s OK if some skin remains.) Transfer the poblanos to a blender and add 1/2 cup water, the black beans, cilantro, scallions, lime juice, 2 teaspoons salt and the cumin. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and serve with tortilla chips.

Music Director

Barry Smith

Banana Ghosts with Peanut Butter Dip Ingredients: Ghosts: Dip: 4 firm, ripe bananas 8 lollipop or ice pop sticks 2 cups white chocolate chips 2 teaspoons coconut oil 24 chocolate chips 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup loosely packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural) 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 teaspoon coconut oil Candy spiders, for decorating, optional Directions: Special equipment: 8 lollipop or ice pop sticks, a toothpick Start the ghosts: Line a baking sheet with parchment and make room for it in your freezer. Peel the bananas and cut in half crosswise, then lengthwise for 8 pieces total. Insert 1 stick in the short, flat side of each; arrange on the prepared baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Meanwhile, make the dip: Combine the cream cheese and brown sugar in a food processor; process until light and very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides then add the peanut butter, yogurt and vanilla. Process, scraping down the sides halfway through, until very light and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a serving bowl. Combine the semisweet chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50-percent power in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until melted, about 60 seconds total. Transfer to a resealable sandwich bag, twist to close like a pastry bag and snip a small corner. Pipe concentric circles on the surface of the dip. Drag a toothpick through the circles, starting from the center and working your way out, to create a spider web design. Add a few candy spiders, if desired. Finish the ghosts: Once the bananas are frozen, combine the white chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons coconut oil in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and melt, stirring until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Hold a frozen banana over the bowl and spoon white chocolate over the top, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Return to the parchment-lined baking sheet and press in 3 chocolate chips, flat-sides up, to make 2 eyes and a mouth. Repeat with the remaining bananas and chocolate chips. Return to the freezer until the white chocolate is hardened, at least 15 minutes, up to 4 hours.

Choreographer

Stephanie Whipple

Spicy Pumpkin Hummus Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed 3 tablespoons tahini 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 clove garlic Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Pita chips, for serving Directions: Process the pumpkin and chickpeas in a food processor until fairly smooth. Add the tahini, lemon juice, oil, cayenne, cumin and garlic to the food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with pita chips.

Set Designer

Mia Pritchard

*see cast dip recipe

Sound Designer

Dustin Machin

Ghost S'mores Dip Ingredients 1 bag ghost marshmallows (or 4 packages ghost Peeps) 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/4 c. heavy cream, warmed Graham crackers, for serving Mini chocolate chips, for ghost eyes Directions Step 1 Preheat oven to 450°. In the bottom of a 9" oven-proof skillet, baking dish, or pie dish, spread out chocolate chips and pour cream on top. Cover completely with a single layer of ghost marshmallows. Step 2 Place mini chocolate chips over eyes and mouth. (The already-drawn faces will fade in the oven.) Step 3 Bake until the chocolate has melted and the ghosts are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Step 4 Serve warm with graham crackers for dipping.

Lighting Designer

Jeremy Heisner

EXPERIENCE: Award winning lighting design for Blunder From Down Under and Magical Mikayla UK Revue. Stadium Lighting for Banana Bandana Worldwide Tour '87, '99, abd the Reunion Secret Scarf Tour in '22. LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE - WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT? Have you ever had a frozen banana dripped in chocolate and then sprinkled with chopped peanuts? Have you ever had one on a hot day and you're at the Zoo and your feet are aching from walking in the same 4 circles all day and your dad FINALLY let's you stop and sit down on a bench? And was that bench next to a frozen banana, dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with chopped peanuts? And even though you knew he would say NO like he always does, you take a deep breath and ask if you can have one - AND HE SAYS YES! But no, I'm not too passionate about much lately, just in a slump, ya know? FAVORITE ADDAMS? Obviously IT FAVORITE MUSICAL? The Wiggles Wiggle Willy - it's wicked!

Props Designer

Cameron Swan

Halloween Spider Bread Dip Bowl Ingredients 16 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls 1 egg white 1 tbsp water 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese 2 olive slices Instructions Place frozen rolls on board or counter and spray with nonstick spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to thaw until soft but still cold, about 2 hours. Use 2 rolls to make a small ball for the spider's head. Use 10 rolls to make a larger ball for the spider's body. Cut the remaining 4 rolls in half (with one half slightly larger than the other). Roll each half into a rope. Make 4 12 inch ropes and 4 10 inch ropes. On a lined cookie sheet, arrange balls and ropes into spider shape. Spray with nonstick spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until quite puffed, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together egg white and water and brush all over spider. Sprinkle legs with parmesan cheese if desired. Bake spider 28-30 minutes until quite brown. Cool completely. Use a knife to make slits for the eyes and press an olive slice into each slit. Use a knife to cut a circle out of the body, and then tear out the bread to make a bowl. Fill with cold dip. Surround with veggies and serve.

