The Addams Family

IYFTS had chosen the perfect show to perform in the lead up to Halloween and also to showcase their wide range of talent. After a friendly greeting as always from the Front Of House team I almost passed out when a zombie leapt out of a coffin as I walked past, I knew then I was in for a fun night of entertainment!

Helen had decided to have the cast perform in a thrust style theatre set up which involves them performing to audience on three sides of the performance area, not an easy thing to pull off well but Helen’s creativity paid off and the cast relished in the interaction and close contact with the audience. Lighting was in the creative hands of Paul Oliver who managed to thoroughly compliment the performance style. There was limited set due to the space available but the props were well made and fitted the purpose, the “chair” was very impressive. Sound on the whole was good but there were a couple of times the sound balance of the orchestra against the cast was imbalanced, it must be difficult to control the full sound of the orchestra in a room with such a low ceiling, it was however a good orchestra!

Nathan Vose as head of the Addams family, Gomez, gave an excellent performance, his accent never slipped and his natural, compelling delivery and exceptional comic timing were superb. He was ably supported by Charlie Younger as his wife Morticia who gave a very strong performance and as a pair they worked together really well with a natural raport. I have to say that their Tango de Amour had “Strictly” vibes, so well performed and with fabulous choreography by Megan Crooks.  Emily Kerr gave us a suitably disturbed Wednesday Addams, her performance had maturity beyond her young age, she oozed confidence and gave solid vocal performances. The role of Lucas is complex but was in the safe hands of Corey Clarke, his performance was assured, singing good and his duet with Emily in “Crazier than You” was well done. This duet was also accompanied by a lovely pas de deux by two of the Ancestors, a lovely touch. Andy Oliver was the perfect eccentric Uncle Fester, he gave his character a warmth and playfulness that endeared him to the audience, “The Moon and Me” was lovely and Katie Scales complimented this dancing superbly as the Moon. Peter Baker grunted and groaned his way through as butler Lurch the all-seeing no speaking character who has to make his feelings known without words and the part of Grandma Addams could have been written for Norma Ord, an excellent vehicle for her to display her superb comic talent. It was lovely to see Orie Coulton-Goodwin in the role of Pugsley, his confidence grows with each show and he is one to watch for the future. The roles of Mal and Alice Beineke were superbly played by Shaun Crosby and Stephanie Peacock, both characters go through somewhat of a transformation during the show and this was so well done. Alice’s big number at the end of Act 1 was certainly a show stopper, stunning vocals and a personality meltdown which was uninhibited from Stephanie left the audience stunned, fabulous! The ensemble gave excellent support to the principals and were integral to the success of the show.

This show was the perfect return for the group after the hiatus of the last couple of years, an excellent evening’s entertainment which was thoroughly entertaining, well done to the cast and production team.

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