The Addams Family

The Addams Family is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.  The show is based on The Addams Family characters created by Charles Addams in his cartoons, which depict a ghoulish American family with an affinity for all things macabre. Although numerous film and television adaptations of Addams' cartoons exist, the musical is the first stage show based on the characters.  Set in the Addams Family Mansion in Central Park New York, the show features memorable songs and the opportunity for a large ensemble of ancestors to be included alongside the lead actors.

Blackfriars offered me a warm welcome and it was lovely to see all the familiar faces who manned (or womaned) the bar, sold raffle tickets, stewarding, and front-of-house team.  This show is fascinating in its complexity and would not have been possible without the backstage crew, lighting, and sound operators, including follow spots and flymen. Stage Manager – Kip Barrs, Deputy Stage Manager – Christian Slingsby, Sound Operator – Sav Keeler, Lighting Operator – John Knight, Follow Spots – Millie Johnson & Anthony Swan, Chief Flyman – Tori Callaby, 2nd and 3rd  Flyman – Cliff Goldsmith, Brad Hazell, Stage Crew – Harmonye Cairns, Lourenco Maia, Jamie Shave, Artjoms Losevs. You all managed the complicated Ins and Outs, and On’s and Off’s with aplomb. The stage set was magnificent, very interesting with lots of different elements. A huge staircase and walls with practical doors, columns that changed from trees to pillars by rotating on the stage, bedrooms, Central Park, a huge tree with a swing, a beautiful moon, gothic windows, a torture chamber, and crypt gates.  All were brought to life by the great lighting effects utilising amazing projections and the props were coordinated by Jenny Cartwright. You all had a magnificent space to perform in and it all looked sumptuous.

The music was performed live and this is a change from the last few productions I have seen by BOSMTG, it really added depth to the performance. Steve Chandley (Musical Director) created a wonderful sound. Keys 2 - Adrian Reed, Violin - Becky Brown, Reed 1 - Kimberley Jacob, Reed 2 - James Anderson, Trumpet - Steve Chandley, Trombone - Emily Shell, Bass - Phil Winfield, Drums - Tom Simpson with Paul Emmett Keys 1 and conductor. I enjoyed every note.

Performers – firstly the ancestors. Rob told me he wanted the ancestors to be imagined as real historical characters, all linked, back in the distant past, as part of the Addams Family.  This worked to great effect and had the audience guessing who the ancestors were. All the ancestors performed well the dancing was excellent, the harmonies were well-rehearsed and everyone looked like they were enjoying being on stage. The costumes were brilliant, (some made by cast members) with Rachael Hockmeyer’s expertise and overall design. This iconic show was elaborately costumed throughout and I recognised the similarities to the original TV show. For the ancestors, I saw lots of pale wigs and even paler makeup, which made the spooky characters come to life in a deathly way. Hair styling by Charley Spikings.

Julian Warrick gave a breath-taking performance as Gomez, I felt his strong accent, singing voice, and demeanour, exactly right for the part. His comic timing was brilliant and his chemistry with other performers was delightful. Julian managed many subtly yet meaningful facial expressions and his body language utilised to make Gomez lovable plus Julian played to the audience skilfully. His costume, complete with waistcoat and sword worked well and his energetic performance, skilled dancing (especially the tango number), and buttery voice with an exacting accent were just lovely.

Natasha Conner played Morticia well, her accent slipped a little at times, but her strong vocals, acting and dancing were excellent. Caitlin Cooper played Wednesday, with sober looks and sulky body language. Her voice was stupendous, her diction and accent were perfect, and I feel she gave a confident polished performance. So many great musical numbers, and Caitlin performed them all with skill. Zak Roberts played Pugsley, his first show with BOSMTG. His clever interpretation and acting skills shone through. Cheeky and sulky, yet he had the audience behind him, especially when he sang from the heart ‘What If’, a wonderful solo. Well done to all the young performers, it’s amazing to think some of you are so young, I hope to see you all again onstage soon as you develop through working with BOSMTG. (Thank you to the chaperones too, without whom the young stars could not participate.)

Fester played by PJ Roberts, was a great comic part. He looked just right, gave an animated performance, and interacted with the ancestors and the audience with skill. His song ‘The Moon and Me’ had an unusual staging, with ancestors dancing and the very skilled Annabel Cooper playing The Moon in a solo aerial performance.  (This unusual portrayal was super!) I felt this scene, was too busy and overpowered the love song. My attention was split between PJ's singing, the ancestors dancing, and the ariel performance. Other numbers (‘But Love’ and ‘Festers Manifesto’) were sung very well too and PJ’s performance and characterisation were excellent.

Kim Sands was unrecognisable as Granny, her costumes, wig, and make-up really enhanced her part and the wonderfully creative and energetic performance was delightful. Ben Green played Lurch with confidence. He had perfect comic timing and vocalisations, plus a strong singing voice that made me smile. The Beineke’s were played by Lucy and Steve Dickons, with very good chemistry and George Tompkins (another newbie to BOSMTG) played Lucas with good body language and created super chemistry between the parents and especially with Wednesday. This trio had great vocals and accents, floorless dance moves, and were all well-costumed. My favourite number at the end of Act 1 was ‘Waiting’, sung by Alice. Lucy’s faultless enthusiasm and superb acting brought the whole number to life. Excellent. There was a special mention in the program for Paul Roberts who had to withdraw from the role of Mal due to ill health. This was a lovely touch to the communication from the director to us the audience. So, I felt Steve’s performance was especially good as he only had a few weeks to rehearse and learn the part.

Other people with very important jobs that are not often mentioned are Assistant Producer and Marketing – Annabel Cooper, and Programme Design – Jasmin Slingsby. The program was available as a downloadable PDF from a QR code. A great way to save on printing costs (and environmentally more acceptable). Headshots by Louise Garwood, and other contributions by the team, were well-organised, colourful, and an interesting read. Sadly, the program does not qualify for the NODA competition as it did not include the required NODA elements, something to remember for your next production which I believe will be Big Fish, in April 2024.

The choreography by Lucy Potter, was very good, with some interesting moves and well performed. Even some tap which was lovely to see. I feel Lucy had interpreted the music very well and given the dancers a very enjoyable chance to characterise within the music. Excellent.

Overall, this production was elegant, kooky, and tremendously fun to watch, I’m still singing the numbers, which is always a good sign. I feel that Rob Nicholls directed the whole show with confident skill, he created the Addams Family world for us and embellished the whole show, which elevated it to being the best amateur production of The  Addams Family (Musical) I have seen. I could see Rob’s hand in every element, from lighting and sound to the stage set and many props and costumes. Utilising live music was a brave decision due mainly to the extra cost, but I am confident you will earn it back through ticket sales as I’m sure you will enjoy full houses for the rest of your run. Definitely one not to miss.

Jules Jones

East Midlands Councillor

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