Have a Funny, Punny Halloween with OBT’s Dracula vs. the Adamns Family

By Amanda Berg Whittle

We need some humor in the Halloween holiday, and the Off Broadway Theater’s Dracula vs. the Adamns Family in Salt Lake City does the trick. (Pun.)  When you think of Halloween, do you usually think of all things scary—monsters, wicked witches, and haunted houses? Well, if you do, good for you. I don’t. I prefer a more upbeat, happy Halloween, like how in eighth grade I dressed up as Mother Nature during menopause or how this year my husband will be a marshmallow, I will be a graham cracker, and my dog will be… a chocolate lab. S’mores! Honestly, I think there are more than enough haunted houses in Utah to scare the pants off everyone in the state.  The OBT brings something to laugh about during the month of scares and spooks.

The Off Broadway Theater, or OBT for short, is hands down the funniest, punniest theater in Utah. It’s a nonprofit organization, so you can’t expect the set to come from Broadway, but that’s not the point. When you go to the OBT, you do not go for a grandiose performance of class and fanciness—you go to laugh until you pee, which I can say has never happened (yet), which I consider quite the accomplishment since I’ve gone to this theater at least 20 times. My husband always gets me a water bottle, and I never drink it. Now you see why.

Dracula vs. the Adamns Family is a comedy written by theater owner, director, and Dracula himself, Eric Jensen. It is a classic “Addams” Family adventure complete with awkward power couple Morgue-ana (Lisa Nicole Thurman) and Ghoulmez (Nathaniel Brown), eccentric and ancient Grammy (Jessica Benson/Denise Hassett), creepy yet charming Uncle Pester (Matthew Davids/Scott Macdonald), adorably unintelligible Cousin Twit and Letch (Tonya Aikens and George Ferris/Kaleb Green), and delightfully murderous children Gwendsday (Lily Carlson/Izee Snarr) and Thugsly (Keenan Schafer.) Besides the Adamns Family, notable characters include the peppiest Scout masters ever, Frankie and Gladys Homesby (Cassie Jackman and Taylor Anne, respectively), Dracula’s apprentice Renee Field (Krystal Funk), and evil clown, Clownsy (Sebastian Smith, also assistant director.) In this show, Dracula poses as an antique salesman to try to seduce and steal Morgue-ana. The family must then go on an adventure to Dracula’s lair to get her back. With this, as expected from OBT, hilarity ensues, complete with plenty of jokes about Utah culture—my favorite part.

It would be impossible to say something about every single character because there are so many of them and they are all unique. For one, Jensen is one of the funniest people alive, and his improvisation through the show adds quite a bit of extra unexpected humor. The kids in the show are all quite talented for their age, including ensemble members Aubri Miller and Cameron Miller. I am especially impressed with the triple threats who play Gwendsday, Carson and Snarr, who, I learned, are best friends. They not only sing, act, and dance well, but they are also gymnasts. Brown, likewise, is a gymnast and quite the dancer. He can kick surprisingly high, especially impressive while wearing a fancy suit. Thurman, I’m sure, has many talents, but the most impressive I see in this show is her ability to remain completely serious in the face of the buffoonery that ensues on the stage. Despite her character’s seriousness, you can tell she is truly enjoying herself on the stage.

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People may say Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, but I believe OBT is (disclaimer: I’ve never been to Disneyland.) Every time we go, we can expect to laugh so hard that it feels like we were at the gym for three hours doing an ab workout. To add to your night of endless laughter, be sure to stay after the show and attend Laughing Stock, OBT’s improv comedy show that they have every Friday and Saturday at 10 PM. If you go to both shows in one night you can get a discount on your Laughing Stock tickets. Another wonderful thing about this show is that it is very family friendly, and despite some innuendos that go totally over the kids’ heads, even the smallest kids are laughing and enjoying their time at the show. Take your whole family to OBT and see Dracula vs. The Adamns Family for a ton of fun and pun not to be outdone.

The Off Broadway Theatre presents Dracula vs. The Adamns Family by Eric Jensen. The Off Broadway Theatre, 272 S Main St., Salt Lake City, UT 84110
September 20-October 26, 2019 (Monday, Friday-Saturday) 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10-16
Contact: 801-355-4628
The Off Broadway Theatre’s Facebook Page