WEST NEWBURY — A stacked cast of Pentucket Regional Middle School students took the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday for the third and final performance of “The Addams Family Young@Part,” a 60-minute version of the hit Broadway musical.
But when 7th grader Paige Souliotis was rolled onto the stage in a wheelchair and breathed life into the wonderfully macabre Wednesday Addams, the crowd suddenly knew that they were part of a special moment in the storied arts and theater history at Pentucket.
Matinee Suspended
Forty minutes into the 2 p.m. matinee performance Saturday, Wednesday Addams was to turn around and snap a retort to her father, Gomez (Played by Brooke Pipan). When Paige went to pivot, her shoe got stuck and she twisted her knee, dislocating her patella and falling painfully to the stage floor.
“Gomez asks Wednesday ‘Where are you going?’ and I was supposed to twist to Gomez, holding a crossbow, and shout ‘Away!'” Paige said. “But my shoe got stuck and down I went. I knew right away that I could not stand up.”
The all-student cast and crew acted immediately. The curtain fell, and the performance was suspended. Paige was taken to Lawrence General Hospital. She was already nursing the same right knee from a spring lacrosse injury.
It was a devastating moment for Paige, 13, of Merrimac, who has been acting since grade 3, appearing in shows for Pentucket and for the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport. It was not the first time she stared down disappointment. She was cast as Dorothy in 2020, but Pentucket elementary schools never held their “Wizard of Oz” performances, as the COVID-19 pandemic upended the school year.
The Show Must Go On
The 35-student cast and crew went into crisis mode. Director Brooke Snow, an 8th-grade teacher and the middle and high schools’ after-school theater director, watched with amazement as the students remained poised and in charge.
While the matinee was over, the 7 p.m. finale was still looming. Quickly, it was decided that another actor would step in for Paige if her injury kept her sidelined. But middle school plays generally don’t have understudies. Charlotte Walton, a 7th grader playing a pirate ancestor of the Addams Family, learned Wednesday’s lines, and other students, including 8th grader Abby McIntyre (playing an Addams ancestral cowgirl) helped Charlotte learn Wednesday’s dance steps.
“It was like watching a group of professionals, not middle school kids,” Snow said. “When Paige got hurt, of course the kids were spooked and concerned, but they immediately came to her rescue, they closed curtain and ran to her aide. Then, after all that, they started to address the 7 p.m. show. I’ve never seen such a reaction from an entire cast and crew.”
But Paige was determined.
“My mom drove me to the hospital, and all I kept saying was ‘Will I be back? Will I be back? Will I be back?” she said. “The whole car ride I was texting my friends, apologizing. I thought I ruined the show.”
At 4:45 p.m., the text came from Paige’s mom, Julie, to Snow. “She’s coming back.”
And at 7 p.m. on the button, with a brief introduction from Snow explaining the circumstances, 8th grader Thomas Carrozo, playing an Uncle Fester that would make Christopher Lloyd proud, smiled a crooked smile with a cocked neck as he rolled Paige’s Wednesday in for the opening number.
It was a moment that not many parents and aunts and uncles attending a middle school musical were prepared for.
Energy
With Snow perched just off stage on the stairs instead of her usual place in the seats, the students gave the performance of their young lives.
With Paige nimbly navigating her wheelchair, with some help from Nella Snyder (Addams ancestor Marilyn Addams), the usually nimble trained dancer was forced to rely on her voice to make up for the loss of body language from being seated. Her voice boomed, Snow said. The cast, seemingly buoyed by their shared crisis response, rose to the occasion.
And in the end, the effect of Wednesday Addams playfully electrocuting her brother Pugsley was not diminished by the wheelchair’s presence one bit.
“There was an energy,” Snow said. “I thought it was some of the best acting I’ve ever seen out of this group. They were forced to get out of their own way because they were forced to think differently. I knew the moment Thomas rolled Paige out there that the show would be special.”
The crowd was uproarious during the finale and for each group of cast members taking their bows. Paige received a standing ovation.
“I’m just so happy for my friends,” Paige said. “This is all about the group. We worked so hard, and I am so glad we gave a strong closing show. Everyone wants to close strong and go out with a bang.”
