The Addams Family

Entering the foyer of the Point, warmly greeted by the front of house team, program and tickets waiting, we eagerly took our seats. This was the first show back for SMS, and a long awaited road to get here. This should have been performed week commencing 17th March 2020, indeed the set was built and in place and the tech/dress was all due to get going when the cast was informed that due to covid the show was cancelled. I cannot even begin to imagine what that must have been like. Almost incomprehensible. SMS are made of sterner stuff.  So here we were, new MD in tow a slight change of cast but ready to go. The anticipation was palpable.

The band started, fantastically well led by new Musical Director Gem Tunley and her band of ten top musicians, with the overture: the Addams Families only too familiar theme (we all clicked along in the correct place as an audience), the curtain was drawn and the show started. The first thing that stood out, and continued thorough the show was just how good the costumes were, in particular the ancestors, the lighting here to not only reflect the mood but to also highlight the fantastic array of ghostly figures, all in white!.

The whole cast were in step, in time with well drilled inventive choreography by Sarah Earnshaw, who had obviously worked very hard in rehearsals to produce what we were seeing, they sang well together and sounded great. They were obviously enjoying themselves and this shone out across the whole of the auditorium.

This was a very strong principal line up, very well led by Daniel Ferrett as Gomez and Katy Watt as Morticia (who had all the nuances off-pat, great to watch) but ably backed up by Dave Smith as Fester, Lauren Wilson as Wednesday and Logan Robinson as Pugsley. The Bieneke Family (Mal - Dave Brown, Alice - Bethany Churcher and Lucas – Jim Smith) were suitably repost as the unwilling third party, leaving Danielle Fletcher as Grandma and Adrian Jones as Lurch to finish off the principle line up. All played their own individual parts with some aplomb.

The whole show moved at a great pace with good diction both spoken and sung throughout, and could be forgiven for a few out of breath lines after some frenetic dance routines, but this all added to it.

This was John Chalkley’s directorial debut, and a fantastic debut it was too. His vision, thoughts, ideas and execution led to an excellent evening's entertainment, one that will be remembered for a very long time. Thank you John, Adrian and all at SMS for a fantastic evening

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