Freshman History major gets starring role in ‘Addams Family’

The University of Detroit Mercy Theatre Company later this week is set to begin production of The Addams Family, its first musical in Detroit since the coronavirus pandemic.

The show, a shortened 90-minute dramatic concert version of the much longer musical, starts March 31 and runs through April 10 at the Marlene Boll Theater inside the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit. It’s directed by Greg Grobis and tells the story of what happens when a respectable Ohio family, which includes a young man who Wednesday Addams has a crush on, comes to visit for a dinner party.

“We have a group of really talented students who are so excited to perform in this show,” Grobis told BroadwayWorld.com. “They capture the true essence of the characters, which is critical for the fans to fall in love with this show all over again.”

The cast includes Katherine Mutschler as Morticia Addams. It’s the first leading role for Mutschler, a freshman History major.

 “I feel so extremely grateful to have been cast in this role,” she told The Varsity News. “Acting has always been a passion of mine, but I never got big roles in high school and wasn’t very confident in my acting abilities. When I first saw my name next to Morticia’s on the cast list I was completely shocked, but I was also really euphoric as a lifelong dream had finally come true.”

In addition to her major in History, Mutschler is pursuing a minor in Museum Studies. She hopes to work as a museum curator someday. Despite not majoring in Theatre, she said she hasn’t felt like an outsider on set.

 “I personally put a lot of pressure on myself to do well in this role because I’m not a theater major and feel like I have more to prove, but my cast and crewmates haven’t been like that at all,” she said. “Everyone has been very supportive of me, and seeing what my cast mates are capable of pushes me to be a better actor. I’m typically pretty shy, but this special group of people has allowed me to come out of my shell and be more confident.”

Mutschler said she’s been researching the part by watching the original Addams Family TV series from the ‘60s and the films from the ‘90s. She also said she has a specific playlist she likes to listen to that helps “get me into Morticia’s headspace.”

Tickets for the show are available at detroitmercyarts.com.

Editors note: The author is also a member of the Detroit Mercy Theatre Company.