His casting as the faithful, man of few words butler Lurch had been kept secret, even from the rest of the cast. Mr Kircher said he had been looking forward to the announcement so he could be more involved with the cast, who have been rehearsing for the past five weeks.
''I'm hoping it will be a great experience,'' he said.
The Waitaki mayor was approached to play Lurch last month by Dunedin based director Doug Kamo.
''[Lurch] is a character that moves around slowly and grunts ... I thought it was amusing when they thought of me for it,'' he said.
''I hope I don't get typecast.''
He thought it would be ''an interesting thing to do, pushing the envelope a bit''.
''I enjoy change and this is a hell of a change,'' he said.
''My first priority is not to totally embarrass myself. The second thing is to do my bit to make the show go as well as possible and, lastly, try to enjoy myself.''
Mr Kircher's last foray into the performing arts was in his primary school years, when he played the ''handsome prince'' in a play.
''It is going to be a challenge and I'm expecting that once I start performing they'll fire me straight away,'' he said.
Mr Kircher will be stretching his acting, singing and dancing abilities alongside some established local musical theatre actors.
Other lead roles are being played by David Snow, Anna Sillibourne, Gypsy Mae Harrison, Joel Kunnethedan, Seth Sinclair, Molly Callanan, Elton Crane, Kristine McGeown and David Blair.
Mr Kamo is director, Emma Holloway, of Dunedin, choreographer and Stephen Hinds, of Oamaru, is musical director.
Mr Kircher said the talent in all aspects of the production, on stage and off stage, is what will make The Addams Family a great musical.
Waitaki deputy mayor Hugh Perkins is a backing vocalist.
Mr Kircher encouraged Waitaki residents to book tickets and support local theatre.
''Buy tickets, come and have a laugh at me ... all my family are coming along for a great laugh,'' he said.
The Addams Family opens at the Oamaru Opera House on September 11, with performances running until September 19.
