The Addams Family Musical

Wranglers Theatre Company

The Addams Family Musical

Performed at The Muse Theatre, Lipson

As seen by Nina Jarram, NODA SW District 3 Representative on Wednesday 21st May 2025

Directed by Jonathan Clarke

Choreographed by Claire Field

 

They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and Spooky. They're altogether Ooky, The Wranglers Family. Before the curtain had even gone up on this production of The Addams Family, the audience were participating by clicking along in the appropriate places to the well-known theme tune. Despite the stage being untypically below the sight of the audience, there was a resplendent red proscenium curtain concealing the stage and scenery from the audience which opened to reveal the aforementioned family themselves in a striking tableau showing a vast array of posture, facial expressions and body language bringing the characters to life in front of our eyes. Maintaining the focussed sullen expressions whilst singing to keep the audience engaged in the unfolding of the story is no mean feat.

The actor playing Uncle Fester was an excellent storyteller and broke the forth wall at regular intervals to communicate intimately with the audience about the meaning of love. He was a personable character and was able to successfully juxtapose his unapproachable character with his comedy timing.

With the Netflix series of Wednesday being a recent tv highlight, there is always the danger of the more modern audience expecting a mirrored image of the tv portrayal with the older demographic relying on their memories of the original adaptation of the 1960s for comparison. We were not disappointed, Costumes were originally imagined and complemented by appropriate wigs, hair styles and make up.

The actor playing Mr Gomez was a joyful mixture of Manuel from Fawlty Towers and Bruno Tonioli from Strictly. His accent was flawless throughout and his well-timed gazes to connect with the audience were comedy gold. He portrayed an excellent good cop alongside his wife’s bad cop and was able to later show the vulnerable side of being a father having established a comic stock character from the beginning.

The actor playing Morticia gave us the required physical representation with a more unlikeable representation than we are used to. There was little physical attention portrayed towards her husband, giving us another Commedia Dell’arte stock character as the villain of the piece. This interpretation was then contrasted with a beautifully sung rendition of, ‘Death is just around the corner’ a Gershwin/Berlin inspired song which showed off this actor’s vocals alongside some impressive dance moves. A cleverly inspired and wholly inappropriate kick line introduced in to this song with its macabre lyrics was the icing on the cake with the introduction of the Grim Reaper himself pulling off some serious Moulin Rouge moves.

The actor playing Wednesday had an excellent singing voice and great projection but I felt that her interpretation of the character was too animated. I would have liked her to have shown Wednesday with more vulnerability alongside the sullen and emotionally reserved personality that we are familiar with. She matched the confidence of the actor playing Lucas when they perhaps could have collectively demonstrated a more unlikely and unbelievable coupling which was the basis of the story.

The actor playing Pugsley was superb and had really thought about the nuances and physicality of playing a young child. Her vocals were impressive and she remained in character at all times confidently keeping the narrative going. This is an experienced and adaptable performer with great projection and watchability.

Grandma was an absolute scream. Taking in to account the actor’s age, she competently pulled off this hilarious interpretation with a wig worthy of its own programme bio, prosthetics and a gift for comedy which had us howling. Her accent and overall vocal and physical interpretation were a masterclass in comedy.

When you have little or no lines to deliver, it can be difficult to communicate, but this was not a problem for the actor playing Lurch. He understood his brief which was to take his time in every movement and action that he had to execute. Not as simple s it sounds but this was achieved with the hilarity that it deserved. His consistent characterisation was a joy to behold.

Lucas’ parents were written into the script as the straight playing couple and the actors were able to successfully portray their normality alongside the morbid idiosyncrasies of the Addams. The actor playing Alice had a great opportunity to both literally and metaphorically let her hair down and despite her powerhouse vocals was a little reserved. This is a potential show stealing moment worthy of more gusto.

There was excellent choreography executed by an amazing ensemble in the guises of the Ancestors who showcased a variety of different dance styles alongside strong vocals. Whilst competently lighting up the stage with secure performances, they were also used to change and move scenery and set. This was done in character and did not distract from the narrative whilst keeping the action flowing. The actor playing the Caveman managed this expertly. I would like to mention in particular the actor playing the Flapper for her vocals and dancing which pulled focus along with the actors playing the Gypsy and the Puritan who were dynamic in their portrayals and demonstrated excellent focus and consistent characterisation.

I would have liked the Director to have used the Ancestors more in the staging with potential comedy moments missed in light of them not being able to be seen by Lucas and his parents. There were opportunities here for slapstick ghostly goings on giving this hardworking ensemble individual scenarios in which to develop further the characters they had been given.

 

 

The staging and scenery were perfectly designed with a sweeping staircase commanding upstage centre which gave the audience interesting levels to enjoy. The use of stand alone trees depicting the forest was a clever touch with the Ancestors popping out vaudeville style providing more laughs.

This is a well written show with fantastic opportunities for actors to explore and develop facial expressions, physicality and accents with a focus on comic delivery and farce. This production felt at times a bit safe but judging by how much fun this cast appeared to have and the positive contribution and responses from the audience, it is fair to say that the Wranglers have produced a spooktacular show. It was hands together for a well deserved applause at the end joined by another hand popping through the curtain in the guise of ‘Thing’ (actor uncredited!)

 

PLEASE NOTE: Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

 

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