The Addams Family

The Addams Family a youth musical staged by Ormskirk School at Ormskirk School, Wigan Road, Ormskirk on Thursday, 17th October, 2024

When you hear those ‘opening notes’ and that ‘double finger snap’ … you just know, why, because … ‘They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're all together kooky, The Addams Family’. This musical comedy, with lyrics by Andrew Lippa, from a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice is based upon characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. In the upside-down world of the Addams Family, it’s sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy and death and suffering are the stuff that dreams are made of!  But now… having lived by their unique values for hundreds of years, Gomez and Morticia, the ‘patriarch and matriarch’ of the clan, are only too willing to continue living that way, that is until their dark, macabre, beloved daughter ‘Wednesday’, now turning eighteen, is getting engaged to an ‘ordinary boy’ … ‘Lucas Beineke’ and she’s taken it upon herself to invite Lucas’s entire family’ to her home to celebrate! During that fateful night, secrets are disclosed, relationships tested and The Addams’s must face up to the one thing they’ve managed to avoid for generations … CHANGE!

The Production Team …  it’s not always easy to ‘put your own stamp’ on a stage production adapted from a well-known TV series or film… people always have expectations!  Tasked with doing just that were Mrs Carter/Mrs Simm (Directors), Emily Mayne (Lead Choreographer), Bethany Frackelton (Choreographer), Mr Pearson and Mr Ellwood (Music Team), and Izzy Chapple (Vocal Coach). With a massive cast of eighty-three, just the thought of moving them safely around stage and auditorium must have been a daunting task in itself, so it was vitally important that everyone knew what was expected of them and how they were to achieve it and from the off, it was obvious they did.  Choreography… wow, another tough challenge I would suggest!  Setting levels for principal had to be right, but as important, if not more important, was setting levels for the varying abilities of this huge chorus … but again, this was achieved through some simple yet creative routines. We had some terrific vocals produced, solo’s, duets and some great chorus numbers including some great harmonies thrown into the mix, all delivered with confidence and ease… so, its congratulations to the entire production team for their vision and dedication in producing such a great piece of youth theatre, which, if the applause throughout and at the finale were anything to go by, was appreciated by everyone present.  

The Cast … from first entrance to final bow, this huge cast gave us their all and from the smiles on their faces it was more than obvious that they were all having the time of their young lives!  They all looked focused and comfortable with what had been thrown at them … this really was a performance that they all should be proud of!  As always, in my reviews, if you’re in the cast, I do believe you should get a mention… so I’m starting with the ‘Ancestor Chorus’ who, as in the programme, will be identified using just their first names...

Ancestor Chorus: Holly, Macy, Sophia, Ava, Chloe, Alex, Amelie, Erin, Aimee, Hollie, Lydia, Abbie, Ben, Ava, Charlotte, Janey, Daniel, Joshua, Ella, Connor, Faye, Jacob, Isla, Charlotte, Max, Oscar, Solara, Hetty, Lyla, Grace, Sophie, Elissa, Eirian, Mia, Jasmine, Daisy, Faye, Lilly, Evie, Sophie, Amy, Alice, Olivia, Grace, Eli, Lyla, Lucy, Tess, Jess and Lilly.

Ancestors: Katie Swift - French Revolution, George Wilson - Soldier, Lola Armstrong - Cowgirl, Faith Richards - Bride, Evieanne Allen - Flapper, Ewan Daly - Conquistador, Ezra Fallize - Nobleman, Harley Disley - Sailor, Grace Tyman - Pirate, Abbey Turner – Ballerina, Jess Hughes - Opera Singer, Bobby Johnson - Newsboy, Elle McKenzie - Suffragette, Emily McKay – The Plague, Mia Banks - Titanic Passenger, Megan Lawson - Explorer, Grace Addison - Victorian, Amelia Seke - Asylum Girl, Phoebe Constantine - Showgirl, Maggie Taylor-Woods - Flamenco Dancer,  Daisy Ellison - Flight Attendant. 

Principals:  Luca Pastor played ‘Gomez’, Hazel Jutla played ‘Morticia’, Charlie Geldart – ‘Uncle Fester’, Daisy Charles played ‘Wednesday’, Daniel Bell – ‘Pugsley’, Charlotte Le Dallic-Sivyer – ‘Grandma Addams’, Leon McEvoy played ‘Lurch’, Chloe Ainsworth – ‘House Maid’, Layla Bell – ‘Cousin Itt’.  The Beineke’s… ‘Lucas’, ‘Alice’ and ‘Mal’ were played by Will Gregson, Hannah Arnold and Will Brookes respectively.

