The Addams Family

I was delighted to return to Saundersfoot in May to see Footlights production of The Addams Family. Doo doo doo doo. Click click…It’s instantly recognisable and as soon as the audience hears this iconic tune, you can practically feel the grins of nostalgia. Following my previous visits to see Rose’s Garden and Grease I was wondering how this company would stage this musical, considering the space they have.

I am going to start this report on this note because I was blown away by the set & lighting for this production. Regency Hall is not a purpose-built theatre and although there is a stage it is not huge, yet the set brought in for the show, plus additional set construction by Footlights seemed to make it look huge because of how clever it was. It was seamless with transition, had everything it needed to make this visual show work so well in this venue. The technical side of shows doesn’t often get too much of a mention but I applaud your efforts with this. It just goes to show you don’t have to have huge stages to make a show look great. Fabulous job!

Onto the show – Andrew Lippa’s score is challenging! Very dynamic, rhythmical and challenging to be honest. I have MD’d the show myself, so I totally appreciate the work that goes into it. Huge credit to Angharad for the music on this production! The cast and ensemble were great vocally which sadly isn’t always the case. The score is so often simplified but the harmonies were there, and the delivery of solos & duets was on point!

Directing in this space must be challenging. It is a HUGE musical to pull off, but Jordan nailed it for me. He didn’t over do it, met each scene very well and clearly worked exceptionally hard with the characterisation to ensure that the comedy wasn’t lost. It’s such a funny script and I have seen many version where lines are thrown away needlessly but this definitely wasn’t the case.

The principal cast were excellent! Very well cast with Dan Williams as Gomez and his real-life partner Gabrielle Roberts as Morticia. Dan has such good stage presence but more than this, he embodies every role he plays so becomes very easy to watch on stage. The comedy was delivered with great timing, vocals on point and his relationship with Morticia - Perfect. Gabrielle was a delight to watch as well. Helped with their real-life relationship, her portrayal of Morticia just oozed sex appeal, was coldly humorous and her seeming lack of emotion and minute, graceful movements contrasted well Dan’s emotional state!

Uncle Fester played by Kevin Summers is a part I always look forward to seeing. Almost child like in his ways, with a sweetness and sincerity, Kevin delivered in every aspect. I really liked his characterisation. Wednesday (Anna Nelmes) and Pugsley (Josie Chell) has a great on stage relationship. That sister brother love hate relationship was excellent! Vocally they were both very good and stood strong against very experienced performers. Grandma (Allison Butler) has the best one liners in this but again can be missed by the audience or delivery but I missed nothing and still laughed the same things I laughed at 10 years ago. The character doesn’t have a lot to do but if played well, can certainly steal the limelight at points in the show and Allison took her moments. All the main cast were very good both vocally and in their characterisation but as usual Lurch (Tom Jones) just has this show stealing moment at the end of the show. Tom’s facial expressions were almost talking to me which was very amusing, although I was drawn to him maybe a little too much (not a bad thing).

The Beineke’s - Mal (James Marjoram), Alice (Jocelyn Aveyard) and Lucas – Rhys Morgan were again very well cast. Jocelyn I felt was one of the strongest characters on the stage and very easy to watch. Rhys was the heartthrob you want for Lucas and gave a strong acting and vocal performance. James played the nerdy Mal and didn’t drop character once. It was just enough to stand out in what was a crowded stage at times.

Addams Family is nothing without its ensemble and I have to give a lot of credit to this show’s Ancestor’s for the effort they put into it. Everyone is different (as it’s meant to be) with character, but the choreography was solid, vocals on point and everyone was loving life which is half the battle with any musical. Well done to Emily Davidson & Anna Nelmes for their choreography as it is hard planning for a smaller space but everything worked and your cast delivered.

Massive well done to the costume team for all their hard work! That was a huge team effort, led by Heidi Griffiths and supported with such dedication by her team.

To Jordan and all your team, a huge congratulations for such a successful production.

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