Addams Family: A Musical Comedy is Creepy Kooky fun! (5 stars)
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky. They’re altogether ooky – The Addams Family. So starts the catchy and quirky theme song to The Addams Family, Americas first family of the morbid and macabre!
Starting as a humble comic featured in the New Yorker, the Addams Family has entertained folks since 1938 making them an enduring feature of our culture. They became household names when in 1964 they got their own TV show. They have gone on to be cherished by multiple generations by branching out into movies, cartoons and the recent Netflix series Wednesday. Truly, the Addams Family are ubiquitous icons of Americana!
If TVs and movies were not enough, the Addams are now out to conquer new territory. This time they bring their humor and horror to the Theatre by starring in Addams Family: A Musical Comedy.
All your favorites are there! Gomez, the father and Morticia the mother. Plus Wednesday and Pugsley the kids. Lurch the Frankenstein like butler and the pale and bald Uncle Fester join as well. Rounding out the main cast is Grandmama – the ancient and old witch of the family. A few cameos are made by fan favorites such as the shaggy Cousin It and of course, the disembodied hand known only as THING!
Rounding out the ensemble is a ghoulish cast of Addams ghosts conjured from the family crypt. They serve as choir and a tableau all at the same time adding to the dance numbers as well as posing as statues and portraits in the background. This made the simple cast expand into musical spectacle.
The scene and sets shifted seamlessly into well done changeovers that integrated technology and movement smoothly. Kudos to the crew that are as well rehearsed as the performers. Great atmospheric lighting and projection design added to every scene. Overall, it was a technical marvel of well-done stagecraft while not being bombastic and distracting from the performance.
However, long-time fans might be happy to know there is something new to see as some fresh characters and themes become part of the show. First, Wednesday and Pugsley are now longer children but have grown up quite a bit. Pugsley looks more like a punk rock teenager now. While Wednesday, typical of young ladies, is chasing after a boy. Which introduces us to the newest additions to the cast – the Beinekes – a relatively normal family in stark contrast the weird and wild Addams.
Wednesday falls for the young Lucas, for whom they swiftly become engaged. So of course, it’s to meet the parents where the clash of families can only lead to comedy. Not one, but three couples have their relationships strained of the course of the story. It’s an old-fashioned love story three times over. It’s a refreshing take considering traditional romances have fallen out of favor recently. Glad to see it coming back.
There is a Romeo and Juliet-like theme in which star-crossed lovers face forbidden love but not from a long-time family feud, rather from the spookiness of the Addams juxtaposed against the relative normality of typical Americans. We may love the Addams as life-long fans, so it’s hard to see their weirdness. So, it takes an archetype to point out their less than desirable traits.
So how does it end? Does Morticia and Gomez live morbidly ever after? Do the young lovers overcome the adversity of their differing world? Is there a horrifically ever after we can celebrate? You will just have to attend to get the answers. For the fans, the show will not disappoint. Oh, expect at least one Tango for sure!
The Addams Family: A Musical Comedy is now playing at the Boch Center in Boston until March 23rd. It will continue to tour New England, going to Maine, Vermont and eventually New York.
For more information, please visit https://theaddamsfamilytour.com/