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Syracuse University’s First Year Players (FYP) last performed “The Addams Family” in 2016. Eight years later, current students are reprising this classic show, creating an updated set and taking new approaches to beloved characters.

“This year is very special to me because we are doing a show that we have done before, but are approaching it with a new energy,” said Lia Della Bordella, SU junior and this year’s stage manager. “The first-years have worked so hard and it absolutely shows. The entire show looks and sounds beautiful.”

FYP is an entirely student-run organization at SU that immerses members in various aspects of theater. Each spring, FYP puts on a musical that features an all-freshman cast as upperclassmen run things behind the scenes. This year’s musical will run from April 4-6 and tickets are available through the SU Student Box Office.

“The Addams Family” is a musical comedy adapted from cartoonist Charles Addams’ iconic macabre cartoon characters. The show follows the iconic Wednesday Addams, grown up and in love with a man who her parents do not know about. The musical explores the relationships between the Addams family as they meet Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.

Freshman Anna McCusker, who plays Wednesday Addams, said the months of rehearsing with the rest of the cast have been “extremely fulfilling.”

“My favorite part of the rehearsal process has been the people,” McCusker said. “This has been such a welcoming place. Every rehearsal is filled with smiles and laughter and I couldn’t be more grateful for the talented and kind people I’ve met through this show.”

Isabella Flores | Contributing Photographer

Wednesday Addams, played by Anna McCusker, “pulls the lever” on Orly Zuckerman who plays Pugsley

The organization held auditions for the show earlier in the semester. More than 40 freshmen earned spots in the cast, crew or pit depending on their skills and interests.

Stage Manager Della Bordella has been part of the group since she was a freshman. Along with scheduling rehearsal rooms, building the first-years’ schedules and attending set builds and rehearsals, she also acts as a liaison between different departments within the organization.

“We’ve been rehearsing the show since the beginning of the semester, but discussing it since the summer,” Bordella said. “I particularly loved getting to attend the auditions, there’s something really special about being so hands-on with a production from start to finish.”

In addition to rehearsals, FYP members participated in team bonding activities and hosted fundraising events during the fall semester. Keeping with FYP tradition, the first-years were also paired with older students who acted as anonymous “mentors” throughout rehearsals and were ultimately revealed to the freshmen in March.

Sophomore Fred Gullo, FYP’s pit manager, said the rehearsal process has fostered a tight-knit community among members.

“The theme of ‘The Addams Family’ is that through thick and thin, no matter what, family comes first and last,” Gullo said. “I feel like that has gone beyond the show and affected both the staffers’ and the first-years’ experience.”

Gullo and his musicians have been rehearsing four times a week since the beginning of the semester. He is specifically looking forward to the audience hearing his two favorite songs: “Secrets” and “The Moon and Me.”

After only a few months, FYP has greatly impacted Gullo and McCusker’s experience at SU. McCusker is looking forward to her future involvement in the organization and believes “The Addams Family” will be a hit among patrons of all ages.

“This show is made up entirely of crazy, fun characters and it’s impossible not to be entertained by their antics,” McCusker said. “‘The Addams Family’ is a fun show, plain and simple. The audience will have a good time.”

Published on April 3, 2024 at 11:18 pm