The Addams Family

This quirky off beat humour musical was well presented by the society and provided plenty of fun from start to finish. The whole Addams Family saga has attracted quite a cult following over the many years since was introduced to the world. The set and costumes were good and scene changes took place quickly and quietly. The lighting plot was effective and there was a good balance of sound between the performers and ‘pit’.

Will Lock and Jenny Barlow-Jennings worked well together as husband-and-wife Gomez and Morticia Addams as they tried to keep their marriage and family together. They were aided and abetted by daughter (Wednesday) and son (Pugsley) played by Becky Hanratty and Eden Wedgbrow. She wants to leave and marry a ‘normal’ person and he is desperate to stop this from happening. The four of them sang and acted very well in character. The rest of the family were made up of Uncle Fester played by the talented Jack Broughton, Grandma played by the very experienced Becky Easen and their interactions with everyone were hilarious. Comedy and particularly this type of comedy requires good timing and this was accomplished very well by them. They are complimented by their butler, Lurch and whilst the family have plenty of energy he moves around as slowly as possible and is totally expressionless. This role was in the very capable hands of Alex Priestley. He didn’t say or sing much but when he did it was impressive. The family disrupting the Addams family routine were Lucas Beineke (Dan McCloskey), Alice Beineke (Jane James) and Malcolm Beineke (Jonathan Mason). The romance between Lucas and Wednesday was well paced and they worked well together riding the ups and downs of their blossoming relationship. Jane James was hilarious in the scene where she was given a potion in error whilst Jonathan Mason as Malcolm struggled to deal with everything happening around them. All three of them sang and acted very well. I was impressed by the chorus of ancestors as they maintained their individual characters throughout and executed the slick choreography extremely well. The harmony singing by them was strong and confident in all their appearances. I thought that the touches bringing the ancestors on stage as observers and appearing in the ‘mirror’ were very clever and ensured that there was always something happening on stage. Congratulations to all the cast, production team, musicians, crew and technicians for providing us with a fun-filled evening. Well done!  

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