This fall, the Illinois State University School of Theatre and Dance presents The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy, directed by faculty members Maggie Marlin-Hess, M.F.A., and Dr. Matthew Vala, Ph.D. With this production comes the much-anticipated return of everyone’s favorite little sociopath, Wednesday Addams.
There have been several iterations of the character with their own interpretations and lore, so that begs the question: Who is Wednesday? How did she become the character she is today, and will she always be that depraved girl?
Wednesday made her first appearance in “The Addams Family” comic series illustrated by Charles Addams in 1944, six years after The New Yorker began publishing it in 1938. She went unnamed until the first live-action adaptation, the 1964 television series. She was named after the line, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe,” from the nursery rhyme, Monday’s Child. To present-day fans, such a namesake fits Wednesday perfectly, but Lisa Loring’s portrayal of her in the 1960s television series was of a delightful 6-year-old girl with a sweet disposition and an obsession with spiders and death.
It was not until her appearance in the 1991 film that she became the sadistic older sister that we know today. She took up the hobbies of torturing her little brother, Pugsley, and causing distress to the public. Christina Ricci was the first to portray this new Wednesday, but she would not be the last. The most recent portrayal was Jenna Ortega, who starred as the titular character in the hit Netflix series, Wednesday, in 2022.
This production of The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy explores the multiplicity of Wednesday by casting both Chloe Baisa and Ava Brines to portray the role in alternating performances. While the two actors collaborated during the development of their shared role, their respective interpretations are far from the same.
“Each of our Wednesdays is unique to us, and we’ve both poured our hearts and souls into making this character all she can be,” said Baisa. Brines agreed, saying, “Both of our interpretations present a genuine connection and embodiment of who Wednesday is.”
When asked about her interpretation, Baisa said that she took inspiration from both Loring and Ortega’s portrayal of the character, so we can expect to see a little sweetness mixed into the stoic morbidity of the modern Wednesday. Alternatively, Brines said she kept Wednesday’s signature demeanor but chose to lean deeper into the love plot that inspires new feelings of giddy excitement.
Baisa had this left to say: “If you really want to see this production in all of its glory, you need to see both Wednesdays on stage.”
The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy will be performed at the Center for the Performing Arts on October 27-28 and November 1-4 at 7:30 p.m., as well as on October 29 and November 5 at 2 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Center for the Performing Arts Box Office on the campus of Illinois State University by calling (309) 438-2535 or on the box office website.
If you need accommodations to fully participate in this program, please contact the Center for the Performing Arts Box Office at (309) 438-2535. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
