Snap, Snap! ‘Addams Family’ Musical to Visit SD
The Broadway tour will haunt the Civic Center May 29-June 3. For a little preview, San Diego Magazine talks with the Addams Family patriarch, Tony-nominated actor Douglas Sills.
SDM: In what ways is the Addams family like your own family?
DS: They love each other very much, they’re very peculiar, and everybody looks good in black.
SDM: What do you enjoy most about playing such an iconic character?
DS: It’s really been one of the most joyful experiences I’ve ever had, and I think I enjoy it most because the cast is so extremely talented that it sets the bar really high. It keeps me incredibly sharp and creative. In addition, I would say that the audiences arrive with a very open heart—eager to revisit an old friend that they haven’t seen in a long time.
SDM: From Peter Pan to Much Ado about Nothing to The Addams Family, your acting career reflects a lot of diversity. What qualities do you look for when you take on a project?
DS: I look for colleagues who are mercurial, who will challenge me, and a creative scenario where I don’t know all the answers.
SDM: What is your favorite scene in The Addams Family and why?
DS: I think my favorite scene lately is the great hall scene where the Addams family and the prospective in-laws from the more normal family meet for the first time. The show is first and foremost a comedy, and has its greatest success in that quality. So if the audience is with us, as they usually are, it’s filled with tremendous situational laughter.
SDM: There’s a picture of you and Sara Gettelfinger (Morticia Addams) enjoying Cincinnati’s famous Skyline chili. Are you looking forward to exploring any San Diego eateries while you’re here?
DS: Yes, if anybody has any great farm-to-table places, then I’m open! Southern California is very familiar and comforting for me, and I look forward to showing my friends beautiful Balboa Park and the Old Globe. The only eatery I remember is Hash House, which I liked very much.
SDM: Which of your characters do you think would fare better in a fight: Captain Hook or Gomez with his knife-throwing skills?
DS: Probably Captain Hook because he fights dirty. Gomez is very ADHD, so if a beautiful woman walked, by he’d get killed.