Costume Designer

Vanessa Call

EXPERIENCE: My first go around with costuming was She Kills Monsters in 2023. I'm seeing a spooky, dark theme here. LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE - WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT? The Arts in general. Theatre, cinema, music, art. Genuine emotions and experience from creation, talent and passion always makes me cry. FAVORITE ADDAMS? Jane FAVORITE MUSICAL? Just one? Rent

IT Manager

Basil Enamorado

Pumpkin Cheese Ball Ingredients: 3 cups orange cheese puffs 2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature 3 cups shredded Cheddar 1/4 cup chopped chives Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 bell pepper with a long stem Crackers, for serving Directions: Put the cheese puffs in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Combine the cream cheese, Cheddar, chives, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine. Mold the mixture into a ball, pressing the top of the ball with your hand to flatten it. With the tip of a butter knife, carve lines down the sides to resemble a pumpkin. Roll the cheese ball in the ground cheese puffs. Remove the entire bell pepper stem with a paring knife and put it on top of the cheeseball as the pumpkin stem. Seed and slice the bell pepper. Serve the cheeseball on a plate with crackers and slices of bell pepper.

Props Master

Jacob Schaaf

Jack Skellington Chicken Dip Ingredients Chicken Dip 8 ounces (1 block) of cream cheese, softened 1 cup Miracle Whip (or make homemade Miracle Whip using mayonnaise) 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 12 ounces shredded chicken Black Decorations 3 tablespoons whipped cream cheese 1 tablespoon Miracle Whip black food coloring Instructions Chicken Dip Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the softened cream cheese, Miracle Whip, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken in a mixing bowl. Blend until well combined, using a hand-held mixer or large spoon. Spread the chicken dip into a 9-inch round pie plate or casserole dish. Black Decorations Mix the whipped cream cheese, Miracle Whip, and black food coloring together until well blended. Spoon it into a pastry bag fitted with a #5 round pastry tip. Pipe Jack Skellington's eyes, nostrils, and mouth onto the chicken dip. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot. Or, simply serve it cold.

Original Creative Team

MARSHALL BRICKMAN

Marshall Brickman, born in Brazil of American parents, attended New York public schools and the University of Wisconsin, where he received a double baccalaureate in both science and music.

He entered show business first as a member of the folk group The Tarriers and then, along with John and Michelle Phillips, as one of The New Journeymen, a precursor of The Mamas and the Papas, whose flamboyant life-style and eccentric harmonies defined the post-folk era of tuning up, turning on and cashing in.

Trading in his Gibson Mastertone 5-string banjo for an IBM Selectric, he secured a position as writer/director on Candid Camera, America’s original reality show, a wildly successful early experiment in monetizing public humiliation, for which he hereby apologizes.

Fleeing Candid Camera, Brickman found solace as head writer for Johnny Carson, whose late-night show on NBC emanated from ironically named Radio City in midtown Manhattan, a stroke of luck that allowed him to stay as far from Los Angles as possible while still retaining U.S. citizenship. In 1970 he left NBC to become producer/head writer of Dick Cavett’s late-night show on ABC. Among the many ground-breaking events that Cavett introduced into the late-night formula was the night presidential hopeful George McGovern was interviewed by last-minute guest host Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics. The result was fascinating, not unlike watching a python ingesting a small cow.

In the meantime he had started a collaboration with Woody Allen, a young comic who opened for the Tarriers at Fred Weintraub’s Bitter End, the legendary Bleeker Street coffee house that provided exposure to upcoming talent in music and comedy. They worked at odd hours on screenplays and material for Allen’s early TV appearances, an experience like no other. Brickman watched Mr. Allen negotiate both the creative and practical issues confronting an artist working in a commercial environment; he learned things that can’t be taught and never laughed as hard as the time spent roaming the city with a certified genius discussing art, politics, women, the state of the business, and why Durwood Kirby was considered funny, even by people with college degrees.

Mr. Brickman’s film work as author (or co-author with Woody Allen) includes Sleeper, Annie Hall (Academy Award), Manhattan, (AA nomination) and Manhattan Murder Mystery. As film writer/director): Simon, Lovesick, The Manhattan Project, Sister Mary Explains it All. In television: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (head writer, 1967-’70); The Dick Cavett Show (head writer/co-producer, 1970-’72).

Brickman’s recording (with ex-Tarrier Eric Weissberg) of the soundtrack of Deliverance, released in 1970, contained the surprise hit “Dueling Banjos,” achieved platinum status, and remains a healthy seller over 40 years later.

His first foray into musical theater resulted in Jersey Boys, which won the Tony, Olivier, Helpmann, Grammy and many other awards worldwide, is in its twelfth year on Broadway, has been seen by twenty

million people worldwide and is currently the 10th-longest running show in the history of Broadway. The film version of the show was directed by Clint Eastwood.