Never one to ‘sit on the fence’… this is where I ‘stick the old neck out’ and start to suggest MY Showstealer and MY favourite characters. There’s little doubt you will have your own ideas, BUT THESE ARE MINE!   ‘Showstealer’ … ‘honestly’, it could have so easily have been anyone of the three listed below, I really couldn’t separate them … Luca Pastor’s ‘Gomez’, Hazel Jutla’s ‘Morticia’ and Daisy Charles’s ‘Wednesday’, all three just ‘nailed’ their roles, creating three wonderful characters, adding their own ‘individual twists’ to enhance those characters. Luca just oozed confidence and class and was the perfect fit for this role. Loved the way he took control and commanded of the stage from the off, never out of character, used his voice, mannerisms and movements (good dancer) to enhance the character and was able to bring out the comedic elements with ease!  Worked well with both Hazel and Daisy and you could see and feel the bond between the three of them … great performance sir!  Hazel shone as ‘Morticia’. Looked and sounded amazing, great posture, the dress was ‘sensational’. Hazel is blessed with stage presence aplenty, she just oozed class and confidence. Loved her vocals … her rendition of ‘Just Around the Corner’ sung and danced with the Ancestors, was a highlight for me!  Be very proud Hazel, great job!  Although I mention Daisy’s portrayal of ‘Wednesday’ after Gomez and Morticia let me assure you that this performance was so very close to being MY ‘showstealer’!  Confident, assured, energy driven, Daisy had a real presence on stage! I loved her mannerisms and the way she interacted with, not only Gomez, Morticia and Lucas, but all the cast … effortless!  Another blessed with a tremendous singing voice, an absolute joy to watch … congrats Daisy, be ever so proud!  
Sorry, but I don’t think I can move on without highlighting a couple of ‘special moments’ from the production…
1. Finale Act 1 … songs ‘Full Disclosure’, sung by the company; Waiting (sung by Hannah Arnold as Mrs Beineke) and the reprise of ‘Full Disclosure ... brought the house down… great choreo, great vocals, loved it!
2. An OMG scene for me… set around ‘The Moon and Me’ a song sung by Charlie Geldart aka ‘Fester’ and danced superbly by Abbey Turner as the ‘Ballerina’. With a projected ‘full moon’ illuminated and displayed on the video wall … this scene was perfectly staged,
    looked and sounded amazing… just oozed quality!

Staging/Set/Tech … Bethany Frackelton and Rosa (Stage Manager/Assistant) were in charge of all things stage wise and what a good job they made. Once again, the staging here at Ormskirk School was creative, with every inch of stage space, as well as the walkways through the audience, used to their maximum… looked fabulous.  Again, the ‘video wall’ opened up endless opportunities, all of which were taken… creating some wonderful scenes and effects that enhanced this production ever so much.  If I may and I hope I don’t offend, the metal framed staging used as tables in the ‘family dinner’ scene looked out of place, a little to modern … just needed to be covered, which would have addressed the problem. Tech Design was the creation of Sam Robinson-Davies and Scott Makin from Infinity Technical and Moonlight Events. The lighting plot was fabulous, creating some great effects which again enhanced the show.  Sound… unfortunately, due to sickness, the school lost a member of staff last minute, leaving them with decisions to make and overcome, which they did. This is ‘live theatre’ folks, so the show had to go on, a teacher stood in, and although we did have a few minor issues, they did not detract from this wonderful production.

Costumes and Props… costumes were stunning and enhanced the production ever so much, as were the ‘props’ … in particular the ‘in house’ designed and built ‘RACK’ used by ‘Wednesday’ on her brother ‘Pugsley’… looked and worked fabulously well. Congrats to one and all, great job!

Thank you so much for inviting my wife and I to your production and thank you for inviting me to your rehearsal!  District 6 is blessed with so many talented young people … actors, dancers, singers, ‘techies’, plus committed elders who just want to share their talents and experiences in an effort to enhance the opportunities for these wonderful young people and create productions like this, I really do feel so privileged and blessed to act as your NODA Rep. In the programme notes and I mentioned this when I met the cast in rehearsal … the arts and theatre offer so much more than just being on stage, they offer/create ‘life skills’ - (team work, self-esteem, communication skills, relationships … the list is endless). These skills are attributes that you can and will use for the rest of your life!  Take these opportunities with both hands to enhance your prospects. Be very proud each and all, can’t wait to see you all again soon!

Stay Safe, Keep Well…
Stronger Together
Jim Briscoe
NODA NW – District 6 Rep
 

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