А Premiere of "THE ADDAMS FAMILY - A NEW MUSICAL"

OPERA OPEN presents the premiere of the Broadway musical "The Addams Family" on August 18 and September 20 at the Ancient Theater. The darkest family in America unfolds in this hit musical comedy about love, family, trust, and growing up, with a touching and poignant twist. "The Addams Family" features music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a script by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Following numerous film and television adaptations, this is the first and only stage production based on these iconic characters. Its Broadway premiere in 2010 was met with critical acclaim and garnered several prestigious awards.

The spectacle from the OPERA OPEN program is directed by Petar Odazhiev, conducted by Viliana Valkheva, with scenography by Petko Tanchev, costumes by Nikolina Kostova-Bogdanova, choreography by Amedeo Junta, lighting design by Vasko Lisichov, and choral direction by Tsvetan Tsvetkov. The text and song translation is done by Tsvetomira Tsoneva. The cast includes soloists Yulia Yordanova-Kerana, Evgeniy Arabadzhiev, Kalina Kostova, Tsveti Penyashki, Dimitar Angelov, Mathey Minchev, Nikolay Bachkov, Daniel Rusev, Mariyana, Viktor Ibrishimov, and Mariya Atanasova, along with the choir, ballet, and orchestra of Opera Plovdiv.

Director Petar Odazhiev prepares a well-intentioned parody of dark comedy with a nod to the painted characters, popular worldwide, who carry their distinctive burden. The musical's story places these well-known characters in a new situation – a grown-up Wednesday falls in love with a "normal" boy, and the ghostly mansion experiences a nightmare. The production team approaches the musical dramaturgy as a guiding force and aligns everything with it – actors, choreography, mapping transitions, and set movements.

Scenographer Petko Tanchev employs precise mapping on the architecture of the Ancient Theater to transform it into the eerie home of the Addams family, a graveyard, or a midnight garden. For the first time in an Opera Plovdiv production, artificial intelligence is utilized to generate mapping elements based on the descriptions of individual scenes in the musical.

Amedeo Junta incorporates modern Broadway-style dance, elements of Bob Fosse and jazz, to create choreography that infuses energy into the otherwise dark Family. The dances in the production serve as the "decor" of the stage and contrast with the costumes and scenography. In the finale, the audience will realize that this family from beyond is, in fact, much more alive than normal families, just in a different way.

The performance is realized with the assistance of the "Sofia Musical Theater." OPERA OPEN is part of the "Legacy 2023" program in Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019.