Fraser Valley Musical Theatre (FVMT) is switching gears to stage a musical-comedy production of “The Addams Family” in Surrey this summer, not “Mamma Mia” as originally planned.
The dates on Surrey Arts Centre’s Main Stage are from June 29 to July 9, with seven show times posted on Surrey Civic Theatres’ website (tickets.surrey.ca). Tickets start at $20 for opening week, until early-bird sales end May 7.
“The Addams Family” is directed by Samantha Robbins, a longtime FVMT cast member directing for the company for the first time, with music direction by John Arsenault and choreography by Tamara Jaune.
“This spring also happens to be our 40-year anniversary as a society,” Jaune noted.
A performance-rights issue with “Mamma Mia” forced FVMT to back away from staging that ABBA-themed production in favour of “The Addams Family.”
The show is based on characters created by Charles Addams in his single-panel gag cartoons, which depict a ghoulish American family with an affinity for all things macabre. Featured are teen Wednesday Addams, dad Gomez, mom Morticia, Uncle Fester and others.
The actors are Diana Carey, Tim Marron, Patrick Arnott, Cecelia Federizon, Ahnika Airey, Rachelle Beaulieu, Oswald Pingol, Juliet MacEwan, Jerrett Schwartz and Kaden Burgart, with an ensemble. Rehearsals began in March.
For FVMT, “40 Years of Music, Magic & Community Theatre” will be celebrated during a fundraising event May 5 at Dublin Crossing Irish Pub, in Clayton. Tickets are $25 each, or $40 for two. Details are posted on facebook.com/FVMTS.
In January, Fraser Valley Musical Theatre’s “Sleeping Beauty” won the Favourite Panto of 2022 during the Ovation! Awards, which celebrate achievement in musical theatre in the Lower Mainland.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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