Every family is a little whacky, right? The Addams Family certainly is, and Central Florida audiences can see them in a new musical comedy.
Macallister Caraccioloa, 11, plays Pugsley Addams in Little Radical Theatrics' production of "The Addams Family." We visited her during rehearsal this past week at a hotel near SeaWorld Orlando.
Acting since the age of 4, she says being in theater allows her to make new friends, among other things. “You can play different characters and not just be yourself all the time — which sounds weird!” she giggles. “But I like to play different characters.”
Her mom, Amanda, isn't a “stage mom,” per se. She's actually performing in the show, too. “You don't think of an 11-year-old as being able to tap into some complex emotions, but [Macallister] has really blown us away.”
Macallister and her mom were sport black and white bracelets. Then 11-year-old made them for the entire cast. But not so black and white is the storyline of the new musical. “This really is a modernized tale, where Wednesday is growing up and she's falling in love,” Amanda says. And the boy could not be more unlike the ghoulish family, so mom and dad Addams aren't dealing so well.
You can catch The Little Radical Theatrics' version of "The Addams Family" at the Orlando Shakes on select dates through Aug. 7.