Interview: Mary Nickles, director of ADDAMS FAMILY at Market Theatre Company

The Addams Family musical at The Market Theatre Co. in downtown Anderson, SC, opened last weekend to an extremely positive response.

"The entire opening weekend was sold out," says Market Theatre Executive Artistic Director Noah Taylor. "We've added a night just to try to accommodate more people!"

The show runs two more weekends and you can buy tickets online.

In light of such enthusiastic audiences, we asked director Mary Nickles to tell us what she thinks makes this show so special.

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Please tell us a little about yourself.

I live in Anderson, SC and teach Music and Drama at the Montessori School of Anderson. I have a BA in Theatre from Coker College and a MA in Theatre Production from Central Washington University. I am a wife and mother of 2 daughters. Before having children, I performed mostly in Florida. Once children came into the picture, I began directing and teaching.

What was your history with the Addams Family? Did you grow up watching the TV show or the movies?

I grew up watching the TV show. I have not seen the movies. I saw the musical the summer of 2014 and fell in love with it.

Why do you think the Addams Family has retained such popularity and sustainability over a number of different formats - from the original cartoons to Broadway?

I think the macabre humor is very appealing to people. It jokingly brings to light what most people fear: death, injury and darkness. Also, the sense of individuality verses societal norms is appealing. They were goth before goth was a thing. I also love how everything is opposite of what you would expect.

What was your approach to this show?

It is hard directing and playing iconic characters. Your audience comes with preconceived ideas of what and who the characters should be. I knew that the audiences would want to see these characters but it was very important that each actor find their own version. We talked about some of the characteristics that we needed for each character in order to satisfy the audience and then we totally concentrated on the world of the musical, putting aside the past tv show, movie, and productions. The script had everything we needed to grow and develop the characters. It was important to me to develop the parts of the story that people could really relate to, ie....keeping secrets from your loved one, falling in love, grieving/acknowledging that your child has grown up, finding yourself emotionally removed from your spouse. There are a lot of real life issues framed in this kooky, crazy musical.

Tell us a little about the key cast and creative team members.

We are fortunate to have a group of very talented actors and creative team members. All of the actors truly hold their own and have brought so much to the show. One stand out in particular would be Sarah Greene. She plays Wednesday masterfully and she also designed and built all of the costumes. The costumes are a huge part of the show. They really helped everyone achieve the 'iconic' look that we needed. Her costumes also helped give identity to each ancestor. She was so thorough in her design and execution from wig to shoes! The costumes in themselves are worth the price of admission. The ancestors are another standout for me. They add to the environment, helping change the pictures of the different locations. They have enabled us to produce a big musical in a smaller space. They add so much to the overall production. Dalton Cole is another stand out. He gives us a very playful Gomez but also brings us into the poignant moments of fatherhood and marriage. He constructed the set as well. He and Sarah definitely burned the candle at both ends. I could really go on and on about all of our players, each one brings so much to the table.

What has been the audience response?

The audiences have been very receptive, lots of laughter. People have been complimentary about how we utilized the space. They have enjoyed the kookiness of the show and have loved having the actors play all over the space. So far our first four shows have sold out and due to the response we have added another show to the run.

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The Addams Family runs through October 28 at Market Theatre Company in downtown Anderson, SC. Tickets are only $10.

For tickets, showtimes and additional information call or (864) 729-2999 visit themarketanderson.org.

Photo credit: Bailey Taylor