www.broadwayworld.com: A voting board in the school district of Northern Lebanon, Pennsylvania has vetoed a proposed production of the popular musical, The Addams Family.
On Tuesday night, the board voted 2-7 to not approve a production of Andrew Lippa's musical adaptation of the iconic property for 2024.
Board members who voted against the show expressed concerns over some of the musical's darker themes, which include sequences involving cartoonish depictions of violence and smoking.
3 comments:
Here’s one thing that stood out to me: the Board President said that he would enjoy this show in a community theatre - there’s a high probability that students of high school age will make up a portion, if not the entirety of the cast. The argument that the show has “no place in the district” when it is one of the most common high school produced shows is somewhat ludicrous. What makes this district any different? Is every other district just disgraceful? This is what I don’t understand. The certain songs and scenes a Board Member doesn’t want “being promoted in the district” are derived from a classic, long-enduring property. These elements are associated with The Addams Family, especially since they are boldly cartoonish, and not with the “values of the school.” Any *reasonable* person would not assume Wednesday torturing Pugsley is a statement about condoning torture. The argument that “there’s a lot of other great musicals…” to do is true, but not necessarily a fact here. Addams is a very good choice for high schools due to its large cast, kooky characters, and likeable music. Let’s say this show was perfect for the current state of the drama department. That’s unfortunate for them.
I wrote a comment last year about how The Addams Family was one of the if not the top musicals for high schools specifically to perform. It is shocking to me that this musical was rejected by a school board, not only that it was rejected but it was well over the majority at 2-7. It is clear that this is another situation where a school board has made a decision on behalf of the students that will actually not benefit them at all and may even cause more harm than good. This happens when a school board is required to make a decision on something they probably don’t know or care much about. This show is about how love can prevail even when huge forces may be in the way. The show is about love at its core and this school board boiled it down to Wednesday being violent which is kind of her whole thing and the parents being in love which I would.
Although The Addams Family is a darker musical, it still surprises me that the School District would prevent such a show from performing, even in a school setting. There are lots of other ways to restrict a performance without fully banning the production from the program. I agree with board member Michelle Bucks who said that “somebody somewhere is going to have discomfort with it”. All around the country governments are banning either books, musicals, or other forms of expressive art and entertainment that are there to help teach people important lessons and bring joy to the community. I find that often people get tied up in the negatives that the stories tell rather than the positives and therefore we lose the ability to teach that knowledge to the children of our community. I find that the production of The Addams Family should still be allowed in school settings because it can be a fun show to do with positive messages to learn from, and if the board is so unhappy with this show, then they should make an edited version to put on stage. To make something disappear just because it makes you uncomfortable makes me worry for the future of the arts, cause there is always going to be something someone doesn’t like.
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