The Addams Family, musical aims for Broadway in 2009/10 season

The new Broadway development and production company Elephant Eye Theatrical (EET), have announced that they aim to bring The Addams Family, a new musical based on characters, cartoons and sketches by the legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, to Broadway in 2010.

The production plans to open on Broadway on 8 Apr 2010, following previews from 5 Mar 2010, at a theatre to be announced. Prior to its Broadway premiere, The Addam's Family will have its world premiere at Chicago's Ford Center where it will play from 13 Nov 2009 - 10 Jan 2010.

The Addams Family features book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, writers of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys. Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party) is writing the score, and Improbable Theater founders Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch will direct and design.

In a career spanning six decades, Charles Addams created several thousand cartoons, sketches and drawings, many of which were famously published in The New Yorker. But it was his creation of characters that came to be known as The Addams Family that brought Addams his greatest acclaim. With a unique style that combined the ghoulish, macabre and just plain weird with charm, wit and enchantment, Addams� drawings of Gomez, Morticia, Fester, Wednesday, Pugsley, Grandmama, Lurch and Thing -- have entertained millions worldwide and served as the inspiration for multiple television series and motion pictures.

The story for The Addams Family will feature a completely original story and will not be based on either the TV series or movies.

�It�s both an extraordinary privilege as well as a daunting responsibility being entrusted with Charles Addams� most beloved creations,� says Elephant Eye producer Stuart Oken, �though I�m confident this outstanding creative team is re-imagining the work for the stage in a way that would have made Charlie proud.�

The Charles & Tee Addams Foundation was founded in 2000 by the late Tee Addams, widow of Charles Addams. The Foundation�s purpose is to interpret and share the artistic achievement of Charles Addams� life through programs developed from the artist�s work and archives. It operates today under the direction of Kevin Miserocchi and Michael Solomon.

Rights were granted for the musical by the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation and marks the first time Addams� work will serve as the basis for a stage production.

Elephant Eye Theatrical, formed by producers Stuart Oken, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Productions in late 2005, is a theatrical development and production company dedicated to the creation of new book musicals for Broadway. The company�s mission is to find and initiate projects, fund their genesis and ongoing development, and serve as lead producer when projects are fully staged.

Marshall Brickman (Book) with Rick Elice, wrote the book for the 2006 Tony Award-winning best musical 'Jersey Boys,' for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. He won an Academy Award for his screen play 'Manhattan' (1979) and was nominated for an Academy Awards for the screen play 'Annie Hall' (1977) - both wrote in collaboration with Woody Allen.

Rick Elice (Book) with Marshall Brickman wrote the book for 'Jersey Boys,' which received the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, and for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. He wrote a popular thriller, 'Double Double,' (which was translated into 16 languages), and 'Leonardo�s Ring' (London Fringe, 2003) and 'Dog and Pony' (New York Stage and Film, 2003).

Andrew Lippa (Music and Lyrics) is currently penning the music and lyrics for a new musical based on Jules Feiffer�s 'The Man In The Ceiling' (Feiffer is writing the book) which is being produced by Disney Theatrical. His Broadway credits include writting the music for Aaron Sorkin�s 'The Farnsworth Invention' (2007), and writting additional music for 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' which was scored by 'Clark Gesner.' His musical 'The Wild Party' (book/music/lyrics) was given its world premiere in an Off-Broadway production by Manhattan Theater Club in 2000.

Phelim McDermott (Direction and Design) co-founded dereck dereck Productions with Julia Bardsley, and productions include 'The Vinegar Works,' 'The Glass Hill' and 'The Sweet Shop Owner.' Other directing includes 'The Ghost Downstairs' at Leicester Haymarket; 'Dr Faustus and Improbable Tales' (an entirely improvised two-hour play) at Nottingham Playhouse; 'The Servant of Two Masters,' 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and 'The Government Inspector' for West Yorkshire Playhouse; and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' for the English Shakespeare Company in 1996/97. McDermott directed Shockheaded Peter in London and at the Little Shubert Theatre, Off Broadway, with Julian Crouch. He recently directed Philip Glass' 'Satyagraha,' in collaboration with the English National Opera and the Met.

Julian Crouch (Direction and Design) is a director, designer, writer, maker and teacher whose career has spanned theatre, opera, film and television. In 1992 he began a successful creative partnership with Phelim McDermott, for whom he designed 'Dr. Faustus,' 'Improbable Tales,' 'The Servant of Two Masters' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (which earned him a T.M.A nomination for Best Designer of the Year). They also co-directed and designed 'The Quest for Don Quixote' which received a Best Design Nomination in the London Fringe Awards and 'A Midsummer Night�s Dream' (TMA Best Touring Production Award) for the English Shakespeare Company. He recently designed and associate-directed Philip Glass' Opera Satyagraha in collaboration with Improbable, English National Opera and the Met.