Mr. Brickman’s other theatrical efforts include “Turn of the Century,” which played to capacity houses in Chicago, and “The Addams Family,” starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, which ran for two years on Broadway and to date has had over four thousand first and second tier productions internationally.

In addition to his work in film and theater, Mr. Brickman has published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Playboy and other periodicals. He is the 2006 recipient of the Writers’ Guild of America Ian McClellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement.

His current project is a stage musical celebrating the life of western star Roy Rogers, scheduled to premiere late in 2017.

After over 40 years in the business, trying to balance talent with opportunity and watching the careers of colleagues, both successful and less so, he can reduce what he’s learned into one succinct bit of wisdom: above all, it’s important to be lucky.

RICK ELISE

RICK ELICE (Book) co-wrote Jersey Boys (winner 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical) with the great Marshall Brickman; The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (winner of five 2012 Tony Awards); and The Cher Show (currently on tour in the UK). In the pipeline: The Princess Bride for Disney; Smash for Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg, music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, directed by Susan Stroman. Rick is also adapting Sara Gruen’s novel Water for Elephants; the popular film, Silver Linings Playbook; and writing an original musical, Treasure, with 2021 Ed Kleban Award-winner Benjamin Scheuer. Rick’s book, Finding Roger, An Improbably Theatrical Love Story, is published by Kingswell. Heartfelt thanks to those whose theatre work makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Nunn, Laurents, Stone, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, David, Strong, Gaudio, Valli, McAnuff, Trujillo, Timbers, Coyne, Brickman, and, eternally, Roger Rees. Rick thinks about them a lot. He never thought about Jersey much. He does now.

ANDREW LIPPA

Andrew Lippa’s new epic choral work “Unbreakable” had its world premiere with The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on June 22nd and 23rd, 2018 in San Francisco with 300 artists onstage including Mr. Lippa. Ten more choruses across the country will present this new work in the next year and the original cast recording, produced by legendary producer Leslie Ann Jones, will be released by Ghostlight Records in November, 2018. He conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a new production of his “A Little Princess” in concert in London at the Royal Festival Hall in May, 2018 to a sold-out crowd of nearly 3,000 people.

His hit song “Evil Like Me” appears in Disney’s “Descendants”. Written for Kristin Chenoweth that soundtrack hit #1 on the “Billboard 200” album chart, #1 on the iTunes and Billboard soundtrack charts, has been viewed over 70 million times on YouTube and “Evil Like Me” was certified gold in 2017. On Feb. 1st, 2017, Lippa opened the new season of The American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center with his sold out concert of “Andrew Lippa and Friends.” In 2016, he composed and conducted a world premiere piece for the international piano virtuoso Lang Lang and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in Guangzhou, China. This new work, a 32-minute, 5-movement piece called “Rising Tide”, was reprised later in 2016 and recorded in China. Lippa’s epic Concept Opera “I am Anne Hutchinson/I Am Harvey Milk” had its world premiere at The Music Center at Strathmore in April of 2016 starring Kristin Chenoweth as Anne Hutchinson and Mr. Lippa as Harvey Milk. Summer 2016 saw the US premiere of “Life of the Party” – a musical compendium of Mr. Lippa’s career – produced by Theatreworks in Mountain View, CA and starring Mr. Lippa. Summer of 2017, Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY, presented the world premiere of The Man in the Ceiling. Based on Jules Feiffer’s award-winning novel, this musical features a book by Mr. Feiffer and music and lyrics by Mr. Lippa. Directed by Jeffrey Seller (Tony-winning producer of “Hamilton”) Mr. Lippa played the role of Uncle Lester in this production.

Broadway credits include: Music and lyrics for Big Fish directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman; the Tony-nominated music and lyrics for the Broadway musical The Addams Family (directed by Jerry Zaks) as well as the music for Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway play The Farnsworth Invention (directed by Des McAnuff). Other musicals include the Drama Desk award winning musical The Wild Party (book/music/lyrics); A Little Princess (music); john & jen (music/book); Asphalt Beach (music and lyrics); and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (additional music/lyrics and arrangements). His epic oratorio for men’s chorus, orchestra and soloists, I Am Harvey Milk has seen over 30 productions including Disney Hall and Lincoln Center. Awards: Tony and Grammy nominations; shared Emmy for Nickelodeon’s “The Wonder Pets”; SFGMC Vanguard Award; The Gilman/Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation Award; ASCAP’s Richard Rodgers/New Horizons Award; The Drama Desk Award; The Outer Critics Circle Award. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Mr. Lippa serves as president of the board of The Dramatists Guild Foundation (dgf.org). He was born in Leeds, England, grew up in suburban Detroit and is an ordained Interfaith minister.

Explore all things Andrew Lippa at andrewlippa.com!