Since last week when THHS would have presented The Addams Family musical, The Classic has partnered with the cast and crew of the play to bring to you various tastes of what the play would have been like. Tonight we look at the characters of Pugsley and Grandmama. The Classic asked Francesca Manabat to design what Freshman Elliot Heath (Pugsley) and Senior Kady Williams (Grandmama) would have looked like in their roles:
The cast and crew also created this video, showing a key song from the musical that heavily involved these characters:
Here’s a conversation with the actors:
PUGSLEY – ELLIOT HEATH
Question (Q): What’s your favorite thing about playing Pugsley?
Answer (A): I’d say my favorite part of playing Pugsley is trying to replicate his complex personality. Pugsley conveys so much to the audience during the course of the play; we see him as mischievous, playing pranks on both his family and the audience, always plotting his next antics. But we also see a different side to him, the side that shows he cares about his sister, and his anxiety that he’s forever lost her companionship. It is fun to try and show both sides of him.
Q: What scene in the play were you most looking forward to seeing executed on stage?
A: Honestly, I was looking forward to a lot of scenes in the play. The “When You’re an Addams” scene definitely comes to mind. That is one of the biggest numbers in the performance, and I could tell it would look great on the big stage. The finale seemed fun as well. Unfortunately, we never got to practice it before the quarantine hit, but I read the script and it looked really great.
Q: How has the pandemic’s effect on the performance made you feel?
A: The cancellation of the performance really disappointed me. Although it could be really stressful, it was really nice to be able to meet so many new people and rehearse with them. I’m glad that we’re doing something, at least, by performing some of the scenes from our homes. It isn’t the full experience, but it is something. After all, the show must go on.
GRANDMAMA – KADY WILLIAMS
Q: Why did you choose to play Grandmama?
A: I chose to play grandmama because I felt more of a connection with her–more than with any other character. Grandmama is considered to be this weird, kooky and sarcastic character that shouldn’t blend with the rest of the family but does, which is something I relate to.
Q: Was it something about her character that got you interested?
A: I liked how because she is so old she basically has no limitations to what she can and can’t do, so playing her allowed me to have a lot of creative freedom.
Q: How did you prepare for her role/ embody her personality?
A: To prepare for the role I watched a bunch of different videos from the original play and some from other school productions. My posture is already trash so to physically try to look like her was somewhat easy. For the voice, I thought I should do like an old chain smoker, but Mr. Schwab and I thought it would be best if I played the role more like myself rather than the stereotypical crazy witch.
Q: How has the quarantine affected your role?
A: It’s a bit of a struggle to play off of another actor when we aren’t in the same location. So finding what emotion I should portray during a scene was difficult.
