A real orchestra, a
proper musical – and from the spine-tingling overture as the lights go down, the
energy from The Addams Family crackles right to the
end.
Believe the hype on
this one. Whoops and hollers at the end, plus a standing ovation showed exactly
why this musical comedy has enjoyed sell-out dates across the UK since
springtime.
You may have seen the
cast performing When You’re An Addams on TV recently; it’s the perfect
introduction to this morbid family from the 60s sitcom. But then again, who’s to
say what’s normal?
The eagle-eyed among
the audience may have spotted high billing for internet sensation Carrie Hope
Fletcher as Wednesday and it soon becomes clear
why.
Not only does the
strong story revolve around Wednesday and her intended love, but she tackles the
vocals on her numbers with confidence, verve and
feeling.
That’s not to say the
others miss out. Sam Womack as Morticia shines in her big number Just Around The
Corner and is clearly having fun in a set-piece that echoes the best of Mel
Brooks.
Good old Les Dennis as
uncle Fester sweetly croons his love of the object of his desire in The Moon and
Me, getting the mood spot on for a character of “indeterminate sexuality” before
he jets off to get a little closer to his love.
What seems like
perfect casting brings us Cameron Blakely as the romantic Gomez, dashing around
the stage, sword fighting, joking, and being a wonderful husband and
father.
And that’s the nub of
this new story. Little Wednesday is a young lady now – so grown up she’ll soon
be Thursday, apparently.
But she’s brought
lovely Lucas (Oliver Ormson) home with the news the pair plan to wed, but he’s
just a normal boy from a normal family – and Gomez has to keep the news under
his hat until exactly the right moment to share it with his wife. Unfortunately,
he’s never kept a secret from Morticia, so thing start to unravel from
there.
Will the two families
get on? Will young Pugsley Addams (Grant McIntyre) lose his best friend
Wednesday if she goes off and gets married? Will Morticia and Gomez be
reconciled? And will the butler, Lurch (Dickon Gough), ever speak?
There’s a great chorus
of ghostly spirits of the family’s ancestors, carefully crafted caricatures who
are released from the crypt at the outset.
And the supporting
cast of Grandma (Valda Aviks), with Lucas’s parents Alice and Mal Beineke
(Charlotte Page and Dale Rapley) all get their moment in the spotlight. Great
music from Andrew Hilton’s team along with spooky kooky scenery complete the
picture.
There a lot of knowing
fun surrounding the (ahem) healthy relationship between Morticia and Gomez, so
the management recommend the show’s suitable for kids aged seven and
above.
