Ridley Newest Musical: A Spooky Family Called Addams
By Isla Poustie ’26, Staff Writer; Edited by Rawnie Sun ’25, Head Editor-in-Chief
They’re spooky, they’re kooky, and you won’t want to miss them! A family extremely enthralled by death and all morbidity hit by a ray of sunshine, Wednesday Addams becoming seemingly ‘nice’ for her newly betrothed. Young love and how it can shape a person and family is showcased throughout this musical. The audience is swept up into the life of Wednesday, Pugsley, Gomez, and Morticia Addams, along with their odd family members and a seemingly normal family from Ohio.
Uncle Fester, played by Rae Dorah ‘25, narrated and brought us through the show with her character’s odd personality. Gomez, played by Alex Bergshoeff ’25, was a fantastic character, embodied perfectly by Bergshoeff. He portrayed an eccentric and morbid character using his comedy, voice, and body language. Morticia, played by Charlotte Collins ’25, was a perfect fit for her role, exuding elegance and intimidation through amazing body language and comedic gestures.
Lighting was used expertly all throughout the musical, using changes in spotlights and colour that went along with the music. As a surprise for the audience, the lights turned off, and a black light turned on to brighten the all-white-clad ancestors walking down the stage. The costumes for the ancestors were amazing. They showed a variety of deceased Addams’ family ghosts and were a perfect touch to the musical. Their costumes showed people from different stages and jobs in their lives before their deaths. This included people from Amelia Earhart to Mary Antoinette portrayed as supposed past Addams family members. The costumes of the main cast were also very well done. The dresses worn by Wednesday Addams, played by Shakeela Vahdat ‘25, were a perfect showcase of student creativity as our very own Ridleian, Elise Cheung ’26, made them from scratch! The set was also expertly designed, with the family mansion showcasing the inside of the home and its grand staircase, with its exterior visible when turned around. Overall, the set was manipulated around the stage expertly. Throughout the entire show, all the music was performed by a live orchestra comprised of students and two professionals. It was an amazing endeavour they undertook, and at first, I even thought it was a recording.
I really enjoyed watching this musical, and my favourite part was definitely the dark humour and satirical comedy. It was truly an amazing performance put on by a group of talented Ridley students! They put in an abundance of work to pull off this big show. They left the crowd cheering and already excited for future shows.
