The Addams Family

It was a pleasure to once again visit Alcester Musical Theatre Company, winners of last year’s Best Musical for District 5 for Legally Blonde.  This time around, we were in the company of a very different sorority, as AMTC brought the creepy and the kooky, not to mention the mysterious and spooky, to their production of The Addams Family. 

The story of The Addams Family is a simple one, in which Wednesday Addams falls in love with outsider Lucas Beineke, much to the chagrin of her mother and brother, who plots to derail their romance.  Meanwhile, the eccentric (even for an Addams) Uncle Fester has fallen in love with the moon.  When the Beineke family visit for dinner, secrets are aired and splits in both families are revealed, before a series of heart-to-hearts results in a happy resolution for all. 

Morticia Addams, the formidable matriarch at the head of the Addams Family (no matter what Gomez might like to think!), was very well played by Beth Marden, exuding an icy command throughout, and absolutely smashing her second half song ‘Just Around the Corner’.  Ben Moore was equally strong as her rather hapless husband Gomez, full of awkward equivocation and clearly hopelessly in love with his wife.  His little asides to the audience were perfectly timed and delivered (props to the lighting team here as well!) and his great singing voice really came to the fore in songs such as ‘Happy Sad’ and ‘Not Today’  There was a great chemistry between the two, and together they formed the core of this very entertaining production.

Sarah Roberts was spot on as their daughter Wednesday, convincingly morose even as she was being pulled in a new direction by her love for Lucas.  Eva Beckford did a great job as little brother Pugsley (is she really just 13 years old?!), really bringing out the sadness and frustration of a character who feels left behind.  The family were completed by Michael Treagust’s wonderfully eccentric Fester, with his amusing habit of oversharing, and Hayley Hemmings’ cackling Grandma with an apparent obsession with bodily functions.  Mention must also be made, of course, of their almost silent butler, Lurch (Paul Rea), a constant, looming presence played with a great eye for humour.

Lucas Beineke, Wednesday’s paramour, was convincingly played by Jamie Glenn, whose romance with Wednesday was totally believable, even to the extent that allowing her to shoot an apple from his head – blindfold – seemed a perfectly understandable action!  Hannah Wolstencroft and Dave Hatton were equally good as his parents, Alice and Mal, for whom the spark has rather faded.  Alice’s chemical-induced outburst at the end of the first half was very well portrayed (and featured a thrill for Lurch!), and their later reconciliation felt very natural. 

Alongside the principals was a large ensemble of Addams ‘ancestors’ – a really fun part of this show and one that was really well achieved by the committed and entertaining cast.  I felt that the ancestors worked best when they were involved with a purpose (such as their heckling outside the gates at the beginning of the second half) or in the group song and dance routines.  They worked less well for me as background colour, which I found a bit distracting and occasionally led to upstaging of the principal action.  I loved, by the way, the ‘Obituary’ section in the programme, which detailed the date of death for each ancestor!  Nice work by programme designer Hannah Finch. 

The show was well directed by Bev Hatton, with a keen eye for the comedy in the clever script and the odd surprise – I loved the appearance of the monster underneath Pugsley’s bed!  Choreographer Naomi Beckford and Musical Director Phil Radden (supported by an 11 piece band) ensured that the songs went with a suitable spooky swing.  The ‘moon ballet’ in the second half was nicely conceived and performed (well done to dancer Beth Hemmings in particular) with plenty of light and movement.  A word also for the singing in this show, which was to a high standard throughout and featured particularly clear diction.  This was important as the clever lyrics to the songs need to be heard clearly to have their full impact, so well done to the cast in that respect. 

There was great use of smoke and lighting effects throughout the production, from the atmospheric opening, as the family emerged from the mist, to the later scenes in which Gomez attempted to reconcile with his daughter and his wife.  A nice set showing the Addams’ home was well augmented with movable staircases (well handled by an efficient backstage team) which provided good variety and space for the ancestors to get involved.  A word too for whoever put together the interval music – a great use of someone’s Halloween playlist!

My congratulations to all at AMTC for a very entertaining rendition of this fun show.  They hit exactly the right tone, and the enjoyment in the audience, both young and old, was clear to see.  The identity of AMTC’s next show is currently under wraps – I wonder what it will be?  Whatever it is, I have no doubt that this talented group will deliver a great evening, and I look forward to seeing it.

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