The Addams Family

The Addams Family is a ghoulish American family with an affinity for all things macabre. The stage musical is based on the characters created by Charles Addams in his cartoons.

There have been many adaptations of these cartoons over the years for both television and film but for me the television episodes are the most memorable.

The storyline is based around the daughter, Wednesday Addams, who is now all grown up and has fallen in love…with someone normal! Inviting her boyfriend’s family over for dinner with the intention of announcing their engagement she begs her family to act ‘normal’ but of course this turns out to be impossible and many bizarre and comedic situations ensue.

The set worked well and the scene changes were efficient, however it was certainly more effective when the ghosts of the ancestors changed the scenes instead of stage crew being seen in full light. I loved the Portrait of the family at the top of the stairs and the minimal approach allowed for the various scenes to take place unhindered.

Costumes were as you would expect for the main characters but I particularly liked the attire of the ghostly ancestors. All the characters were from different time periods and all used their individual characters to great effect throughout the show.

The women stole the show for me in this show and I would single out both Morticia, played by Donna Stephenson and Alice Beineke, played by Lucy Robinson. Both actors delivered two very different roles but each with tremendous effect. Morticia commanded the stage and Alice showed great versatility throughout. Gomez, played by Edward Moore, tackled this part with great gusto, at times the character was a little overplayed for my liking, but overall this was a solid performance, keeping the pace and energy of the show at a high. Mal Beineke, played by Tom Brassington was a lovely contrast to the over the top characters he was surrounded by.  The relationship between Wednesday (Charlotte Farthing) and Lucas (Owen Wardle) was not all that believable as Lucas appeared to be a number of years younger than Wednesday and certainly not of an age to consider marriage. However, Wednesday entered into the character well, with great facial expressions and an understanding of the various emotions her character goes through as the storyline develops.  Lucas is certainly a talented young performer with a fabulous singing voice and stage presence. Pugsley (Joe Wardle) played a smashing annoying little brother, the songs were a little out of reach for him but he covered them well with good characteristics. You couldn’t help but laugh at the feisty Grandma and Uncle Fester was a joy to watch, with a great stage presence and good comic timing. Lurch was a close representation of the original character and in some ways could have been used to even greater comic effect.

This was a very stylized performance and the director, Natasha Ingham, used the stage to great effect and had some lovely creative ideas. I would say that this musical is definitely more endearing and amusing if you are familiar with the original cartoons or filmed adaptations but overall this was a very enjoyable production.

Well done to all involved.

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