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Black is white, and white is black in the Addams family, and Bainbridge Little Theatre brings it close to home with its most recent and still-running musical production. Despite their peculiarities, the Addams are a tight-knit, loving clan whose escapades raise questions about the boundaries of normality and inclusion in society. And with Halloween right around the corner, this production might be just the thing to get you into the spirit of the season.  

While Gomez and Morticia proudly embrace their off-kilter traditions, their beloved daughter Wednesday has found the love of her life. She is forced to confront the juxtaposition of a perfectly average family from Ohio with her own. This clash of worlds throughout a single night sets up the entire story arc and highlights themes to which even the most normal of families can relate.

The Addams family has never cared about social frameworks. The only thing that matters to them is the well-being of their own family, as dark and strange as that may be. But throughout the play, they support each other and live according to the laws of their opposite reality. Audience members are often reminded of similar, perhaps slightly less spooky, tough dilemmas and growing moments familiar to all families.

Everyday life, jokes, and habits of the Addams often seem shocking to us, but at the same time, the underlying theme is one of simplicity. Morticia says it best when she tells Wednesday, “Normal is an illusion, dear. What’s normal for the spider is a calamity for the fly,” We are left to ponder just how different and similar we all are. While there are one or two colorful words in the script, laughs and smiles are constantly on the audience’s faces.

All families are a little strange, but maybe not all will be quite as unique as the Addams family. Audiences will enjoy recognizing the common truths we all seem to grapple with from time to time, reflected in the Addams’ dark humor and crazy relatives. And strangely enough, you might leave feeling a little less kooky than when you first stepped foot in the theater. 

You can still catch a performance of the Addams Family this weekend at Bainbridge Little Theater, the perfect way to welcome in the spookiest of Octobers.