EMPIRE THEATRE, LIVERPOOL – UNTIL SATURDAY 12TH MARCH 2022
REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN
5*****
I don’t think Charles Addams ever imagined, back in 1938 the franchise that would result, from his single-panel newspaper cartoons, about a macabre American family with an affinity for all things dark and gloomy. After the success of the TV series, animations and big screen releases, the musical was inevitable. Our favourite ghoulish family, is touring the UK in a spectacular musical comedy from the award-winning writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music and lyrics from Tony Award nominated Andrew Lippa. The Addams Family musical comedy is a celebration of all things creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky!
As soon as the audience hears the first few notes of the familiar theme song, everyone joins ‘Thing’, the resident disembodied hand, in clicking their fingers to the beat and they are straight away transported into the wacky world of the Addams family. As the plot unfolds, we learn that Wednesday Addams (Kingsley Morton), the princess of darkness is all grown up and has fallen in love with a ‘normal’ young man, Lucas Beineke (Ahmed Hamad). Wednesday confides in her father Gomez (Cameron Blakely) that she is secretly engaged, and has invited Lucas and his parents, Mal (Sean Kingsley) and Alice Beineke (Kara Lane) to dinner that evening. Gomez is caught in a web of lies as he tries to keep the secret from the love of his life and matriarch Morticia (Joanne Clifton). Pugsley (Grant McIntyre) is understandably concerned and resistant to his sister’s new life, and steals a potion from Grandma (Carol Ball), which he accidently gives to Alice, thus uncovering hidden truths within the Beineke family.
Uncle Fester (Matt Slack) with his quick wit, quirky behaviour and narrative role commands the attention of the audience. He executed one of my favourite musical performances of the evening ‘The moon and Me’.
Lurch (Ryan Bennett) the family’s butler, is one of my best loved characters of the musical. He has the audience in stitches with his heavy and exceptionally slow footsteps and all without uttering a word, except for the odd grunt here and there. Watch out for a nice surprise in the finale.
The grand, haunted house-style set design of Diego Pitarch contributes so much to the whole atmosphere of the production and transports the audience to the family mansion from the beginning.
Professional dancer and champion in Strictly Come Dancing, Joanne Clifton and Cameron Blakely had the whole audience gasping and cheering with their exquisite performance of the tango and their chemistry complemented the style and tone of the piece.
Each character was reflected through their individual costumes and the production was accompanied by a live orchestra with an extraordinary original score.
I can guarantee you will laugh out loud, and in the words of Morticia Addams, this production will leave you feeling ‘perfectly unhappy’.