The Addams Family

Retford Musical Theatre Company, brought The Addams Family to life, a wonderful production, superb sound, delightful lighting, an immersive theatrical experience, a huge ensemble cast, wonderful makeup, brilliant costumes, detailed choreography, stunning set, and the principles were all strong. You didn’t put a foot wrong.

In the kooky, upside-down world of the Addams Family, to be sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy, and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams. Nonetheless, this quirky family still has to deal with many of the same challenges faced by any other family, and the spookiest nightmare faced by every family creates the focus Lippa, Brickman, and Elice’s musical: the Addams kids are growing up. The Addamses have lived by their unique values for hundreds of years and Gomez and Morticia, the patriarch and matriarch of the clan, would be only too happy to continue living that way. Their dark, macabre, beloved daughter Wednesday, however, is now an eighteen year-old young woman who is ready for a life of her own. She has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a sweet, smart boy from a normal, respectable Ohio family — the most un-Addams sounding person one could be! And to make matters worse, she has invited the Beinekes to their home for dinner. In one fateful, hilarious night, secrets are disclosed, relationships are tested, and the Addams family must face up to the one horrible thing they’ve managed to avoid for generations: change.

The Ancestors – (30 listed in the programme) were all excellent. They appeared spookily around the theatre before curtain up and posed for photographs whilst spooky sounds and lighting were played into the auditorium. This set the scene and ensured the audience got into the mood of the show. I enjoyed every dance sequence and you all looked like you were enjoying yourselves through the whole thing. Plenty of sustained energy and lots of kooky shenanigans to entertain the audience.

 

The set – a huge round of applause as the curtain opened. It was immense! Combined with drapery, lighting and mist, it was stunning. Well done the build team, it looked well-built. (and heavy?)  The backstage crew under stage manager Richard Concannon did a tremendous job, silently changing scenes. I liked the front of curtain pieces of gravestones and the shadowy trees. The lighting was amazing. (Vinnie Hemmings), with different effects and colour all enhancing the action and dance numbers. The follow spot was a busy position and operated well by Dave Cave and William Riley. Great job! Sound by (Adam Bright (design) and Vanessa Smith (operation) balanced everything well and I could hear every word, sound effect and musical note. The props team under Jayne Hornor, worked hard to ensure everything used was ready, correct, and well lit and this enhanced the ambience.

Music - The band under Brady Mould were wonderful, with superb playing, great pace, and execution. I noted the rehearsal musical director was Martin Yates. His tireless work with the cast has paid dividends. Choreographer Adele Beaumont and dance captain Clare Bowler – the dancing was detailed, the movement characterful, and I particularly enjoyed the light-up capes in The Moon and Me. All the singing was brilliant. Not a weak performance amongst the whole ensemble.

The principal cast were really excellent. Gomez and Morticia, Jamie Savage and Emma Wighton, were a brilliant pairing.  The chemistry between them ensured their characterisation was spot on. All their musical numbers were excellent and I loved their costumes. I saw Emma Parker as Wednesday and Charlie Daley as Pugsley, super performances and singing. Lurch - Mike Pinkerton, Mal - Dan Prentice, Alice - Jane Shelley, Lucas - Oliver Ward, Fester - Ian Stewart, were all excellent too. And Grandma played by Jayne Cox, was delightful. You were all having such a good time, singing your hearts out and coping magnificently with props, scene changes, stairs, and dance routines - a special show, and a wonderful performance.

Many congratulations to director Liz Teanby-Williams, a well directed, sensation.  I could see your hand in every aspect of the show from the lighting plot, to the sound, to the way the ancestors worked on stage. Excellent.

Your programme will be entered into the NODA yearly competition as it included all the right details, it is colourful, informative and commemorates a wonderful show.  Thank you all for meeting me after the performance and letting me see the set and I enjoyed talking to the backstage crew.  A ‘thank you’, to the chaperones, John Duffy, Dawn Mitchell, Alison Pinkerton and Carolyn White without whom the show would not go on.  And finally, the front-of-house team and volunteers at The Majestic for the warm welcome which made the who production feel special.

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