Mysterious, Spooky, Altogether Ooky - The Addams Family Musical

The Addams Family – A New Musical, directed by Juliet Vankay, Warwick Playbox Theatre, 10 -13 October

Review by David Court

When cartoonist Charles Addams wrote and drew this frightful fictional family for the pages of The New Yorker back in 1938, he could have had little idea of the longevity of his creation. Since then, the devilish dynasty has embedded themselves in pop culture, spawning television series, videogames, comics, cartoons (even appearing alongside Scooby Doo at one stage) – and more recently, the phenomenally successful spin off Wednesday (2022). They have indeed outlasted Charles himself, who died back in 1988.

They were always intended by Charles to be a wry satirical poke at the stereotypical idealistic American family; a mysterious, morbid and macabre mob attempting to blend into normal culture, delightfully naïve – or simply uncaring - about how they are viewed by ‘normal’ (inverted commas quite, quite deliberate) society.

The Addams Family musical first hit Broadway in 2010 (with Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth - recognisable as Lilith from Cheers - as Morticia), but now it’s come to the Playbox Theatre in Warwick, presented by their musical theatre department.

The stage is set - photograph by David Court

Opening night was packed to the rafters, the audience walking into the setting of a deserted courtyard lit only by stained glass windows and a cloud-obscured moon. Ominous church bells sounded, replacing by a variant of Vic Mizzy’s familiar finger-clickingly addictive Addams Family theme. The stage is then swamped by a motley assortment of characters dancing and singing along to the opening number, “When You’re an Addams” – and you know you’re in safe and professional hands.

The musical tells the tale of the Addams daughter Wednesday and her romance with a boy from the ‘normal’ world, and the inevitable conflict that the meeting of the two worlds will wreak. This must have been familiar territory for Nathan Lane in the Broadway musical, the plot not being radically dissimilar from The Birdcage (1996) which starred Lane, itself a reworking on the classic French farce La Cage aux Folles (1973).

Of course, any play is only as good as its central characters - and I’m pleased to say that, without exception, they all shine equally as brightly as the radiant moon hanging over the set. Tom Lomas and Celine Delahaye thoroughly convince as Gomez and Morticia, the love-struck patriarch and matriarch – the former given the lions share of stage time and excelling, the latter proving herself more than up to the task of such an eminent role. Martha Wainwright and Evan Taylor portray the squabbling sociopathic siblings Wednesday and Pugsley with gruesome vigour, and Mary Sutherland and Dylan Somanthan respectively breathe life into Grandma and ghoulish butler Lurch. Grandma in particular is a revelation - all hunched posture and over-the-top accent - and Lurch is understatedly hilarious, Somanthan proving to be a master of comic timing. Jack Hobson as Gomez’s brother Fester is a charm, given a memorable (and hilarious) denouement at the tales close.

Special mention must go to Martha Wainwright – her first song is nothing short of remarkable, demonstrating incredible vocal power and range. Utterly breathtaking.

Elliott Barlow, Jennie Beattie and Liam Browne (as son Lucas and parents Alice and Mal) are late arrivals to the ensemble, the normal family – like Brad and Janet in The Rocky Horror Show - thrust into the chaotic madness that inevitably surrounds the bizarre Addams clan. They provide a lovely contrast to the weirdness, with Jennie in particular a revelation – her character experiencing the greatest transformation of them all.

It's jam-packed with excellent performances and songs to match, with honestly more showstoppers than any single musical deserves. A dance routine – Tango De Amor – also impresses, the excellent cast proving themselves capable of whatever the script throws at them. Also, a big hand (!) for Thing, given stage life through the most entertaining of means.

As a fan of the Addams family, I was expecting to enjoy this play – but wasn’t quite prepared for how much. It’s a dark delight, and you really need to (clicks fingers) snap up a ticket. Is it creepy? Oh yes. Kooky? For sure. Mysterious, spooky, altogether ooky? Check.

For tickets go to https://www.playboxtheatre.com/events/the-addams-family/