“When I saw the dress rehearsal on Thursday, I was absolutely blown away. I was shocked to learn about Paige’s injury, but it doesn’t surprise me the way the group rallied around to support her,” said Sabrina Simone, Pentucket’s Assistant Principal for Grades 7-9. “I’m in awe of Paige’s determination and perseverance–people will not forget this last performance, and I am so proud of this entire group. I have no doubt that this show will go down in history as one of the most special and outstanding performances at Pentucket.”
The musical theater program is a staple of the Pentucket Regional School District’s arts program. Every year, the elementary, middle and high schools each put on an assortment of plays and musicals. Some elementary students also have the chance to step up and perform with the older grades, as Paige did in 2019 when she played Young Elsa as a fourth grader in the middle school’s Frozen Jr. production.
“The theater program has been exceptional for students like Paige, and Brooke Snow is a gift to our communities,” Julie Souliotis said.
Added Superintendent Justin Bartholomew: “Showing so much grit in overcoming incredible adversity as Paige did is remarkable. And, as she points out, her peers rallying around her to support her and adapting to the situation in the production is a fabulous testament to the exceptional character of these young performers and their director.”
“The cast and crew displayed all of the characteristics that we strive for in all of our students,” said Pentucket Regional Middle School Principal Terrence Conant. “Pivoting and making the needed adjustments in under four hours is a tribute to their determination and teamwork. Paige’s commitment to her peers is an extension of her character that we see each day. Thank you to Ms. Snow for her leadership and commitment to our Pentucket students.”
For students like Paige, performing has helped her grow and prepare for what comes next in life.
“Theater has changed me as a person. I have gained support systems and worked in extremely close teams, and learned that there are things I can do that I didn’t know I could do,” Paige said. “I learned more about myself.”
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE
“The Addams Family Young@Part” is the authorized 60-minute edition of the Broadway musical created for elementary and middle schools, and youth theater groups. The performance was directed by Brooke Snow, who has served as
Cast:
- Brooke Pipan as Gomez Addams
- Fiona Moore as Morticia Addams
- Paige Souliotis as Wednesday Addams
- Thomas Carrozo as Uncle Fester
- Bryce Couture as Puglsey Addams
- Ava DePaolo as Grandma Addams
- Aiden Johnson as Lurch
- Gavin Prince as Lucas Bienecke
- Astrid Laidlaw as Alice Bienecke
- Tyler Stone as Mal Bienecke
- Conor Price as Cousin Itt
- Kayla Dinan as the Moon
- Charlotte Walton and Griffin McFadden (Pirates/Soloists)
- Ava Lucius (Nurse/Soloist)
- Abby McIntyre (Cowgirl/Soloist)
- Mikayla Trombly (Victorian/Soloist)
- Zoe Power (Grim Reaper/Soloist)
- Aubrey Flynn (Waiter)
- Maddie Damacio (50’s girl ancestor)
- Holly Cushing (80s girl ancestor)
- CJ Aylward (Edgar Allan Addams)
- Gabriella Albano (Knight/Soloist)
- Agatha Quinlan (Bride)
- Logan Rich (Groom)
- Isabelle Engel (Creepy Child/Soloist)
- Hannah Lovely (Sophisticated Lady)
- Ava Murray (Pilgrim)
- Nella Snyder (Marilyn Addams/Soloist)
- Emma Niepp (Surfer)
- Jada Languirand (Sailor/Soloist)
- Tia Fahey (Prom Queen)
- Jordan Basque (Clown)
- Camden LeBlanc (Jester)
- Kaya Dinan (Ballerina Ancestor)
Production Team/Crew
- Director: Brooke Snow (staff member)
- Assistant Directors: Lauren Rivers and Hailey Bruno
- Stage Manager: Laken Graham
- Technical Director: Kevin Berube (staff member)
- Lighting Designer: Adam Hannula
- Sound Engineer: Chaney Goldstein
- Tech Crew: Jonah Brien, Zach Hannula, Zach Atwood
- Choreographers: Fiona Moore, Nayana Carvalho, Lauren Rivers, Hailey Bruno
THE ADDAMS FAMILY A NEW MUSICAL
Book by MARSHALL BRICKMAN and RICK ELICE Music and Lyrics by ANDREW LIPPA
Based on Characters Created by Charles Addams
Young@Part® Edition Adapted by Marc Tumminelli
Young@Part® Edition originally produced at Broadway Workshop in New York City
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