The Addams Family

The Addams Family is a musical comedy based on the Addams family characters created by Charles Addams in his cartoons. They depicted a ghoulish American family with an affinity for all things macabre and although numerous film and television versions of the Addams family exist, it wasn’t until 2009 that the musical was first staged in Chicago.

For this production, we were treated to a fabulous set. It was beautifully crafted and painted with a panel on each side housing screens, where pictures of each room were projected. At the start of the show, each cast member’s photo in character was projected with very funny explanations of how they had died and appropriate music played. This was a lovely idea and
really set the scene for what was to come.

The Ancestors were all dressed in white with costumes of varying periods and the principals’ costumes were just right for the characters they were playing. Hair and makeup were also good, as were the various items of furniture and props added to each scene.

Marcel as Gomez was fabulous. He had an excellent connection with the audience and fine characterisation. He also sang and moved well and had great attention to detail, with every line played for laughs. His performance of ‘Wednesday’s growing up’ was especially memorable.

Clare as Morticia was equally fabulous. She oozed sophistication and glamour, had strong vocals and danced well, especially in her Tango with Gomez.

Wednesday, played by Amy, had great vocals and gave a spirited, well acted performance. She delivered her lines with a brilliantly deadpan face and interacted well with everyone on stage.

Her sibling Pugsley was cast as a girl, which worked well. Hannah played the character’s mischievous qualities excellently and there were some lovely scenes with her sister Wednesday, most notably in their duet ‘Pulled’ - one of the show’s many musical highlights.

Kevin as Uncle Fester was fabulous and had great stage presence. Grandma, played by Kate, also performed confidently and made the most of some of the best one liners in the show.

Lurch (Richard) was apparently only brought into the show a couple of weeks earlier after the original Lurch fell ill. You certainly wouldn’t have known it though as he gave a strong and assured performance.

The Beineke family, played by James (Lucas), Josh (Mal) and Kensey-Rose (Alice) were a great contrast to the Addams family and all performed well. Alice’s shocking disclosure in 'Waiting’ was expertly done and all had fine vocals in their various numbers.

It was a very small stage for such a large number of people but the Ancestors made the most of the available space and were well organised. They were responsible for taking various items of furniture and props on and off the stage, as well as providing some nice harmonies when required. Many of their entrances were through the audience, which was very effective and they kept in character throughout.

This was a well directed production, with the emphasis very much on the humour and as a result made for a very entertaining show. Choreography by Jacinta was fairly limited due to the size of the stage, but it was well rehearsed and made the most of the space available.

Music was provided by a backing track which was expertly handled. Every track and sound effect was perfectly queued, giving the principals the opportunity to ad-lib when required. Not easy and very well done.

The singing was well rehearsed by Musical Director Liz and everyone was in fine voice.

The Director, Owena, produced a very polished production which was highly entertaining and visually very strong. Congratulations to all involved.

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