Highlands students bring creepy, kooky 'Addams Family' to life

With ice in her veins and venom on her tongue, Highlands High School senior Helena Vasey perfected the soft-spoken but scathing wit of Morticia Addams.

Sophomore Elliot Vunora, likewise, mastered his portrayal of the hairless and hunched Uncle Fester, a kooky, barrel-chested man forever wearing a full-length fur-lined coat.

The pair is among a creepy cast of 47 Highlands High School students who will hit the stage Friday for the opening of “The Addams Family.”

“I jokingly always tell everyone that Halloween is my prom season,” director Michael Zeiler said. “I love the theming and overall production value this show brings to life.”

Based on a ghoulish fictional cartoon family, “The Addams Family” has been adapted for TV, film and other media. A Tony Award-­nominated production, it opened on Broadway in 2010.

The show features the macabre couple of Gomez and Morticia; their children, Wednesday and Pugsley; and integral characters Uncle Fester, Grandma, Cousin Itt and the butler, Lurch.

“I’m trying to bring to life the iconic personality of Morticia that’s a combination of Carolyn Jones from the ’60s show and Angelica Houston from the movies,” said Vasey, 17.

The Harrison resident plans to study musical theater in college but hasn’t decided where.

“Theater is an outlet of self-expression for me. I’d be nothing without it,” Vasey said. “This year’s show is special because it is genuinely one of the funniest shows I’ve seen.”

Vunora, 16, also of Harrison, said landing the role of sunken-eyed Uncle Fester “is such a cool experience, especially with the fact that he’s so goofy and out-of-the-box compared to a lot of other characters.”

A participant in middle school musical theater, Vunora took some time off when he arrived at high school in an effort to balance baseball, Boy Scouts and academics.

“I remember watching the musical last year and thinking, ‘Why am I not up there?’ ” Vunora said. “I was actually very surprised to get a lead, but I like the fact that I can just go up on the stage and own it.

“One of my favorite things about performing is the applause because that is the time where you can really live in the moment and let the chills sink in.”

Junior Lily Biernesser is playing the role of Wednesday Addams, an especially weighty role given the popularity of the new Netflix horror-comedy show profiling the Addams daughter.

With her black pigtails and scant facial expressions, Biernesser said paying attention to the small details is what “makes” a character.

“I can’t laugh or smile much, and it’s so hard because of how comedic this show is,” Biernesser said of Wednesday’s emotionally reserved persona. “Music has always been a huge part of my life, and, ever since I started performing at the high school, I’ve gotten the chance to break out of my shell and embrace my talents. I was so incredibly happy that I got the chance to bring this character to life.”

Zeiler said he chose the musical based on input from his students.

At the end of last year, he created a project-based learning assignment where the teens had to select a musical and convince him why it should be chosen for this year’s production, the school’s 36th.

In addition to the cast, the show features 14 tech and stage crew members and three teen musicians. More than 100 of the high school’s art and music students helped with set design and décor.

“The set design is absolutely a masterpiece,” Zeiler said. “It took us seven straight weekends and 10 full school days to paint, design and add props. Plus, an additional five days for animated lighting design.”

The district’s set construction director, Ron Zeiler — Michael’s dad — has been the magic behind the scenes since 2014.

This is his last year before enjoying retirement.

“To build a haunted mansion on stage together was an irreplaceable father-son bond,” Michael Zeiler said. “The whole experience has been an adventure for our students, staff and HHS families. The show is fun, interactive, mysterious and spooky. The show emphasizes family first and family last, a crucial message that reminds us that our differences make us stronger.”