Central Pa. school board rejects 'Addams Family' musical

Mar. 20—A Central Pennsylvania school board last week voted against allowing high school students to perform "The Addams Family" musical next year, according to WITF.

School directors debated for about 30 minutes before the majority concluded that the musical promotes bad values and is inappropriate for families, the news outlet reported. Directors of Northern Lebanon School District, in a rural area just outside of Harrisburg, said they had issues with the musical's dark themes, including scenes of violence and children smoking.

The plot of the musical was adapted for schools from the Broadway version. In it, the storyline follows the goth, macabre family's reaction to its main character, Wednesday Addams, falling in love and bringing her beau and his family to dinner, according to Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

The original television show includes kooky parents Gomez and Morticia, and their equally bizarre children Wednesday and Pugsley. The cast is rounded out with family members Uncle Fester and Grandma, butler Lurch and a disembodied hand named Thing.

The musical has been performed for several years by school-age children in Western Pennsylvania, including at Aquinas Academy in Pittsburgh, Plum, Penn Hills, Hampton, Greensburg's Stage Right and others.

"The Addams Family" high school adaptation is among the most popular musicals across the country, according to the Educational Theatre Association's annual rankings.

Northern Lebanon High School students recently performed "The Little Mermaid," according to photographs on its website. The district is home to about 2,500 students.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .