Turning the 1930’s cartoon strip and 60’s sitcom The Addams Family into a musical was never going to be an easy sell. They are, after all, a family who enjoy the darker side of life; finding general pleasure in pain, death and misery. They’re not exactly the type to sing and dance. Nor is the macabre character Wednesday one to embrace the concept of love. But in the first ten minutes of the show, the writers take a stab in the dark and hope that by taking a leap of faith with the cast, the audience will accept that it’s perfectly reasonable for this morbidly morose family to express themselves in song, and to embrace the concept of young love. Somehow, against all odds, this works remarkably well, and the musical that follows is likely to be one of the most entertaining nights out you’ll have at the theatre this year.
I won’t give much away about the plot, but surprisingly – given the characters we have to work with – this is a musical about love. Wednesday grows up, meets boy, has to gain the acceptance of her parents. Nothing new there. But few have parents like Morticia and Gomez, and the task is certainly easier said than done. But that said, rarely have there been two characters more in love in history of television – so perhaps extending this concept to their daughter really isn’t so far fetched after all. And, behind the macabre, isn’t that what The Addams Family has always been about? A family unit whose love of the perverse only serves to bring them closer together – and this indeed may serve true for the new romance(s) the musical celebrates.
With the exception of “Death is Just Around the Corner”, which opens the second act and feels like a play on something out of Mary Poppins, this isn’t your traditional song and dance number filled musical. Many of the songs take place within a scene, rather than because of a scene (if that makes sense), and though there is plenty of dancing (especially from the ghostly undead) it’s not the focus of the show. “Death…” as mentioned is definitely the standout of the show, but otherwise there’s little memorable musically. But then again, this is the Addams Family, we weren’t going to the show for the music, and it serves more as an avenue for comedy than anything else. As a result, it’s solid, humorous and entertaining – nothing cringeworthy – and that speaks a world of credit to the writers.
And ultimately that’s why this show works. The script is brilliant. It’s full of enough witty one liners (expertly executed by the phenomenal cast) to make Mel Brooks blush, and never ceases to surprise. It all fits within the expectations of what a musical should be, but at the same time treats it with enough disdain that fans of the shows and the characters can accept that this strange amalgamation of TV sitcom and Broadway musical works. But it definitely took some great casting and the excellent script to take it over the line.
Though Wednesday (Teagan Wouters) is the focus of the story, this is definitely Gomez (John Waters) and Morticia’s (Chloë Dallimore) show. Though Fester (Russell Dykstra) arguably steals the show with the appropriately bizarre and excellently staged number “The Moon and Me”, the interplay between the patriarch and matriarch of the family is, as it was in the TV show and films, ultimately what holds it all together. With their witty banter and all the mayhem that is going on around them – which at times reminded me of Rocky Horror… – it’s impossible not to leave the theatre with a smile on your face.
As for the production, the sets are fantastic. The level of detail is world class, from the house they live in to the graveyards they dance in. The costumes are elegantly morbid (especially of the undead) and the lighting – which is inarguably technically complex – is state of the art, especially during Fester’s “..Moon” number. The staging was clever, too, with the curtain allowing for appearances from Thing and Cousin It, while serving as a barrier between one scene and the next. A technical feat I have never seen pulled off with such style and grace.
When you go to the theatre, you do so to escape reality. When the Addams Family premiered on TV some fifty years ago, it allowed its viewers to do the same. Anyone who would have predicted the two mediums to overlap later in life would surely have laughed at the thought. Yet here we are, and thanks to a wonderful script, brilliant acting and staging that is out of this world, we have a musical that will leave audiences laughing in the aisles and cheering for more. Songs of death and torture have never been so much fun.
The Addams Family: The Broadway Musical is now playing exclusively at The Capitol Theatre in Sydney. Tickets and more details about the show can be found here: http://www.addamsfamilythemusical.com.au/
