(seen at the afternoon performance on 17th February 2022)
Wednesday is growing up so fast she’s almost Thursday, affirms proud father Gomez. She’s found the boy of her dreams - almost as weird as she is, and his family are coming over for a quick dinner and out by half-past nine.
Not the most intricately designed musical theatre book, and probably the reason this was ill-received by professional critics on its 2010 Broadway debut and never presented in the West End.
Aria Entertainment and its associate producers have done a superb job bringing the show to life on a much-delayed UK national tour. Diego Pitarch’s balcony-framed set allows family members (alive and dead) to commentate on the action, torture each other (mostly literally) and lets Thing participate too.
Choreographer Alistair David is best in ensemble numbers, banishing imitations of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in favour of far more creative ideas – “The Moon and Me” particularly effective, helped by some excellent costumes.
On the technical side there were a few sound issues – noticeable “clipping” (microphones switched on too late to capture the start of some lines). Still Richard Brooker’s sound design for the most part delivered a clear balance. Ben Cracknell with lighting fared better, a simple explosion effect amusingly effective.
As our host and head of this kooky family, Cameron Blakely as Gomez is constantly wrong-footing us as the Addams Family patriarch should. Charmingly sinister Italianate, with droll delivery and an ever-lengthening list of what he would do for his daughter.
Wife Morticia is devoted, and Joanne Clifton dances the “Tango De Amor” with impressive style. A sweet voice too; her only flaw is being almost too kind in a family where maternal instinct needs to be always demonstrably off-beat. A little more chill and icy-souled edge required perhaps, to be truly Addams.
Luckily, they have produced two badly brought up children. Offspring Wednesday (Kingsley Morton) and Pugsley (Grant McIntyre) are perfection. The monkey was delighted to see Morton, one of the ArtsEd graduates it saw in their pre-lockdown 2020 “Freaky Friday” graduation show, take a major role. Everything that performance suggested about her abilities proved true, with a horrible sadistic bent added to the strong comedic timing and sound vocal. The lady means business, and her brother is happy to receive the attention.
Equalling her, McIntyre finds laughs on the rack, and delivers during his moment in the spotlight considering “What If.”
Of their wider family, a stoop-shouldered and bald Uncle Fester is one kindly eccentric in love with the moon. Scott Paige gives him rounded humour and has such command of the material that he makes his crazy end more than believable (genuinely upsetting the little girl seated a row in front of the monkey at the thought of what would happen to him).
Fellow family member (possibly) Grandma – Valda Aviks – puts in a lovely scene with a pram full of potions. As fan of hers since “Once,” the monkey was pleased to see her in another deep character role carried off with an effortless aplomb.
Dickon Gough (you may remember his bottom from a 2020 Walkers Crisp Campaign, according to a programme entry which amused highly one of the monkey’s friends) simply IS butler Lurch. Lumbering around the stage without ever compromising his movements, and with a surprise up his sleeve, the monkey counted itself lucky to catch one of his final dates in the part.
Mentions too for the unlucky guests. Ahmed Hamad as Lucas Beineke, love of Wednesday’s life, is a master of revealing new aspects of his character - showing just what young Addams sees in him.
Kara Lane and Sean Kingsley as his parents Alice and Mal cope with their confusion very differently. Lane enters into the spirit - however inadvertently; Kingsley remains the uptight American. But both are changed people by the end, perhaps in a good way as the family in the park show they know a thing or two about life.
With a spooky ensemble of Abigail Brodie, Matthew Ives, Sophie Hutchinson, Jessica Keable, Ying Ue Li, Castell Parker, Sean Lopeman and Sario Solomon as the Family Spirits always ready to rattle a chain, shake a leg or steal a shoe the stage is never empty of movement or little extra moments.
The monkey just wishes there had been more substance. The entire first act “engagement” story leads up to an interminable “Dinner Party.” The second crams in solo numbers and squeezes in random story snippets which could have interwoven the first act to pay off later in more satisfactory fashion. Evidence of the tricky evolution of the show, it speculates.
As a final note, the worst hotel in Paris is not the “minus three star ‘Nosferatu’” as Gomez books... no, the monkey would direct them to the (at least) “minus five star ‘Prince Albert’” where it once stayed. But that’s what happens if you don’t have access to the right guidebook of course.
Brimming with great performances and with excellent presentation, some fun lines and visual humour, but lacking a strong book or memorable songs (the famous TV theme gets a few bars in the overture is all), this is a decent attempt at a live adaptation – but it fails sadly to live up to the heritage of the monochrome television classic.
3 stars.