How “The Addams Family” Musical Reflects the 2000s
Each iteration of the Addams Family franchise holds a mirror to American society of the time. In this piece, we’ll explore how the 2009 stage adaptation reflects the United States in the 2000s.
Setting the Scene: New Sounds on Broadway in the 2000s
The Addams Family debuted during a transitional phase for Broadway and the country at large. In January 2009, President Barack Obama became the United States’ first black president, marking a turn toward “hope and change” for the nation (Fairey, 2009). During this time, rock musicals – such as Spring Awakening (2006-2009), Rock of Ages (2008-2015), Next to Normal (2009-2011) – reigned supreme, marking a turn toward contemporary music on Broadway. Additionally, Lin Manuel Miranda made his Broadway debut with In the Heights, bringing rap music and authentic representations of Latino-American culture to the mainstream of Broadway for the first time.
The Hollywood Takeover of Broadway
The 2000s also featured many screen-to-stage adaptations, continuing the Disney formula established in the 1990s with Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. The House of Mouse furthered its Broadway domination with new adaptations of Mary Poppins (2006-2013) and The Little Mermaid (2007-2009). Meanwhile, fellow animation powerhouse Dreamworks Studio entered the competition with Shrek The Musical (2008-2010). Other film adaptations from the era include the smash-hits The Color Purple (2005-2008), Young Frankenstein (2007-2009), Legally Blonde (2007-2008), and Billy Elliot (2008-2012). The Addams Family franchise’s entry into the Broadway sphere would sit squarely into this trend.
Wednesday Addams
The content changes in the musical adaptation of The Addams Family also parallel the media trends of the 2000s. The Addams Family Musical deviates from all its live-action predecessors by aging up Wednesday to 18 years old, creating new tensions within the Addams family dynamic as she establishes her independence. In the The Addams Family Musical, Wednesday experiences feelings of joy for the first time – an extreme oddity for the emotionless Addams daughter – after meeting a boy named Lucas Beineke in Central Park and falling in love. In the show, she finds herself stuck between her family’s traditions and starting a new life with Lucas. Ultimately, she must find a way to reconcile these two families to create one for herself.
The decision to make Wednesday a teenager also reflects a larger rise of young adult (YA) media in the 2000s. Riding off of the popularity of the boy bands and teen dramas in the 1990s, the early 2000s brought upon a new wave of youth-centric franchises and the cementing of the teen market. During this time, YA books dominated the literature market and inspired countless book-to-screen adaptations, most notably the Harry Potter franchise by J.K. Rowling, the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, and the The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
In television, The WB, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon transformed their programming to produce an array of shows for teens, starring teens, including hits like Gilmore Girls (The WB, 2000-2007), One Tree Hill (The WB, 2000-2007), Lizzie McGuire (Disney Channel, 2001-2004), That’s So Raven (Disney Channel, 2003-2007), Hannah Montana (Disney Channel, 2006-2011), Drake and Josh (Nickelodeon, 2004-2007), and Zoey 101 (Nickelodeon, 2005-2008).
Meanwhile, teen idols Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber dominated the pop music charts (Greene, 2012; Rosa, 2016). Vanity Fair highlighted this teen phenomena in their July 2003 issue “It’s Totally Raining Teens,” with a cover story by James Wolcott and am infamously contentious photoshoot by Mark Seliger (Walsh, 2023).
Given the popularity and marketability of these teen stories, the decision to age Wednesday to 18 years old was a strategic creative choice.
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