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When Gail Hutchings contemplated getting married, she confessed to her husband-to-be, Gary Johnsen, that she didn't really know how to cook.
He made the perfect joke: "You can teach our children to act well-fed," referring to her studies of speech and drama at Brigham Young University.
After graduating in 1974, Gail Johnsen focused on raising a family that grew to include seven children. Over the years, instead of formal drama lessons, the kids mostly learned about stage fighting, she says.
Instead of working on her own performing skills, she vicariously experienced show business through her son.
Based in New York, Clark Johnsen, a BYU graduate, performed for about a decade in tours of "Mary Poppins," "High School Musical" and "Mamma Mia!," as well as Broadway runs of "The Addams Family" and "The Book of Mormon." In 2014, he left the ensemble of "Book of Mormon" to enter medical school.
The Johnsens retired to Utah in 2011. That's when Gail Johnsen began taking voice and acting lessons. Along the way, she says, she often called on her son for advice as she auditioned for community theater roles.
This weekend, Gail Johnsen, now 66, is performing as an ancestor in Draper Arts Council's production of "The Addams Family," the same part her son performed in the 2010 Broadway run of the musical. "Mother and son — full circle," Clark Johnsen says.
He's proud of how hard his mother has worked to overcome stage fright. Gail Johnsen says she's inspired by a line from the Talmud: "Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers: 'Grow, grow.' " She included that thought in "My Miraculous Moments," a collection of inspirational essays she self-published earlier this year.
In rehearsals, Johnsen's work ethic has inspired younger cast members, says director Elizabeth Edmiston. "I've never seen an actor try harder," says Edmiston, noting how Johnsen videotaped the choreography so she could work at home to perfect her steps.
Her son helped her brainstorm ideas as she worked with the production's designer on her costume. Back when she was studying at BYU, Johnsen says she didn't know much about makeup or costumes. Now she's turned that weakness into a strength by building a costume collection, which includes more than 80 hats.
Clark Johnsen considers their shared love of performing as a bridge to common ground after he left the LDS Church and went on to marry his partner, Matt. Gail Johnsen considers her "gospel-centered feelings about family" as the bridge.
But both agree those differences fall away due to the metaphoric resonance of one mother and son's love of a spirited Broadway musical that focuses on one particularly crazy family.
facebook.com/ellen.weist —
Addams family just may be 'Crazier Than You'
Draper Arts Council presents "The Addams Family," directed by Elizabeth Edmiston.
When • Continues Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5, 7 p.m.
Where • Summit Academy Junior High School, 1225 E. 13200 South, Draper
Tickets • $10 adults, $7 children (12 and younger); children sitting on a lap (2 and younger) are free; http://www.buyyourtix.com/tickets?c=2&e=39; 15 percent discount for groups of 15 or more