Most Interesting People 2013: Patrick D. Kennedy

Why he's interesting He puffs away on cigars, builds explosives and poisons dinner guests — all on stage. The West Park Catholic Academy eighth-grader currently plays the role of the mischievous Pugsley Addams in the touring Broadway musical The Addams Family. Traveling to more than 30 cities, Kennedy delivers a devilish performance that has won the acclaim of audiences and critics alike.

Callback of a lifetime Kennedy, who began performing when he was 8 years old, learned about the auditions for The Addams Family from his vocal teacher. "My aunt and mom helped me send in a videotape of me singing Pugsley's solo, 'What If.' " The producers asked him to send in another tape, and then he got the call to go to New York for an audition.

Cast of characters "The cast inspires me. They teach me new things every day. I'm close to our wardrobe supervisor, Barbara. We played pranks on each other. One day she put a fake rat in my luggage and finding it wasn't pretty on the plane."

On behaving badly "It's fun to be mischievous and not get into trouble for it. [Pugsley] makes bombs, he blows up stuff, he likes to be tortured — it's such a neat role to play."

Home sweet home Following the whirlwind tour, Kennedy is looking forward to relaxing. "I will be glad just to be home and sleep in my own bed in my own house. That will be good enough for me."

If the shirt fits Like Pugsley, who always dons a black and white striped T-shirt, Kennedy has a favorite tee of his own. "I love Family Guy, and one of my mom's co-workers got me a Stewie shirt that says, 'Sorry, I can't. I have rehearsal.' "

his Downtime "I like to watch movies and read books. My favorite author is Stephen King, so it kind of fits the Addams Family tone. I also play board games. I like Monopoly a lot. My aunt doesn't like playing it with me because she thinks I'm too vicious. I get a bit competitive when I play that game."